The immense popularity behind the Ni No Kuni franchise led to the release of a full feature anime film on August 23rd and a sneak peek trailer reveals just how wonderful it looks.
The first game in the franchise, entitled Ni No Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn, received worldwide acclaim upon its release, with many game critics lauding its unique art style and gameplay mechanics. The game would go on to sell 170,000 units in just three days after its release and by one month, 330,000 units had been sold. When the console port Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch was released in November of 2011, it too garnered a large amount of praise from consumers and critics alike, causing it to sell over 1.1 million copies by March of 2014, becoming one of the best selling titles on the Ps3.
The franchise's most recent installment, Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, didn't fall too far behind as it would go on to sell 900,000 worldwide in just two months after its release. Given the huge amount of support for the franchise and the recent news of a remastered edition for Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, it wasn't all that surprising to learn that an animated film was being released.
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In an era where the market is being flooded by great JRPGs, Level-5 still manages to create a unique game that sets itself apart from all others. While its sales may not reach the level of say, a Final Fantasy, the fact that it has gotten its first full length animated film in such a short time speaks volumes about its impact on the industry.
The trailer associated with the animated film can be found on Anime News Network, which goes into detail about the Japanese voice acting. Additionally, it is revealed that the game's animation storyboard designer, Yoshiyuki Momose, helped with directing the film. Furthermore, the game's original composer, Joe Hisaishi, undertook the tasks of creating all the music found within the film. The trailer itself shows a beautifully animated sequence of the fight between Yū and Haru that stays true to the art style found within the games. While there is no news on if an English version of the film will be released, it's hard to imagine it not occurring given the worldwide reach that the series has had.
The fact that the staff from the original games played a part in creating the film bodes well for its success. Additionally, it's nice to see that the art style wasn't changed in favor of one with a greater amount of detail.
It's not often that we see game-related films do well, but Level 5 and Warner Bros. did the right thing in ensuring that most of the game's key staff played a part in making the film. If it becomes a worldwide success, it could lead other film production companies to adopt the same principles, leading to game-related films which stay true to their franchises.