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'Children of the Sea': Release date, plot, cast, trailer and all you need to know about the Japanese animated movie

Barely a year since its release in Japan, 'Children of the Sea' has earned itself accolades with the grand prize for Japan Media Arts Festival Awards

BY POOJA SALVI

PUBLISHED AUG 19, 2020

'Children of the Sea' is a sensitive, mesmerizing anime that follows a lonely 14-year-old on a life-changing journey. Based on the themes of mysteries of life, it depicts the connections between humanity and nature. The 2019 Japanese animated film is arriving on-demand following its initial release in Japan on June 7, 2019. The movie was supposed to see a theatrical release in April 2020 but was initially rescheduled to August 11-13, till it was finally canceled due to the pandemic.

Barely a year since its release in Japan, 'Children of the Sea' has earned itself accolades with the Mainichi Film Awards for Best Animation film and the Animation Division - Grand Prize for Japan Media Arts Festival Awards. Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming movie:

Release date

'Children of the Sea' will release on VoD on September 1, 2020.

Plot

According to the official synopsis of the movie: "When Ruka was younger, she saw a ghost in the water at the aquarium where her dad works. Now she feels drawn toward the aquarium and the two mysterious boys she meets there — Umi and Sora. They were raised by dugongs and hear the same strange calls from the sea as she does. Ruka’s dad and the other adults who work at the aquarium are only distantly aware of what the children are experiencing as they get caught up in the mystery of the worldwide disappearance of the oceans' fish.

Cast

Mana Ashida as Azumi Ruka

The actress is known for 'Ghost', 'Confessions', 'Entaku', and 'Pacific Rim'.

Charlie Hunnam and Mana Ashida in 'Pacific Rim' (IMDb)

Hiiro Ishibashi as Umi

Ishibashi is known for playing the role of Yuga Oudou on 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens'.

Seishū Uragami as Sora

The Japanese actor is known for 'N St', 'Kazoku Game', and 'Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day'.

Win Morisaki as Anglade

Win Morisaki attends "Ready Player One" Premiere 2018 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Paramount Theatre on March 11, 2018, in Austin, Texas (Getty Images)

As Anglade, Morisaki plays a genius marine biologist who pursues the mystery surrounding Umi and Sora. The actor is the lead vocalist of PrizmaX, a J-pop idol boy band. He is known for his work in 'Ready Player One'.

Creators

'Children of the Sea' is directed by Ayumu Watanabe and produced by Eiko Tanaka, with animation production by Studio 4 °C. The movie is based on the manga of the same title by Daisuke Igarashi, who also wrote the film's screenplay along with Hanasaki Kino.

The movie is Watanabe's first theatrically released film since 'Space Brothers #0', and the first animated film adaptation of an Igarashi manga. 'Children of the Sea' features a score by award-winning composer and longtime Studio Ghibli collaborator Joe Hisaishi ('Spirited Away', 'Howl's Moving Castle', 'My Neighbor Totoro').