To celebrate the release of " Scarlet " (released November 21st), the latest animated feature film from director Mamoru Hosoda, known for such works as "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" and " Summer Wars ," Friday Roadshow (NTV, Fridays at 9pm) will be broadcasting Hosoda's films for four consecutive weeks starting November 7th. In the third week, the full-length version of "The Dragon and the Freckled Princess" (2021), which became Hosoda's biggest hit with box office revenue of approximately 6.6 billion yen, will be broadcast from 9pm on November 21st. Director Hosoda has commented ahead of the broadcast.
"The Dragon and the Freckled Princess" is a story of courage and hope about a high school girl who is deeply scarred by the death of her mother. She finds someone special in "U," an online virtual world that is said to be another reality and is home to approximately 5 billion people. Despite her worries and conflicts, she tries to move forward into the future.
Director Hosoda commented, "The character design for Belle in 'The Dragon and the Freckled Princess' was done by Jin Kim, a legendary Disney animator. For my new film ' Scarlet', I asked him to design two characters: the protagonist Scarlett, and Hijiri, a modern-day Japanese nurse who becomes her companion as she travels through the Land of the Dead."
"There is another thing the two works have in common. They are an extension of the animated expression of the internet world <U> depicted in 'The Dragon and the Freckled Princess,' and this is connected to the expression of the 'Land of the Dead' in ' Scarlet.' It is a kind of 'otherworldly' but in fact it is connected to this world, a world that seems far away but is actually close, and this may also be a commonality with <U>. 'The Dragon and the Freckled Princess,' broadcast today, and ' Scarlet,' released today, are set in such places, so please enjoy them, including the commonality of the meeting of two characters who are completely contrasting in every way, and the romantic elements!"
In the second half of the program, there will be a special preview of an important scene in which Princess Scarlett, the main character of "Scarlet," and Hijiri connect with each other.
To commemorate the release of the latest film, a simultaneous viewing event for "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" will be held on Friday Road Show, airing at 9 PM on November 28th, featuring VTuber Rufuutei Raden from Hololive Productions. Rufuutei Raden will simultaneously watch Friday Road Show "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" in real time on his own YouTube channel, introducing the appeal of the film and highlights of "Scarlet."
In "The Dragon and the Freckled Princess," musician Kaho Nakamura voices Suzu (Bell) and actor Takeru Satoh voices the "dragon" that appears before Bell. Other cast members include Ryo Narita, Shota Sometani, Tina Tamashiro, ikura (vocalist for the music group "YOASOBI"), Toshiyuki Morikawa, Kenjiro Tsuda, Mami Koyama, and Mamoru Miyano.
