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The Case of Hana & Alice Anime Film Ships in N. America on September 17
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
GKIDS and Shout! Factory revealed on Monday that the previously revealed home video release of The Case of Hana & Alice anime film will ship on Blu-ray Disc in North America on September 17. GKIDS also began streaming an English-subtitled version of the anime's trailer.
The release will be the film's first in North America. GKIDS describes The Case of Hana & Alice:
When Alice transfers to a new middle school, she hears an urban legend about a student who disappeared the previous year and is suspected to have been killed by his fellow students. Even worse, Alice discovers that she lives next door to his former house, a supposedly haunted home now occupied by a reclusive classmate named Hana. Hana and Alice decide to investigate this "murder case" together, but soon find their lack of detective skills may be an obstacle, in this unusual and charming film from famed writer-director Shunji Iwai, in which a shaggy-dog mystery tale ultimately gives way to a wonderfully nuanced story of young female friendship, and the fantasies and thrills of everyday teenage life.
The Case of Hana & Alice (Hana to Alice Satsujin Jiken) opened in Japan in February 2015 as Shunji Iwai's animated prequel to his 2004 live-action coming-of-age film Hana & Alice. Iwai conceived, wrote, and directed the original 2004 live-action Hana & Alice.
The film competed at the 39th Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2015, and the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal screened the film's North American premiere in July 2015. The LA EigaFest also screened the film in September 2015. The New York International Children's Film Festival then screened the film in February and March 2016. Anime Limited released the anime on home video in the United Kingdom.
