The teen anime film is the latest in a string of Japanese animations that have been cleared for cinematic release in the world’s second-largest film market this year.
Still from ‘A Silent Voice.’ Photo: Youtube
Naoko Yamada’s animated coming-of-age story A Silent Voice has been approved to show in Chinese cinemas, according to sources familiar with the matter, but a release date is yet to be announced.
The Kyoto Animation film, based on the manga of the same name by Yoshitoki Oima, premiered in Japan on September 17, 2016, and rolled out to other territories from February 2017 onwards.
The teen anime film is the latest in a string of Japanese animations that have been cleared for a cinematic release in the world’s second-largest film market this year.
Films like Doraemon the Movie 2017: Nobita’s Great Adventure in the Antarctic Kachi Kochi have attempted to repeat the success of last year’s runaway hit ‘Your Name,’ the body-swap fantasy that hauled in approximately 577 million yuan ($86.4 million).
A Silent Voice grossed close to $20 million last year before playing in the main competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and securing releases in several other territories, including Hong Kong on April 6.
Japanese films have become more welcome in mainland China, especially since South Korea took over the mantle as Beijing’s diplomatic bête noire for its decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) U.S. missile defense system on its soil.
