Anime director Masayuki Yoshihara has created his first feature-length film. Komada- A Whisky Family screened this week at the Tokyo International Film Festival. The film follows Rui, a young artist, as she takes over the family business, a whisky distillery, following the death of her father. The distillery is facing economic hardship following an earthquake and familial contention about whether to sell the business to a rival distillery. Rui decides to try and save her family’s business and remake their signature whisky, Koma, the lost recipe of whisky that led to their company’s success when it was first created.
Masayuki Yoshihara is best known for his television projects like Eden of the East, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and Dragon Ball Z, but now, with Komada, Yoshinhara is trying his hand at movies. Komada is part of a series for P.A. Works entitled “The Working Series,” which aims to highlight projects that feature young people navigating typical work environments. Other films that are part of the series include Hanasaku Iroha: Blossoms for Tomorrow (2011), Shirobako (2014), and Sakura Quest (2017). Komada was not initially planned to be a part of the series. During production, the president of P.A. Works, Kenji Horikawa, thought it would be a good fit for the project, so Komada joined the body of work surrounding workplace dramas.
Yoshihara spoke to The Hollywood Reporter at the Tokyo Film Festival about the making and inspiration for the movie. When asked about the idea behind the story, Yoshihara said, “I’ve worked with and alongside young, aspirational people, and I wanted to put their feelings [hopes and dreams] into this film. I wanted to show the before and after story of a group of young people.”
The film is set to be released in Japan on November 10. An international release has yet to be announced.
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