Hatsune Miku’s First Movie Gets English Subs and April 11 Release Date!

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Summary

  • GKIDS acquired licensing for the movie COLORFUL STAGE!, announcing an April 11 North American release with English subtitles.
  • COLORFUL STAGE! is based on Projekt Sekai: Colorful Stage feat. Hatsune Miku, representing her first full-length anime film.
  • The release of COLORFUL STAGE! with English subs shows growing international accessibility and potential for more anime releases abroad.

This week, as an observer, I’m thrilled to share some exciting news for North American Hatsune Miku fans who have been eagerly anticipating updates about the release of COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing, hereafter referred to as COLORFUL STAGE!. Although it was initially announced last year, there had been no official word on international release dates or English versions. However, the wait is finally over! This week, GKIDS confirmed they have obtained the licensing for the upcoming movie, revealing both the release date of April 11th and an English-subtitled trailer.

On Thursday, AnimeNewsNetwork distributed a press release about a new deal between GKIDS and CyberAgent, known for producing COLORFUL STAGE!. This is the first partnership between these two entities. The Japanese release date of the film will be swiftly followed by its North American premiere, demonstrating the growing impact of anime on Western media. Instead of enduring an extended wait for the online release, fans can look forward to watching the movie with English subtitles in a theater within just a few months.

COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing

Hatsune Miku’s First Movie

The movie “Colorful Stage!” is a remarkable production, particularly appealing to fans of VOCALOID. Since 2007, Miku has been a software voicebank, widely used by people, predominantly in Japan, to produce original music that Miku would sing. Over the subsequent twenty years, the VOCALOID universe expanded significantly, welcoming new characters to represent fresh voices, and generating numerous video games centered around these characters and their most popular tunes. Miku, in particular, has left a profound cultural footprint, inspiring other games and anime that acknowledge her or her music, gracing an array of merchandise, and cherished by cosplayers worldwide for her diverse outfits.

For the very first time, an anime adaptation has been made for a VOCALOID character, and it’s none other than Hatsune Miku in “COLORFUL STAGE!” This movie is based on the mobile game called “Project Sekai: Colorful Stage feat. Hatsune Miku,” which initially launched in Japan in 2020 before being rolled out globally in December 2021. The game’s popularity even spawned a short-form anime, “Petit Seka,” which was available for free on YouTube and ran for 10 episodes.

The vibrant spectacle of “COLORFUL STAGE!” takes moviegoing to a new dimension, especially when viewed as a full-length film on the big screen. According to AnimeNewsNetwork, the storyline revolves around…

Intriguingly enough, I stumbled upon a captivating tune from Hatsune Miku, a digital pop sensation I’d never encountered before, in an old-school CD store. As fate would have it, there she was, the one and only Hatsune Miku, standing right before me – a sight I had never beheld before. I called out to her, and her surprised gaze lingered for a moment before she vanished, leaving me utterly amazed.

To my astonishment, this very same digital diva later appeared on my smartphone screen, confessing her inability to touch the hearts of others through her melodies, despite her relentless efforts. Her songs, it seemed, were unable to transcend their digital realm and resonate with listeners as they should.

However, witnessing my own success in stirring the hearts of people with my impromptu street performances, Hatsune Miku reached out to me for assistance – a request I couldn’t refuse!

In various aspects of the franchise, Saki Fujita provides the voice for Miku, breathing life into her character.

Miku Comes to North America

With English Subs, Too

Previously, the announcement of “COLORFUL STAGE!” had created a stir in the anime world due to Hatsune Miku’s debut on the big screen. However, this week’s news holds special significance for international fans because some Hatsune Miku games have now been translated into English and can be played outside of Japan (like “Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA” ). Up until now, Miku had largely been inaccessible to people who don’t speak Japanese. The announcement that “COLORFUL STAGE!” will receive an official English version and a release date in movie theaters is a major development for the VOCALOID community.

GKIDS has revealed that the movie titled COLORFUL STAGE! will hit movie screens across North America on April 11th, 2025. This film initially premiered in Japan on January 17th, 2025 and managed to secure the second spot at the box office. Remarkably, the North American debut is scheduled just under three months later, which is quite swift, particularly for an original movie not derived from a popular anime series that’s known for breaking sales records.

The trailer with English subtitles and an accompanying English-version poster for the movie were unveiled. This news has boosted anticipation among Hatsune Miku fans, and if this film succeeds in North America, it could pave the way for more original anime movies to be distributed globally beyond Japan. It’s no secret that anime is earning substantial revenues overseas, and when movie studios observe this trend, they become interested in expanding their reach. COLORFUL STAGE! can serve as a trailblazer for the timely release of more anime movies outside of Japan, in their original language.

Vibrant Cinema Premiere! “The Film of COLORFUL STAGE! Starring a Non-Singing Miku” graces North American theaters on April 11, 2025.

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2025-02-15 08:05