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The Concierge, a film adaptation of the manga The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store, will be released in North American theaters through Crunchyroll, according to The Hollywood Reporter. American anime specialty company Crunchyroll, a Sony subsidiary, said that it acquired the North American rights to the animated feature and plans to release it early next year.
The movie is adapted from Tsuchika Nishimura's manga series about trainee concierge Akino who works at a special store with unique customers. They are all animals and the VIPs belong to extinct species.
The manga is classified as a seinen, literally meaning youth, but a seinen manga is usually geared towards the demographic of male audiences age 18-40 years old. It won the Excellence Award at the 25th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2022.
The film is Production I.G. director Yoshimi Itazu's first feature film. The company is responsible for anime hits like Ghost in the Shell, Psycho-Pass and Haikyuu! Itazu's most famous work to date is Welcome to the Ballroom, an anime series about a middle-school boy who is unexpectedly drawn to the world of ballroom dancing.
The Concierge premiered to positive reviews in June at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and released in North America at the Fantasia International Film Festival. Aniplex will release the film in Japan on October 20th.
Crunchyroll has been making significant efforts in releasing Japanese titles to American audiences. It recently released Makoto Shinkai's Suzume, which earned $11 million in North America and $174 million world wide, and One Piece Film: Red.
