News Reporting

Discotek Adds Yowamushi Pedal Movie, Photon, Barefoot Gen


Let it be known that the Idiot Adventures will begin once again!

Earlier today, Discotek announced that they acquired four titles. The company will release the following under their banner:

  • Barefoot Gen
  • Barefoot Gen 2
  • Photon: The Idiot Adventures
  • Yowamushi Pedal the Movie

Barefoot Gen

Both Barefoot Gen films will hit stores in a single release. DVD and Blu-Ray versions will both ship to retailers in December. Discotek’s release will include both the dubbed and subtitled versions of the films.

Barefoot Gen and sequel film Barefoot Gen 2 are semi-autobiographical tales from Hiroshima survivor Keiji Nakazawa. The first feature hit Japanese theaters in 1983, while the second was released in 1986.

Mori Masaki (The Door into Summer, Haguregumo) directed the first film at ACT, with Kazuo Tomizawa (Lensman, Serendipity Monogatari: Pyua-tou no Nakama-tachi) providing character designs. Original author Keiji Nakazawa wrote the screenplay.

Sequel film Barefoot Gen 2 was helmed by Toshio Hirata (Pet Shop of Horrors, Unico: Short Story) at Madhouse, with Akio Sakai (The Phoenix: Chapter of Ho-o) providing character designs. Hideo Takayashiki (Ashita no Joe 2, Maison Ikkoku) wrote the screenplay.

Discotek describes Barefoot Gen as:

Hiroshima, August 1945. Gen is a cheerful elementary school student living in Japan during World War II. After years of living with difficult wartime rationing and impoverished conditions, Gen and his family have managed to maintain a relatively normal and happy life. All that is about to change when an atomic bomb destroys their city in an instant. While Gen and his mother manage to survive the attack, the rest of their family is not so lucky. In the face of adversity, Gen manages to maintain his cheerful spirit and never loses hope that things will get better for him, and for the entire nation of Japan. Based on the world renowned manga ‘Barefoot Gen’ by Keiji Nakazawa, Barefoot Gen captures the spirit of a nation struggling to redefine itself and gives us encouragement to overcome strategy and cherish human life.

Photon

Photon: The Idiot Adventures will be released on DVD in December. Discotek’s SKU will include both the dubbed and subtitled versions of the series.

The title was a 1997 OVA, which was helmed by Koji Masunari (Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, R.O.D -The TV-) at AIC. Shinya Takahashi (Kurogane Communication, Urusei Yatsura: Only You) provided character designs for the project, while Katsumi Hasegawa (Maze, Blue Gender) and Yousuke Kuroda (Gundam Build Fighters, Jormungand) wrote the screenplays.

Discotek describes Photon as:

A saga begins…

Photon, a young man with a kind heart and superhuman strength, leaves his village on Sandy Planet (a desert world) in search of a runaway friend. During this heroic quest, he is accidentally engaged to a renegade space pilot! Now they’re on the run from the evil emperor of the galaxy and his bumbling henchmen. But even worse than the incompetent bad guys are the disastrous cooking contests, exploding spas and cheerleading aliens!

Central Park Media originally released Photon in North America under their

Yowamushi Pedal the Movie

Yowamushi Pedal the Movie will be released in a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack in December.

The feature is a sequel to Yowamushi Pedal Grande Road. The 2015 film was helmed by Norihiro Naganuma (The Ancient Magus’ Bride) at TMS Entertainment, with series director Osamu Nabeshima (D.Gray-man, Saint Tail) serving as chief director. The team of Yukiko Ban (.hack//SIGN, DRAMAtical Murder) and Yuko Iwasa (Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas, Fighting Beauty Wulong) provided character designs, while Reiko Yoshida (Girls und Panzer, K-ON!) wrote the script.

Discotek describes Yowamushi Pedal the Movie as:

After the Inter High finishes, Sakamichi and the other Sohoku team members receive an invitation to compete in the “Kumamoto Hi Province Mountain Range Race.” The top-tier teams from around the country participate in this race, including Sohoku’s rivals Hakone Academy (who yearns to take down Sohoku), Kyoto Fushimi, and Hiroshima Kureminami – as well as Kumamoto Daiichi High School’s team led by Shin Yoshimoto, the “climber of fire.” On the stage of Kumamoto Prefecture’s Mount Aso, the curtain rises for the “final race” of the Sohoku team led by Kinjo! In the original Japanese language with English subtitles!

Source: Facebook (Discotek Media) [1] [2] [3]

About the author

Samantha Ferreira

Samantha Ferreira is Anime Herald’s founder and editor-in-chief. A Rhode Island native, Samantha has been an anime fan since 1992, and an active member of the anime press since 2002, when she began working as a reviewer for Anime Dream. She launched Anime Herald in 2010, and continues to oversee its operations to this day. Outside of journalism, Samantha actively studies the history of the North American anime fandom and industry, with a particular focus on the 2000s anime boom and bust. She’s a huge fan of all things Sakura Wars, and maintains series fansite Combat Revue Review when she has free time available. When not in the Anime Herald Discord, Samantha can typically be found on Bluesky.

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