For something short and animated, anime movies are a good break from the series. While a popular anime franchise’s movies get major traction, a recent example of it being Demon Slayer – Road to the Swordsmith Village, standalone movies often end up gaining their relevance later on OTT platforms.
However, like last year, 2023 is also going to fall in the same pattern, as anime movies belonging to certain franchises are going to be higher in number than the independent films. With movies such as Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King or Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine already establishing a hype, questions regarding the box office performance of films like How Do You Live? remains to be seen.
Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume no Tojimari and four other anime movies to will be released this year
How Do You Live?
A highly anticipated movie for Studio Ghibli fans as legendary director Hayao Miyazaki returns with one last film before he retires. Slated to have a July 14, 2023, release date in Japan, How Do You Live? is said to have been inspired from Genzaburo Yoshino’s 1937 novel of the same name.
While details regarding the movie are shrouded in mystery, it can be assumed that the film will be a philosophical treatise on life, as is the usual theme of Ghibli movies and Yoshino’s 1937 novel.
Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King
Studio Pierrot’s next big venture with anime movies comes with Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King, which will be released on June 16 on Netflix. Directed by Ayatka Tanemura, this movie will have protagonists Asta and Yuno facing off against Conrad Leto, aka the titular Wizard King, whose fame and respect among the civilians took a dip when he rebelled against the kingdom.
Although he was sealed away, the Wizard King makes a comeback to use the “Imperial Sword” to resurrect three formidable Wizard Kings of the past. What follows is a battle between Asta and his opponents, which even mangaka Yuki Tabata thinks is flashy.
Suzume no Tojimari
While the anime movie saw a Japanese release in November 2022, several international fans have seen the film in theaters on different dates throughout April. This film is yet another Makoto Shinkai directorial that promises fantastic visuals and supernatural grandeur like his last two films, Suzume no Tojimari follows the eponymous heroine and Sōta Munakata as they team up together to prevent several natural mishaps across the country.
The anime movie is rife with magic, and the musical score by Radwimps just adds to the viewing and listening experience. Although the film received its fair share of criticism upon release by comparing it with Your Name and Weathering with You, an anime movie by Shinkai is unmissable.
Psycho-Pass: Providence
This upcoming anime movie from the Psycho-Pass franchise was announced as part of the 10th-anniversary project of the series. While details regarding the plot of the anime movie are scarce, staff information reveals that Psycho-Pass: Providence will see the return of two famed writers from the series – Makoto Fukami and Tow Ubukata.
Set to be released on May 12, 2023, the anime movie may prove to be the missing link that Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System and the beginning of season 3 created. Moreover, a deeper probing into the events concerning Akane may provide definite answers to queries that arose in Psycho-Pass 3: First Inspector, thereby increasing the significance of Psycho-Pass: Providence within the franchise.
Kimi no Iro
From the script of Reiko Yoshido, Kimi no Iro, or Your Color, will be released in October 2023. As a feel-good slice-of-life movie, Kimi no Iro will chronicle the story of Totsuko and her ability to see colors of the emotions in other people.
To ensure that her family and friends don’t develop negative emotions, she even lies to make sure things go smoothly. At one point in this Naoko Yamada directorial, she forms a band with an unknown woman with a unique color and a boy who has a penchant for music, the events of which eventually pushes the action of the anime movie into motion.
Interested in knowing the other anime films coming out this year? Check out the complete 2023 anime movies calendar.
