COCOON - ONE SUMMER OF GIRLHOOD Trailer Teases a Beautiful and Heartbreaking WWII Anime
GKIDS has released the first trailer for Cocoon - One Summer of Girlhood, and it looks like audiences should start preparing themselves for an emotional experience.
The upcoming anime film blends beautiful animation with the brutal realities of war, telling a deeply personal story inspired by real historical events, and this is going to be one of those films that sticks with you.
Based on Machiko Kyo’s wartime josei manga, Cocoon - One Summer of Girlhood is inspired by the true story of the Himeyuri students in Okinawa.
The story follows a group of teenage girls who are pulled from their ordinary school lives and ordered to serve as medics during World War II. As the conflict closes in around them, they're forced to face unimaginable loss while trying to hold onto hope and each other.
Directed by Yukimitsu Ina, whose previous work includes Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! and Star Wars: Visions – Tatooine Rhapsody, the trailer offers a glimpse at an emotionally intense journey.
It starts with moments of warmth and youthful innocence before showing how quickly those lives are shattered as war takes over. It's the kind of preview that promises a film willing to explore both the beauty and horror of its story without pulling back.
The official synopsis reads: San and Mayu attend an all-girls school on a warm and tranquil island. When war reaches their shores, they are ordered to help nurse the wounded in a military hospital hidden away in a cave. Amidst escalating death and brutality, the friends struggle to find solace in their fragile lives.
The movie also marks the debut feature from Studio SASAYURI and director Ina. The project comes with an impressive creative team as well. Studio SASAYURI was founded by former Studio Ghibli animator Hitomi Tateno, who also serves as producer on the film.
Veteran animators Akihiko Yamashita, known for Princess Mononoke, and Shinji Otsuka, who worked on The Boy and the Heron, are collaborating with a new generation of key animators to bring Kyo's story to life.
The music is being composed by Kensuke Ushio, whose incredible work includes Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, A Silent Voice, Devilman Crybaby, and Dan Da Dan.
Fans who don't want to wait for the film can already dive into the original manga, which was recently released in English by Viz Media. The story has already earned praise for its emotional impact, with one reviewer writing:
“While all of the pressure points of Cocoon are time-stamped in WWII, Kyo’s modern-girl wartime manga is unsettlingly timeless.
“What Cocoon has to say about what it would be like to live through the experience of war on the front lines at such a tender age is liable to ruin you, as it did me with each page turn.
“It’s a capital-B bummer of a read. But nestled in the misery of Mayu and San fighting for tomorrow is a bittersweet sentiment about trying again despite it all that’ll linger with me forever.”
That certainly sets expectations for what audiences can expect from the anime adaptation. If the filmmakers can capture the emotion found in Kyo's original work, this could end up being one of the year's most unforgettable anime films.
Cocoon - One Summer of Girlhood opens in theaters in both English and Japanese on September 4.