"All You Need Is Kill" Anime Movie Announced

 You might remember the sci-fi film Edge Of Tomorrow featuring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. The film was not a smash hit on release, but has gone on to become something of a cult classic in the years since. What you might not be aware of, however, is that the film started life as a Japanese novel called All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Warner Bros Japan have announced that work has begun on an animated movie adaptation of the novel.

The novel played a big part in the growing popularity of the time-loop sci-fi phenomenon. The Hollywood adaptation made quite a few changes to the source material, so does this promise to be a more faithful version? In fact, the animated version is set to be told from a different perspective both from the film and the original novel.

The book is being adapted into an anime by Studio 4°C (Children Of The Sea, Tekkonkinkreet), who draw on the studio's legacy of creating bold and original works. Combining traditional animation techniques and cutting edge CG technology, the studio has earned praise and plaudits around the world.

The film is directed by Kenichiro Akimoto, (Fortune Favours Lady Nikuko) a visionary director, known for his inventive animation techniques and his sensitive portrayal of character emotions. He recreates the story through a fresh perspective, focusing on Rita's inner journey as a warrior, delving into her loneliness, struggles and personal growth.

Trapped in a time loop following an alien invasion, a girl and a boy's chance encounter will shape the fate of an endless battlefield. If you've seen the movie you might think you know what to expect but this is going to be as tonally and visually apart from the US version as you can get. You can get a taster for just what a departure this is, via the first teaser trailer.

This adaptation seems to set it apart from the earlier movie in that it seems to have a female lead. Emily Blunt's character was very important in Edge Of Tomorrow, but it was still very much a Tom Cruise film. The novel was also told from the perspective of a male character.

It seems to be bold of Warner Bros to give Studio 4°C such freedom to create something so visually wild and unconventional. It remains to be seen whether this approach will go down well with audiences in Japan and around the world. 

No release window has been announced just yet.