The first two installments in the Mirai e no Kōro short film project have been announced.
Bandai Namco Filmworks has launched the Sunrise 50th Anniversary project to celebrate 50 years since the release of Invincible Super Man Zambot 3, which was the first anime project under the current Sunrise brand. Although the 50th anniversary is in 2027, the anniversary project will run from 2026 to 2028. A new key visual for the anniversary celebration was revealed. A new short films project titled Mirai e no Kōro (A Voyage Towards the Future), was also announced, with six short films planned.
What do we know about the Sunrise 50th Anniversary project so far?
A new key visual has been released to commemorate the project. It contains graphics from 50 different works from Sunrise’s 500+ titles. The first work included in the visual is Invincible Super Man Zambot 3 (1977) while the latest is Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury (2022).
More importantly, the Mirai e no Kōro 3DGC short films project produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks has been announced. The project will release six total titles, which will share the common theme ‘the future’. The first two short films have been introduced and they are titled Dice with Demon (Haseo Sugoroku) and Metafear.
Hidekazu Ohara is directing Dice with Demon at Sunrise.
Bandai Namco Filmworks describes the premise as:
Heian-era Japan. Twilight. A rain-slicked pavilion where three noblemen drink to a chilling secret. There, Ki no Haseo makes a confession: he played a high-stakes game with a demon to resurrect his late wife. Is it a blessing, or a path to ruin?
Metafear is being directed by Shuhei Morita at YAMATOWORKS. Tatsuyuki Tanaka is the character and visual designer.
Bandai Namco Filmworks describes the premise as:
A girl tormented by nightmares writes down her dreams and names them, hoping to never forget her fears. But one day, a nightmare she couldn't name transforms into a monster and spreads across the world, plunging it into chaos.
The upcoming Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Die Graue Hexe movie by Sunrise and Production I.G. is also part of the 50th anniversary project. It’s the first film in a two-film addition to the Armored Troopers VOTOMS franchise. The movie will open in Japan on 20 November.