To commemorate the fifth anniversary of the release, revival screenings of Mari Okada’s 2018 original anime film Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms will be held in 75 theaters across Japan for a limited time of eight days from February 23 to March 2, 2023. 

As the first directorial work for Okada, known for her screenwriting for Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (2011) and The Anthem of the Heart (2015), the P.A. Works-animated 115-minute film was released in Japan on February 24, 2018, then earned 350 million yen (2.67 million USD) from its domestic theatrical run.

The main voice cast included – Manaka Iwami (Maquia), Miyu Irino (Ariel), Ai Kayano (Leilia), Yuki Kaji (Krim), Miyuki Sawashiro (Racine), and Yoshimasa Hosoya (Lang). Kenji Kawai (Ghost In The Shell, Mobile Police Patlabor) worked on soundtrack music.  

Story:

The vertical threads are the passing days. The horizontal ones are the lives of mankind. The people of Iorph live far away from the lands of men, weaving the happenings of each day into fabric called Hibiol. They live for centuries, yet maintain the appearance they had in their late teens, and are known as “The Clan of Partings” and treated as a living legend. Maquia, an orphaned Iorph girl, lives her life peacefully surrounded by friends, but somehow feels “alone”. But the peaceful lives of the Iorph are shattered in an instant when the Mezarte army, seeking the blood that grants them long life, invades on beasts called Renato. Amidst the despair and chaos, Leilia, the most beautiful of the Iorph girls, is kidnapped by the Mezarte, and Krim, a young boy who Maquia secretly has feeling for, goes missing. Maquia manages to escape, but loses her friends and her home…As she wanders through a dark forest with an empty heart, she encounters a baby who is “alone”, after just having lost its parents. Ariel grows into a young boy. Even as time passes, Maquia retains the form of a young girl. The same seasons, but different flows of time. As the era changes, the bond between them changes too. This is a story of irreplaceable time, woven by two people who are alone.

Source: Tsumiki press release

(C)PROJECT MAQUIA