Announced at the A-Kon convention, NIS America will be bringing the animated feature, The Princess and the Pilot on DVD and Bluray to North America on May 14. The film was produced by Madhouse, and is based on the romance novel by Koroku Inumura. It had its original theatrical run in Japan in October 2011.
For those living in Dallas, NIS America and the USA Film Festival are screening The Princess and the Pilot at the Angelika Film Center TODAY at 5:00 PM. The film will be presented with English subtitles and screened as a part of the 43rd Annual Spring Festival.
According to NISA, the synopsis is told as followed:
The war between the Levamme Empire and the Amatsukami Imperium has been raging for years. In the midst of this struggle, the prince of the Levamme Empire declares his love for Juana del Moral and vows to end the war in one year, as part of his marriage proposal. When the Amatsukami catch wind of this, they assault the del Moral residence, targeting Juana’s life. As a last-ditch effort to bring the prince his bride, the San Maltilia Airforce employs a mercenary of mixed blood — a bestado — to fly Juana to the prince in secret. The pilot, Charles, accepts the mission … but traversing an ocean alone, and into enemy territory, proves a much more dangerous ordeal than anyone could have anticipated.
The Princess and the Pilot is directed by Jun Shishido (Hajime No Ippo: New Challenger) and written by Satoko Okudera, who wrote Mamoru Hosoda’s The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, and the recent Wolf Children. All artwork from the novel’s illustrations by Haruyuki Morisawa (Lagrange – The Flower of Rin-ne) has been adapted by character designer Hidenori Matusbara (Gankutsuou: Count of Monte Cristo, King of Thorn) for the animation.
Cast members include Ryunosuke Kamiki (Summer Wars‘ Kenji) as Charles Karino, Seika Taketomi as Juana del Moral, Daisuke Ono (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya‘s Itsuki Koizumi) as Carlo Levamme, and Daisuke Namikawa (Persona 4′s Yu Narukami) as Joaquin. Quite a strong cast of talents.
For those who won’t be attending the screening, the DVD version will come with a Premium Box containing a full-color, 34 page, hardcover art book that has extensive character information, rough concept designs, and artist interviews. The film will only be released with Japanese audio and English subtitles.
So, if you’re in Dallas and you’re planning on seeing the film, tell us what it’s like!
