The Last Blossom opened in select U.S. theaters for two nights, August 30 and 31, in Japanese with English subtitles. After a subtitle timing glitch led to cancellations, GKIDS pulled affected shows from sale, issued refunds, and delivered a corrected version; the distributor is reviewing options including makeup screenings.
The Last Blossom is the first original feature-length anime from director Baku Kinoshita, who also designed the characters. Kinoshita reunited with Odd Taxi writer Kazuya Konomoto, who wrote the original story and screenplay. Studio CLAP, known for Pompo the Cinephile, handled animation. The film follows Akutsu, a former yakuza serving a life sentence, who recounts his life to a sarcastic talking flower growing from a tin can. It premiered in competition at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and opened in Japan last October under the title Housenka.
GKIDS, the North American distributor, released the film in select U.S. theaters for two nights only, August 30 and 31, in Japanese with English subtitles. That limited window matches the distributor's approach to adult-oriented anime features. In an interview with Anime Herald, Kinoshita discussed his interest in criminals as people who live in the moment, the Balsam flower as a wiser-than-human philosopher, and why the song Stand By Me appears in the film. He also said he currently leans toward television work because it offers more room to develop stories.
On Thursday, September 3, GKIDS apologized for incorrectly timed English subtitles during screenings the previous Sunday, which led to cancellations on Monday. The company pulled affected shows from sale, issued refunds, and delivered a corrected version Monday, though some theaters could not update in time. GKIDS is reviewing options including makeup screenings. It also confirmed cocoon will open September 4 as planned.
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GKIDS issued a statement Thursday apologizing for incorrectly timed English subtitles during screenings of The Last Blossom last Sunday, which led to cancellations on Monday. The company pulled affected shows from sale, issued refunds, and delivered a corrected version Monday, though some theaters could not update in time. GKIDS is reviewing options including makeup screenings. It also confirmed cocoon will open September 4 as planned.
The Last Blossom, the first original feature-length anime from Odd Taxi director Baku Kinoshita, opens in select U.S. theaters this weekend. GKIDS, the film's North American distributor, is releasing it for two nights only, August 30 and 31, in Japanese with English subtitles. The film premiered in competition at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival before opening in Japan last October under the title Housenka. The story follows Akutsu, a former yakuza serving a life sentence, who recounts his life to a sarcastic talking flower growing from a tin can. Kinoshita directed and designed the characters, reuniting with Odd Taxi writer Kazuya Konomoto, who wrote the original story and screenplay. Animation was handled by Studio CLAP, known for Pompo the Cinephile. In an interview with Anime Herald, Kinoshita discussed his interest in criminals as people who live in the moment, the Balsam flower as a wiser-than-human philosopher, and why the song Stand By Me appears in the film. He also noted that he currently leans toward television work because it offers more room to develop stories.
GKIDS will screen Baku Kinoshita and Kadzuya Konomoto's original anime film The Last Blossom in U.S. theaters on August 30-31. The film, which opened in Japan on October 10 and played at Annecy in 2025, follows a dying former yakuza reminiscing with a talking flower. CLAP handled animation production.