Beloved Studio Ghibli Film “Hotaru no Haka” to Air on Kin’you Road Show on August 15, 2025
The anime film “Hotaru no Haka,” written and directed by Takahata Isao and produced by Studio Ghibli, is set to be broadcast on Nippon Television’s movie program “Kin’you Road Show” on August 15, 2025. This marks the film’s return to the slot after approximately seven years, since its previous airing on April 13, 2018, which was a memorial broadcast following Takahata’s passing.
A Timeless Masterpiece Returns
“Hotaru no Haka” is an animated film based on the short story by Nosaka Akiyuki, which won the Naoki Prize. Directed by the masterful Takahata Isao, it was released in 1988 by Studio Ghibli. The story is set in Kobe near the end of the war, under constant B29 air raids, and depicts the journey of a brother and sister, Seita and Setsuko, as they struggle to survive together. Since its release, the film has garnered numerous awards both domestically and internationally and is now recognized as a representative masterpiece of Japanese cinema.
Recently, it was announced that the film would be distributed exclusively on Netflix in Japan starting July 15th. This is part of Netflix’s ongoing effort to expand its lineup of diverse Japanese anime titles to a global audience. “Hotaru no Haka” had already been available on Netflix in over 190 countries and regions outside of Japan since September 16, 2024. The news that it would become the first Studio Ghibli film to be streamed domestically on Netflix had already been attracting significant attention.
Now, the film is scheduled to air on “Kin’you Road Show” for the first time in about seven years since the memorial broadcast for Takahata Isao on April 13, 2018, following his death on April 5th, 2018. As we approach the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, this moving and deeply affecting film about young siblings desperately trying to survive the ravages of war is one we can reflect upon once more.
The anime film “Hotaru no Haka,” written and directed by Takahata Isao and produced by Studio Ghibli, will be broadcast on Nippon Television’s movie program “Kin’you Road Show” on August 15, 2025.
Hotaru no Haka (1988)
Original Work: Nosaka Akiyuki (Shincho Bunko edition)
Screenplay/Director: Takahata Isao
Music: Mamiya Yoshiwo
Voice Cast: Tatsumi Tsutomu, Shiraishi Ayano
(C)Nosaka Akiyuki/Shinchoosha, 1988
《Nakase Koutarou》
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