Date: 2022 July 27 16:14
Posted by Joe
The good folks from Anime Limited have just sent details for their next cinematic outing. Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is to to arrive at cinemas across the UK and Ireland on Wednesday 10th August 2022. The quirky slice of life movie follows the local adventures of Nikuko a brash single mother who lives with her daughter on a moored house boat. Nikuko makes a living at the local grill house, while her daughter Kikuo just wants to fit in and lead a (relatively normal life).
The story is kind of a mix of slice of life, with a bits of coming of age and just it's own heart warming eccentricity. We've seen this film and can confirm it's worth watching. Catch it on the big screen while you can by visiting nikukofilm.co.uk to find a screening near you.
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Press release as follows:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EMBRACE THE ECCENTRIC JOY OF NORMALITY IN FORTUNE FAVORS LADY NIKUKO THIS SUMMER
© 2021 Kanako Nishi・GENTOSHA, MOVIZ/ "Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko" Production Committee
Sanma Akashiya and Ayumu Watanabe's colourful testament to ordinary lives to release exclusively to cinemas from 10th August 2022
London, UK, 7 July 2022 - While the anime medium has seen a recent renaissance owing to exciting epic fantasies and dazzling romances that are literally out of this world, sometimes, an ordinary life is the best of all. That's the charm of Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko an eccentric yet heartwarming testament to the earnest lives of ordinary people from Japanese comedy legend Sanma Akashiya and award-winning director Ayumu Watanabe (Children of the Sea). Anime Limited are delighted to announce that Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is joining their Cine Matsuri season of exciting anime films, coming exclusively to selected cinemas in the United Kingdom and Ireland from 10th August 2022.
Everyone knows about Nikuko, the larger-than-life woman who works at the local grill house and lives in a cosy houseboat moored at the docks of a small town. She's loud and the furthest from being fashionable, but she has a big heart - whether that's for deadbeat men sure to deceive her, or her daughter. A girl on the cusp of adolescence, Kikuo wants nothing more than to fit in and is often embarrassed by her mother, until the unearthing of a secret threatens to either bring them closer together, or tear them apart.
The colourful and heartfelt story of Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko was brought to life after the film's creative producer, the popular Japanese comedian Sanma Akashiya, found himself moved by the love between parent and child found in Kanako Nishi's original novel, with Nikuko's cheerfulness reminding him of women he knew growing up in Kansai. When deciding to bring Nikuko to life through anime, Akashiya believes that "There are many things that Japan can be proud of and defend on the global stage. Anime is one of them".
This makes Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko more than a perfect addition to Anime Limited's ongoing Cine Matsuri season, which will continue to bring a jam-packed line-up of exciting, diverse anime films to cinemas across the United Kingdom and Ireland throughout summer and autumn. Keep an eye out for regular updates about Cine Matsuri from Anime Limited in the near future!
Synopsis:
From acclaimed director Ayumu Watanabe (Children of the Sea) and STUDIO4°C (Tekkonkinkreet, Mind Game) comes a heartwarming and moving comedy-drama with touches of magical realism. Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is about an unconventional family and the bonds that they share in their sleepy seaside town.
Brash single mother Nikuko is well-known for her bold spirit, much to the embarrassment of Kikuko, her pensive yet imaginative daughter. In contrast to her mother, Kikuko wants nothing more than to fit in as she navigates the everyday social dramas of middle school. Life in the harbour is peaceful until a shocking revelation from the past threatens to uproot the pair's tender relationship.
Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko will be shown in selected cinemas from 10th August 2022 in Japanese with English subtitles.
For more information and to book tickets, please visit nikukofilm.co.uk
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About Ayumu Watanabe
Born September 3, 1966, in Tokyo. He joined Studio Mates in 1986 and debuted as a key animator there. In 1988, he joined Shin-Ei Animation and was active in various roles, including key animator, animation director, and director. He directed the short theatrical Doraemon: A Grandmother's Recollections (2000), feature film Doraemon: Nobita's Dragon (2006), and transitioned to freelance directing in 2011. His other works include the TV anime Space Brothers (2012-2014) and After the Rain (2018). His Children of the Sea (2019) won Best Animation Film at the 74th Mainichi Film Awards and Grand Prize in Animation at the 23rd Japan Media Arts Festival Awards.
About Sanma Akashiya
Born July 1, 1955 in Nara City. He has previously worked as a creative producer on shows such as the Netflix drama Jimmy: The True Story of a True Idiot (2018). Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko has won Best Animation at the Hochi Film Festival, the 45th Japan Academy Award for Excellence in Animation, the 25th Japan Media Arts Festival category for Excellence in Animation, the Satoshi Kon Award (special jury selection) at the 25th Fantasia International Film Festival AXIS Division, the special prize at the 23rd Bucheon International Animation Festival from the Korean Society of Cartoon & Animation Studies, the Scotland Loves Animation Jury Award, best animation at the Meknes International Animation Film Festival (International Competition Division/Audience Award; Feature Film International Competition Category; Junior Jury Award).
About Anime Limited:
Based out of Glasgow, Anime Limited is Europe's premiere distributor for Japanese animation, renowned for bespoke collector's editions of fan-favourite anime and soundtracks, connecting Western audiences with creators across languages and oceans, and helping to bring anime front and centre in cinemas. Anime Limited proudly produces releases from the biggest franchises in anime including Cowboy Bebop, Attack on Titan, NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, Mobile Suit Gundam, Tokyo Ghoul, Your Name, Weathering With You, Mirai, BELLE and JUJUTSU KAISEN.