The latest animated film in the popular Doraemon series, based on the original work by Fujiko F. Fujio, " Doraemon the Movie: Nobita and the Castle of Nobita's Undersea Rock," was released in 460 theaters on February 27th. It grossed approximately ¥779.68 million and attracted approximately 620,000 viewers over the three days. It surpassed the previous film, "Doraemon: Nobita's Art World Tales," which was released in March 2025 and grossed approximately ¥4.61 billion. It debuted at number one in the weekend audience rankings (according to the Box Office Information Company). The latest film is a rebirth of the long-loved "Doraemon the Movie: Nobita and the Castle of Devil's Undersea Rock," released in 1983, after approximately 43 years.
To commemorate the success of the film, a special music video featuring the theme song "Honto" by the band "sumika" was released on YouTube. At Doraemon's suggestion, Nobita escape their daily routines and head off on an underwater camping trip. The video depicts Nobita and his friends forging friendships through their underwater adventure, accompanied by a secret gadget called an underwater buggy equipped with artificial intelligence. The straightforward and warm lyrics of "Honto" and a voice that gently embraces the listener's heart link with Doraemon and his friends' adventures, with El's lines "Follow your heart and make the right choice" and "I don't care about the right answer, just do the truth" resonating particularly well.
The video includes scenes of them running freely across the vast ocean floor, relaxing moments chatting in their tent apartments with their secret gadgets, and a heartwarming scene where they all join forces to rise from a desperate situation. The video also shows how the Underwater Buggy, which at first couldn't understand Nobita and his friends' feelings, gradually opens up to them through its interactions with Doraemon and his friends.
In the latest film, Doraemon and his friends embark on a great adventure in a mysterious and underwater world. Directed by Tetsuo Yajima, who has worked on storyboards and direction for the Doraemon TV anime, as well as the 2007 release of Nobita's New Great Adventure into the Underworld: Seven Magicians, the 2011 release of New Nobita and the Steel Troops: Wings of Angels, and the 2024 release of Nobita's Earth Symphony Orchestra, the screenplay is by Isao Murayama, who has written numerous episodes for the Doraemon TV anime. Voice actor Shoya Chiba plays El, a soldier of the Mu Federation, the underwater people's nation, and Ryo Hirohashi plays the underwater buggy. In addition to the standard version, the film will also be screened in 4D for the first time in the Doraemon movie series.
