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Anohana Team's Anthem of the Heart Film Unveils Manga, 2nd Teaser

The official website for The Anthem of the Heart (Kokoro ga Sakebitagatterun Da. or Kokosake), the original anime film from the anohana (Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai.) and Toradora! anime staff, announced that the film's manga prequel launched in Shogakukan's Ura Sunday web comic magazine on Wednesday. Ultra Peace Busters is credited for the manga's story, and Makoto Akui is drawing the manga, which also appears in the Manga ONE app.

The manga serves as a prequel to the film. Starting on July 22, it will center around one of the film's four main characters every week. The first of these character-focused chapters will focus on Takumi, followed by Natsuki, DAIKI, and Jun. Starting on September 11, it will enter the film's main story, and the first compiled book volume of the manga will go on sale on the same day.

The official website also began streaming the second teaser video for the film on Wednesday.

Jun: Once upon a time, somewhere, there lived a very chatty girl, prone to flights of fancy.
Jun: A mysterious egg appeared before her as she made her way to the ball, and it said, in temptation...
Jun: The greatest sin in this world is to hurt another with your words.
Teacher: Alright, so we still haven't decided the committee members for the regional friendship exchange meeting.
Student: And we'll decide that now.
Everyone: What?!
Blackboard text: Takumi Sakagami, Jun Naruse, DAIKI Tasaki, Natsuki Nitō
Teacher: I'm counting on you guys.
Takumi: Um, Naruse, did you... wanna do a musical?
DAIKI: It's impossible, obviously.
Phone text: Are you peeking into my heart?
DAIKI: We have a girl who doesn't talk, and you're asking her to sing and do a musical?
Takumi: If you want to say something, maybe you can try singing it?
Text: A moving adolescent ensemble drama, presented by the anohana staff
Takumi: Maybe if it's a song, it doesn't count for the curse.
DAIKI: When I'm not playing baseball, it's like time stops for me.
Natsuki: I'll support you too. Both Sakagami and Naruse!
Text: Her unsaid feelings, locked deep inside the shell of her heart.
Jun: My feelings--
Text: But the truth...
Jun: What I really want to say--
Text: I want to shout what I really feel.
Logo: The Anthem of the Heart

The official website also announced a preview screening of the completed film in Chichibu, Saitama (the same city where the film is set) on August 29, limited to 1,000 viewers. The website will announce more details on the preview screening on Saturday.

The film's main cast and characters are:

The film reunites staff members from the anohana and Toradora! anime. Tatsuyuki Nagai (A Certain Scientific Railgun, Waiting in the Summer) is again directing the film at the studio A-1 Pictures. Mari Okada (M3 the dark metal, Hana-Saku Iroha) is writing the script, and Masayoshi Tanaka (Highschool of the Dead, Joshiraku) is designing the characters. Like the anohana anime, the story of the new film will be set in Chichibu.

The official English website describes the story as follows:

Jun is a girl whose words have been sealed away. She was once a Happy Girl, but because of a [certain thing] she said when she was very young, her family was torn apart. One day, the egg fairy appeared in front of her and sealed away her ability to talk in order to stop her from hurting anybody else. Since this traumatic experience, Jun lives in the shadows away from the limelight. But, one day she is nominated to become an executive member of the "community outreach council." On top of that, Jun is also appointed to play the main lead in their musical...

Aniplex of America announced in February that it has licensed the film. The film will open in Japan on September 19, and participating theaters began offering advance tickets with an Egg Fairy mascot mobile phone strap on March 28. A second version of advance tickets will go on sale on July 11, and set A will include a Kokosake B3 poster, an anohana B3 poster, and a Kokosake and anohana collaborative B6 portrait. The contents of set B for the new tickets will be revealed at a later date.

Source: Comic Natalie