Japanese Anime ‘The Concierge’ Set for North America Theatrical Release Via Crunchyroll

Specialty anime company Crunchyroll revealed Thursday that it has acquired all North American rights to the upcoming Japanese animated film The janitor. The company, a subsidiary of Sony, plans to release the film in North American theaters early next year.

The film is a feature film adaptation of Tsuchika Nishimura’s beloved manga series The janitor of the Hokkyoku department storewhich follows Akino, a janitor in training, who works in a special shop where the customers are all animals and the most prized among them are extinct species.

Directed by Yoshimi Itazu of legendary production company Production IG (Ghost in the shell, Psycho Pass, Haikyuu!), The janitor had its world premiere to positive reviews at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and its North American premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival last June. It will be released in Japan on October 20 by Aniplex.

The janitor is Itazu’s feature film debut, following his success in the anime series with Welcome to the Ballroom. The main voice cast for the film consists of Natsumi Kawaida as Akino, Takeo Otsuka as Elulu and Kenjiro Tsuda as Woolly.

As anime continues to grow in popularity worldwide, Crunchyroll has increased the frequency of Japanese titles’ releases in U.S. theaters. Recent successes include those of Makoto Shinkai Suzume (2023), which earned $11 million in North America ($174 million worldwide) and One-piece film: red, with $13 million in North America ($187 million worldwide). The company – a joint venture between US-based Sony Pictures Entertainment and Tokyo-based Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment – ​​also operates a popular anime streaming service, merchandising operation and an anime music platform.