NiNoKuni

NiNoKuni
Directed by	Yoshiyuki Momose
Screenplay by	Akihiro Hino
Story by	Akihiro Hino
Based on	Ni no Kuni by Akihiro Hino of Level-5
Produced by	Tsukasa Koitabashi
Starring	Kento Yamazaki Mackenyu Arata Mei Nagano Maaya Sakamoto Mamoru Miyano Yuki Kaji Kenjiro Tsuda
Cinematography	Ryo Kurei
Edited by	Hitoshi Nogawa
Music by	Joe Hisaishi
Production company	OLM, Inc.
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Japan
Release date	August 23, 2019 (2019-08-23)
Running time	106 minutes
Box office	$2 million

NiNoKuni (二ノ国, lit. Second Country) is a 2019 Japanese animated action fantasy film based on a video game series with a same name developed by Akihiro Hino at Level-5. The film is directed by Yoshiyuki Momose at OLM, Inc., with Akihiro Hino serving as executive producer, story and screenwriter for the film, and distributed by Warner Bros. Japan. The story of the film takes place centuries after the events of Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom. The film was released in Japanese theaters on August 23, 2019.

Netflix acquired the streaming rights for the film, and premiered worldwide on January 16, 2020.

Plot

On their way home from the basketball practice, Kotona invites Haru and Yū to a crepe café, but Yū returns home after seeing their way to the café requires steps, while he's stuck to the wheelchair. In the backalley, Kotona later notices that she is tailed by a black hooded figure. Kotona contacts Yū, whom later arrives too late as the figure stabs Kotona. Haru arrives and tries to get Kotona to the hospital, but both him and Yū are suddenly transported to an unknown world, which later revealed to be the kingdom of Evermore.

In the Evermore Castle, Yū and Haru finds its princess named Astrid, who bears similarities to Kotona and she herself is wounded with a curse. Yū, who notices the shadow knife placed on Astrid's stomach, pulls it out and breaks the curse. That night, Haru drinks away, as he believes this is a dream, while Yū visits Astrid again, whom takes with him to Lake of Purity to dance away the remains of the curse. The next morning, Yū and Haru are summoned by mage Gnauss and the King Astrum, whom later makes them engage in swordplay with multiple men to test them if they were sent by a group known as Black Banner. Yū and Haru later jumps in the flame behind the king, and transported back to their world, whom later greeted by Kotona.

Few days later, while Haru believing it was a dream, Yū believes their experience was the same story and tries to find an old man he met at the hospital in his childhood, but the nurse tells him he disappeared. Few days later, Kotona reveals she has a malignant tumor, and only has three months to live. Yū proposes to return to the otherworld, but Haru, in grief and anger, propose an opposite by killing Astrid to save Kotona. As this goes on, the same black hooded man transports the two to the otherworld.

Haru ends up on a dismal wasteland, and meets Galeroth, leader of the Black Banner, and makes Haru aid his invasion to Evermore. Yū, on the otherhand, ends up back in Evermore castle's throne room, tries to reason with the king. Gnauss then appoints Yū as a defender, and makes him prove his innocence by killing Haru. As the invasion begins with Black Banner's army overwhelming Evermore soldiers, Astrid proposes to her father and Gnauss to use the Mornstar, the sword of Evermore. However, they reveal to her that the ones in their posession is a counterfiet, while the real one disappeared long ago. Yū and Haru briefly fight, but as they are about to kill each other, they are transported back to their own world again.

Back in their world, Saki, Yū's adopted sister, is confronted by the black hooded man at her floral shop, while the boys arrive and manages to save her in time. As they escape via her car, the man transforms into a gigantic spider and pursues them. As Saki reveals to the boys that the man called her name, Yū has an epiphany of the culprit and everything. As they manage to escape from the spider monster, the car is pulled into the river, with the boys transported back to Evermore once again.

In the throne room, the boys confront Gnauss, who's responsible for everything that happened since Astrid's curse. Gnauss reveals his body that is heavily influenced by dark magic, and he himself was once known as crowned prince Sedulus Astrum, taking a revenge on his father and the kingdom. Gnauss (also revealing as Galeroth) manipulates Haru through his armor, which Yū was able to stop with his magic. Galeroth takes Astrid hostage, and tries to kill Astrid, but Yū shields the attack. As Astrid and Haru fights Galeroth, the old man appears before Yū, and gives him an old stick, which later reveals itself as the legendary Mornstar. Both Yū and Haru slay and Galeroth with the sword, defeating him and the Black Banner army for good. A portal opens where he dies, and Astrid bids both men farewell. They enter the portal, but Yū decides to stay behind.

Back in Haru's world, both Kotona and Saki are recovered from their respective causes, but their memories of Yū fades. With only one who remembers Yū, Haru realizes that Yū was his soulmate from the otherworld.

In the post-credit scene, Yū, with Astrid at his side, is crowned as the new king of Evermore.

Voice Cast

Character	Japanese Voice Cast	English Voice Cast
Yū	Kento Yamazaki	Max Mittleman
Haru	Mackenyu Arata	Alejandro Saab
Kotona/Princess Astrid	Mei Nagano	Abby Trott
Saki/Bertha	Maaya Sakamoto	Erica Lindbeck
Gnauss Wissden	Mamoru Miyano	Robbie Daymond
Galeroth	Kenjiro Tsuda	Armen Taylor
Barton	Kōichi Yamadera	Patrick Seitz
Dandy	Yuki Kaji	Julie Maddalena
King Astrum	Masatō Ibu	John Snyder
Old man	Toshiyoshi Muro	John Demita

Production

Development

On February 2019, Warner Bros. Japan announced at a press conference that Level-5 is producing an anime film based on Ni no Kuni. Yoshiyuki Momose, who provided various storyboards and key animations for many of Studio Ghibli films, as well as serving as an animation director for Dominion of the Dark Djinn and a character designer for Revenant Kingdom, was announced as a main director for the film with OLM, Inc. handling the animation production. Level-5's Akihiro Hino, who created and wrote the Ni no Kuni video game series, served as a executive producer, story and a screenwriter for the film.

Casting

Kento Yamazaki was the first cast member to be announced as Yū during the press conference. Latter cast members were revealed that same month, with Maaya Sakamoto as Saki/Bertha, Mamoru Miyano as Gnauss, Kenjiro Tsuda as Galeroth, Kōichi Yamadera as Barton, and Yuki Kaji as Dandy. Mackenryu Arata and Mei Nagano were cast as Haru and Kotona respectively. Masatō Ibu and Toshiyoshi Muro were later cast as King Astrum and the Old Man.

Music

Joe Hisaishi returned to score the music for the film, after composing the music for Dominion of the Dark Djinn, Wrath of the White Witch and Revenant Kingdom. The film's theme song is "MOIL", sung by Keina Suda of Porno Graffiti.

Release

Japanese release

The film was released in Japanese theaters on August 23, 2019.

International release

Netflix streamed the film on their platform on January 16, 2020.

Reception

The film debuted at seventh place out of ten from the weekend box office, later dropped to ten on its second week.

External links

• Official movie site (in Japanese)
• NiNoKuni on Netflix
• Ni no Kuni (movie) at Anime News Network