A trio of anime films has been announced by Crunchyroll, which are coming this month. Two films have already debuted with one more on its way. With so many new films and shows to watch, anime fans will have a full schedule ahead.
Crunchyroll has announced the acquisition of three new films: Backflip! The Movie, Hula Fulla Dance, and The Legend of Hei. Having debuted on May 11, Backflip! The Movie is an animated feature film for the anime series, Backflip! The anime follows a group of high school rhythmic gymnasts. The series was one season, consisting of twelve episodes. After its conclusion in 2021, fans can finally watch the 2022 film follow-up!
Crunchyroll Films: Hula Fulla Dance and The Legend of Hei
Hula Fulla Dance also aired on May 11. The synopsis per IMDB reads, “A young girl joins the Spa Resort Hawaiians hotel to serve as a hula dancer.” The poster reads “A story of new hula girl growth with laughter and tears.” It is a slice-of-life film produced by Bandai Namco Pictures and directed by Seiji Mizushima and Shinya Watada, which was released in Japan in 2021. This upcoming Crunchyroll offering is currently available in North America, South America, Europe (NOT the UK or Ireland), Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, CIS, and India.
On May 18, The Legend of Hei will be available in the US and Canada. In the press release announcing the films, Crunchyroll shared a synopsis from Shout Factory:
ONE SMALL SPIRIT WILL DETERMINE THE FATE OF THE WORLD.
When cat spirit Luo Xiaohei’s home is deforested by humans, he must find a new one. He runs into a group of other spirit creatures who take him under their wing with dreams of reconquering the land they say is rightfully theirs. However, they run into a human known as Wuxian who separates Luo Xiaohei from the other spirits and the two go on a journey, with the cat spirit learning to control his abilities as well as forming his own thoughts on whether or not he should ally with the spirits or the humans.
The Legend of Hei originally released in China in 2019. It is directed by MTTJ and produced by Joy Pictures. The film serves as a prequel to a Chinese animated series that aired in 2011: The Legend of Luo Xiaohei. MTJJ directed the animated series and returned to work on the prequel film.
Crunchyroll has recently introduced several new anime series, films, and even added music videos and concerts to the streaming service. The company also recently announced the debut of Bastions, a new Korean anime featuring a theme song by the popular K-pop band, BTS. The service has been simulcasting hit anime like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Mashle: Magic and Muscles. With these three new films to see on Crunchyroll this month, anime fans have a spring full of options across numerous genres, countries, and lengths.
Source: Crunchyroll, IMDb