It has been announced that actor Rihito Itagaki , a kind-hearted aspiring manga artist, in the animated feature film " Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise, " based on the manga by Takeda Kazuyoshi, which depicts the lives of young people who lived on Peleliu Island, a fierce battlefield during the Pacific War. It has also been announced that Tomoya Nakamura will play Tamaru's reliable partner, Yoshiki Keisuke. The film will be released as an animated feature film on December 5, 2025, the 80th anniversary of the end of the war.
A teaser visual featuring Tamaru and Yoshiki and a special trailer have been released. The trailer begins with Tamaru saying, "Mom, how are you? I'm the merit officer who reports the heroic deeds of our fallen comrades," followed by the sounds of a gunfight. Tamaru's lines, "It's tough, but I'll definitely return to Japan," and Yoshiki's lines, "Let's survive, Tamaru!" are also played.
Before recording, Itagaki visited Peleliu Island in Palau, where the story is set, and toured the war sites scattered across the island. He commented, "I feel a deep sense of meaning and responsibility in being involved in this production in the milestone year of the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, and in breathing life into the character of Tamaru Hitoshi. Tamaru is the 'meritorious officer' who records the final moments of his comrades on the battlefield for their families. It's cruel to write about the final moments of a comrade you've only just spoken to, in a situation where you don't know when you'll die. And sometimes, you have to make that cruel reality beautiful for the families waiting for their loved ones. I want to carefully portray Tamaru's intense yet delicate conflicts and emotions."
"In working on this production, I also visited Peleliu Island, the setting of the film. I strongly felt that a fierce battle was truly waged there, something that you cannot get from textbooks, television, or the internet, and that many people lost their lives with a variety of thoughts in their hearts. Among them were many young people in their 20s, close to my age. When I think about their youth and lives, it does not seem like something that is happening to someone else. 80 years ago, now in 2025, and into the future. I would be happy if people who watch this film can feel, even just a little, that all life is equal and that dignity is universal, and that we ourselves must cherish this."
Nakamura commented, "I knew that after the Pacific War, there were Japanese soldiers who continued to hide in various places, unaware that the war had ended. But reading the original novel, I never felt those days so vividly. And of all the works I have encountered in my life, I have never encountered a character who made me wish so strongly for them to live. I know that it starts with knowing. And learning is born more deeply when you can feel it with your own skin. It's been 80 years since the end of the war. Fewer people can talk about what it was like back then, so I think it will be very meaningful for many people to be able to feel the days on Peleliu Island through this production. What should we who are living today feel beyond the chaos of war? I hope you will come to the theater and experience each day of history for yourself."
The story is set on Peleliu Island, the site of fierce fighting during the Pacific War, where 10,000 Japanese soldiers were sent and only 34 are said to have survived. It depicts the lives of young people living on the battlefield from the perspective of Tamaru, a soldier who aspires to be a manga artist. It was serialized in the manga magazine "Young Animal" (Hakusensha) from 2016 to 2021, and won the Excellence Award at the 46th Japan Cartoonists Association Awards in 2017. A spin-off, "Peleliu Gaiden," was also serialized.
The anime will be directed by Goro Kuji, known for "Madou Seihei no Slave," and produced by Shin-Ei Animation, known for "Doraemon" and "Crayon Shin-chan chan," and Fugaku, known for "Dog Signal." The original author, Takeda, and Junji Nishimura will be writing the script.
◇Staff (titles omitted)
Director: Goro Kuji ▽Screenplay: Junji Nishimura, Kazuyoshi Takeda ▽Character Design & Chief Animation Director: Ryoji Nakamori ▽Prop Design: Goichi Iwahata, Noriyoshi Suzuki ▽Mechanic Design: Kaoru Kamiki ▽Art Setting: Mika Nakashima, Katsumi Sarutani (Studio MAO) ▽Concept Board: Takamasa Mashiki, Yusuke Takeda (Bamboo) ▽Art Director: Kuniko Iwatani, Hiroshi Kato, Hirofumi Sakagami (Totonyan) ▽Color Design: Aki Watanabe, Kazumi Hasegawa (Studio Toys) ▽Director of Photography: Shinichi Igarashi (Studio Twinkle) ▽3DCG Director: Tetsuya Nakano (GEMBA), Shinichiro Takahashi (STUDIO Katyusha) ▽Editing: Toshihiko Kojima (Okayasu Promotion) ▽Research: Takaaki Suzuki ▽Sound Director: Chikako Yokota ▽Sound Production: HALF H・P STUDIO ▽Music: Kenji Kawai ▽Production: Shin-Ei Animation x Fuji
