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1st Godzilla Anime Film's Theme Song, Prequel Novel Revealed

posted on by Bayleigh Baker
Novel about "monster apocalypse" ships October 25

The official website for the upcoming Godzilla anime film trilogy announced on Wednesday that singer XAI will perform the first film's theme song "White Out." Boom Boom Satellites bassist Masayuki Nakano is producing the song.

The song will mark XAI's major debut after winning the the first ever Artist Award at the Toho Cinderella audition last November. The singer will celebrate her 20th birthday on November 17, the day the film opens in Japan.

The website also announced that a prequel novel will ship in Japan on October 25. Gen Urobuchi, who is in charge of the original story and screenplay of the movie, is supervising the novel. It will feature "testimonies" from soldiers on the frontlines, the officers that led them, scientists, citizens, young children, and more from the fictional monster apocalypse. It will confront questions such as "Why did mankind have to throw away Earth, their home?" and "What happened between the monsters and mankind before Godzilla appeared?"

The official website describes the first film's story:

The planet is beset by the emergence of colossal creatures that roam the earth, and king among them is “Godzilla”. For a half a century, these beasts engage in ferocious battle with each other and mankind. But humans, unable to compete, prepare for exile from their home planet. In the year 2048, a select few humans are chosen by the central government's artificial intelligence infrastructure to set out on an interstellar emigration vessel, the Aratrum, on an 11.9-lightyear journey for the planet Tau-e in the Cetus constellation. But when they arrive after 20 years of space travel, the remnants of mankind find the environmental conditions on Tau-e to be much different than expected, and basically uninhabitable by humans.

On youth on board the emigration vessel, Haruo, had seen his parents killed by Godzilla before his eyes when he was only 4 years old. Ever since, he has thought of nothing but returning to Earth to defeat Godzilla. With the doors to emigration now closed, Haruo and other crew spearhead a “return to Earth” decision despite severely attenuated and hazardous conditions on board for such a long trip back.

Somehow, the Aratrum makes the return journey in one piece, but the home they return to has become an alien planet. 20,000 years have elapsed, and a new ecosystem has emerged withatop the food chain. Can mankind take back its native planet? Will Haruo get his revenge?

The films star:


Mamoru Miyano as Haruo Sakaki, the protagonist


Takahiro Sakurai as Metphies, the Exif alien who understands Haruo well


Kana Hanazawa as the heroine Yuko Tani, who grew up with Haruo after he was orphaned


Tomokazu Sugita as Martin Lazzari, an optimistic environmental biologist working with the military


Yuuki Kaji as Adam Bindewald, a young landing ship pilot who respects Haruo


Junichi Suwabe as Mulu-Elu Galu-gu, a Bilsard alien


Daisuke Ono as Eliott Leland, Haruo's superior officer and military commander


Kenta Miyake as Rilu-Elu Belu-be, a Bilsard alien veteran soldier and Haruo's instructor


Kenyuu Horiuchi as Unberto Mori, emigrant spaceship Aratrum captain


Kazuya Nakai as Halu-Elu Dolu-do, a Bilsard alien patriarch riding Aratrum


Kazuhiro Yamaji as Endurph, an Exif alien riding Aratrum

The new kaijū "Servum" will also appear in the film.

The first film, Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (Godzilla: Kaijū Wakusei), will open in Japan on November 17, and then it will stream globally on the Netflix service this year.

Kobun Shizuno (Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare and other Detective Conan movies, Fist of the North Star: The Legend of Kenshirô, Fist of the North Star: The Legend of Toki) and Hiroyuki Seshita (Ajin, Knights of Sidonia) are directing the films at Polygon Pictures. Gen Urobuchi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero, Psycho-Pass) of Nitroplus is credited with the story concept and screenplay. Urobuchi is also responsible for series composition with Yūsuke Kozaki.

Hiroyuki Morita is serving as assistant director, and Naohiro Yoshihira ("Tady") is the technical director. Naoya Tanaka and Ferdinando Patulli are production designers, and Yuki Moriyama is designing the characters in CG. Mitsunori Kataama is the model director. Yukihiro Shibutani is the art director, and Hironori Nochi is the color key artist. Satoshi Motoyama is the sound director.

Sources: Animate Times, Cinema Today


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