Hatsune Miku’s New Anime Movie Hypes Its US Release Date

GKIDS Films has released a new teaser video for COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing, revealing the release date for the film in North American theaters. GKIDS holds theatrical rights for the film in North America and will release the motion picture on April 11. The film was produced by animation studio P.A. Works and directed by Hiroyuki Hata. The teaser shared by GKIDS features footage from the film showcasing the characters interacting with a new kind of Hatsune Miku. The film promises to deliver a grounded, fantastical adventure with the young cast anchored by the emotional turmoil of a virtual Miku who can’t sing.

Hatsune Miku is a Vocaloid software developed by Crypton Future Media. Vocaloid is a voice synthesizer software that allows users to replicate singing through their computer by typing in lyrics and melodies. Hatsune Miku is personified by a virtual pop idol, who has the appearance of a young girl with turquoise twin tails. Miku has become a pop sensation, holding virtual concerts where the character performs using music created by the Vocaloid software. The character’s popularity has led to the creation of similar virtual pop idols and spin-off media, including films like COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing. While Hatsune Miku is mostly voiced through synthesizing, the character is played in the film by Saki Fujita, who has voiced the character in other media before and has provided voice sampling for the Vocaloid software.

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What will A Miku Who Can’t Sing Be About?

COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing is based on the Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! mobile game released by Sega in 2020. The game’s premise revolves around a group of humans discovering an alternate dimension known as “SEKAI” where Virtual Singers like Miku truly exist. Colorful Stage is a rhythm game with the players’ main goal to find their “true feelings.” The game allows players to pick one of five groups with each group being their own musical group or band.

A Miku Who Can’t Sing centers on Ichika Hoshino from the games. Ichika is a high school musician who enters “SEKAI” where she and her friends can express their innermost emotions through music alongside Hatsune Miku. However, after giving a live performance, Ichika meets a mysterious Miku who stays on her smartphone like a virtual friend. The Miku wishes to make songs that can reach others, but no matter how hard she tries, her music can’t connect with anybody. Ichika and her friends try to help the Miku find her voice to find music that connects with people. Ichika’s story is a little different in the mobile game, as her main driving force in the game is to get her friends back together after growing apart and regaining her old memories. Ichika befriends a punk-like Hatsune Miku rather than the one in the A Miku Who Can’t Sing.

H/T: Anime News Network.