Famous director Makoto Shinkai has announced that his latest light novel titled Suzume no Tojimari — based on the eponymous upcoming anime film — will launch on August 24, 2022.
The Suzume no Tojimari light novel will be published under the Kadokawa Bunko label, with the price being set at ¥680 ($5.10) for pre-orders. The first shipment will include a bonus bookmark; additional gifts (including promotional items signed by Shinkai) are also planned across Japanese bookstores (Sanyodo, Books Kinokuniya, TSUTAYA, and Yurindo, among others).
The cover illustration shows Suzume’s back (don’t miss the curious little white cat next to her!) as she’s approaching a ruined door in the middle of nowhere.
On May 17, Shinkai disclosed he was working on the Suzume light novel via his Twitter account, saying it was the “hardest work I’ve ever done.” Per his words, the novel will provide a different angle to the Suzume no Tojimari film, so do not fear spoilers.
Suzume is by no means the first light novel by Shinkai. Previously, he also wrote light novels based on his hit anime films Your Name, Weathering with You, and The Garden of Words.
The Suzume no Tojimari anime film: What we know so far
Suzume no Tojimari (すずめの戸締まり, lit. “Suzume’s Locking-up”) is being produced by CoMix Wave Films. The staff includes:
- Makoto Shinkai — director, story, and script
- Masayoshi Tanaka (Weathering with You) — character designer
- Kenichi Tsuchiya (Your Name) — animation director
- Takumi Tanji (Children Who Chase Lost Voices) — art director
The plot follows the titular 17-year-old girl Suzume from Kyūshū island who one day encounters a young man who tells her he’s looking for a door. Upon finding the rather weathered door the man is looking for, Suzume proceeds to open it — only to discover she’s just initiated a series of disasters across Japan. Thus, Suzume travels across the country, closing the doors to prevent a catastrophe.
As is customary with all Shinkai’s works, Suzume no Tojimari deals with rather complex emotional topics that connect the past with the present and leave a bittersweet aftertaste.
Take a look at the second teaser trailer for the anime:
Suzume no Tojimari is set to debut on November 11, 2022, in Japan, with an international premiere to follow sometime in early 2023 (no precise date has been announced yet). As for North American movie theaters, Crunchyroll will be the sole distributor. In Latin America, portions of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East, the film will be distributed by Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment. In French- and German-speaking European countries, Suzume no Tojimari will be co-distributed by Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures, and Wild Bunch International.
Makoto Shinkai: A man of many talents
As mentioned above, director Makoto Shinkai is rather famous and often compared to Hayao Miyazaki. In actual fact, his movie Your Name was the first non-Studio Ghibli anime to gross over $100 million in Japan.
Shinkai has produced a number of anime films — both short and feature-length —including:
(feature-length)
- The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004)
- 5 Centimeters per Second (2007)
- Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)
- The Garden of Words (2013)
- Your Name (2016)
- Weathering with You (2019)
And (short anime films):
- The World be Enclosed (1998)
- Other Worlds (1998)
- She and her Cat (1999)
- Voices of a Distant Star (2002)
- Minna no Uta (“Everyone’s Songs,”2003)
- Someone’s Gaze (2013)
Suzume no Tojimari is the latest addition and we can’t wait to see it!