We Are Aliens is in its final marketing push ahead of a September 25, 2026 opening in Japan. The film has already run the festival circuit (Cannes, Annecy, Busan) and is booked into the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival's Animation Section (October 26 to November 4) plus 2026 festivals in Ottawa, Melbourne, and New Zealand.
We Are Aliens started as a festival title and is now a theatrical one. It premiered at Cannes' Directors' Fortnight and screened at Annecy, then went to Busan and was added to the Animation Section of the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival, which runs October 26 to November 4 in the Hibiya-Yurakucho-Marunouchi-Ginza area. Screenings are also set at the Ottawa International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, and New Zealand International Film Festival in 2026.
TOHO NEXT and NOTHING NEW announced a Japanese release date of September 25, with international sales handled by CHARADES. Marketing has moved through distinct phases. A July 27 full trailer confirmed the date and added Ten Yamasaki and Kemuri Matsui to the cast while naming adieu's "Sasakure" as the theme song. An August 28 trailer framed the story around its Heisei-era setting. A September 8 theme song trailer previewed a previously unreleased part of "Sasakure." A September 15 trailer and visual shifted focus to the heroine Konatsu, voiced by Sakurazaka46 member Ten Yamasaki. Four supporting cast members were announced on August 20: Gaku Sano, Reika Ozeki, Arisa Sasaki, and Edo Harumi.
Ryota Bando and Amane Okayama voice Tsubasa and Gyotaro as young adults, with Yuto Maki and Tasuku Nakagome voicing the younger versions. Director Kohei Kadowaki wrote, directed, storyboarded, and edited the film. He describes the story as following Tsubasa, a shy boy, and Akitaro, a class idol, across a 30-year friendship in a rural Heisei-era town, and says roughly 20 to 30 percent of its episodes draw on his own experience, including a first-love episode. Elsewhere he describes the film as following two boys over 20 years.
The visual approach is hybrid rotoscoping, developed over five years with a mostly inexperienced animation team to capture natural movement and childlike gestures. Kadowaki was born in 1996. The film is his debut feature.
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The 39th Tokyo International Film Festival will screen Masanao Kawajiri's Cherry and Virgin, Shingo Natsume and Madhouse's ghost - end of night, Atsushi Nishigori's Grotesqqque, and NOTHING NEW and Kohei Kadowaki's We Are Aliens in its Animation Section. The festival runs October 26 to November 4 in the Hibiya-Yurakucho-Marunouchi-Ginza area. A separate Women Directors section includes three anime films.
Director Kohei Kadowaki's feature "We Are Aliens" opens September 25, following Tsubasa, a shy boy, and Akitaro, a class idol, across a 30-year friendship in a rural Heisei-era town. Kadowaki, born in 1996, wrote and directed the film. He says roughly 20 to 30 percent of its episodes come from his own experience, including a first-love episode.
NOTHING NEW released a new trailer and visual for the We Are Aliens anime film on Tuesday, both built around the heroine Konatsu, voiced by Sakurazaka46 member Ten Yamasaki. Ryota Bando and Amane Okayama play Tsubasa and Gyotaro as young adults, with Yuto Maki and Tasuku Nakagome voicing the characters as children. Kohei Kadowaki wrote, directed, storyboarded, and edited the film, which opens in Japan on September 25.
NOTHING NEW began streaming a theme song trailer for its We Are Aliens anime film on Tuesday, featuring adieu's song 'Sasakure' (Split). Director Kohei Kadowaki helmed the video, which previews part of the theme song not previously made public. The film opens in Japan on September 25. It stars Ryota Bando as Tsubasa and Amane Okayama as Gyotaro as young adults, with child actors Yuto Maki and Tasuku Nakagome voicing the younger versions.
NOTHING NEW began streaming a trailer on Thursday for the We Are Aliens anime film. The trailer highlights the Heisei era, the time period when the main characters meet. The film, directed by Kōhei Kadowaki, stars Ryōta Bandō as Tsubasa and Amane Okayama as Gyōtarō as young adults. It opens in Japan on September 25.
The We Are Aliens anime film announced four new cast members on Thursday. Gaku Sano plays Seiya Toda, Reika Ōzeki plays young Seiya, Arisa Sasaki plays Elmo Matsushita, and Edo Harumi plays a calligraphy teacher. The film opens in Japan on September 25.
The official website for the We Are Aliens anime film released a full trailer and visual on Monday, revealing two new cast members and the theme song. Ten Yamasaki and Kemuri Matsui join the cast, and adieu performs the theme song "Sasakure." The film opens in Japan on September 25.
The We Are Aliens anime film will screen at the Ottawa International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, and New Zealand International Film Festival in 2026. The festivals also announced screenings for Mononoke the Movie: Chapter 3 and the live-action film The Samurai and the Prisoner.
Director Kohei Kadowaki discusses his debut feature 'We Are Aliens,' which premiered at Cannes' Directors' Fortnight and screens at Annecy. The film follows two boys over 20 years and uses a hybrid rotoscoping approach to capture natural movement, developed over five years with a mostly inexperienced animation team.
TOHO NEXT and NOTHING NEW announced that Kōhei Kadowaki's anime film We Are Aliens will open in Japan on September 25. The film, which follows two estranged childhood friends, stars Ryōta Bandō and Amane Okayama as the adult leads. It previously screened at Cannes and Annecy.