'Children of the Sea' director Ayumu Watanabe returns with this heartwarming mother-daughter tale.
Sometimes, a person’s personality can be too big for a small town. At least that’s the case with Lady Nikuko, the brash and sometimes scatterbrained titular character of the animated film Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko.
From acclaimed director Ayumu Watanabe (Children of the Sea) and Studio 4°C (Mind Game, Animatrix), Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is a dramedy based on the popular novel of the same name by Kanako Nishi. Sometimes heartwarming, sometimes hilarious, and always moving, the film examines the relationship between Nikuko (Shibonu Otake) and her daughter Kikuko (Cocomi), growing up in a small port town in Northern Japan. Here's everything you need to know about the anime film:
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Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko had its initial announcement in January 2021. The film premiered in Japanese theaters on June 11, 2021. After critical and commercial success, the film was licensed by GKIDS in North America. It will be screened in theaters in the region on June 3, 2022.
GKIDS is also holding special fan viewing events for the film across the nation on Thursday, June 2, before its limited theatrical release the next day. In partnership with Fathom Events, the screening will include an introduction to the picture by Watanabe and Akashiya, as well as a premiere of the short series Deji Meets Girl by Ushio Tazawa. Tickets for the Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko fan event are currently on sale at Fathom Events' official website.
The trailer opens up with Kikuko, the daughter of Nikuko narrating “Everyone in town knows Nikuko. She stands out in this little place." From the moment she's shown, Nikuko’s larger-than-life personality jumps off the screen. With her rosy cheeks and charisma, Nikuko commands attention in every scene that she's animated in. Dressing in a bright yellow and pink poncho in one scene, and a vivid red dress with a pink wig in another, Nikuko's fashion accentuates her personality. "Wherever she goes, she's 100% Nikuko," Kikuko remarks about her mother. On the other hand, Kikuko with her short hair and dressing in mostly neutral colors and basic options is soft-spoken. The two characters have a strong contrast that plays out in their approach to life. The trailer promises a strong Ghibli-esque feel that should appeal to anime lovers around the world.
Elsewhere in the trailer, Kikuko starts up a budding friendship with Ninomiya (Natsuki Hanae), a dark-haired boy who seems to have a perpetual pout. In the end, Kikuko very much seems to be struggling with finding herself in the shadow of her mother's bright personality, and the resentment that comes with feeling overlooked or unnoticed.
In another trailer, we get much of the same imagery, and the promise of “Big tears, big laughs, and big love." One thing that is evident in both trailers is the influence of Ayumu Watanabe’s work on Children of the Sea on this film. Specifically, water plays a large part in the recurring motifs of the trailer, whether it is the shimmering animation of the ocean, or the careful attention to detail when animating raindrops and teardrops, the movie imagery has a strong connection to the ocean. This comes as no surprise, as the movie is set in a port town in northern Japan.
The trailer also features some theme music from the film. Kurumi Inahaki performs the main theme entitled "Image no Uta." the film's ending theme song is "Taketen" performed by Greeeen.
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The film's titular character, Lady Nikuko, is voiced by acclaimed actress Shibonu Otake. Otake has won several accolades for her work. She has received a total of 12 nominations over the course of her career. She won the 25th Moscow International Film Festival award for Best Actress for her role in Owl, the award for best actress at the 12th Hochi Film Award for Eien no ½, and three Japanese Academy Awards: the 2000 Best Actress award for Railroad Man, and the 1979 awards for both Best Actress (The Incident) and Best Supporting Actress (Seishoku no ishibumi). She brings a nuance and veteran presence to give more depth to the boisterous Nikuko.
In contrast, Cocomi voices her precocious daughter Kikuko. A newcomer to voicework, Cocomi is known for her work as a model and flutist. Daughter of actor and singer Takuya Kimura and singer Shizuka Kudo, she is an award-winning flutist and cover model for Vogue, and an ambassador for Dior. This is her first foray into the realm of voice acting, and she brings a youthful energy to the coming-of-age arc of the character Kikuko.
Natsuki Hanae will play Ninomiya, a boy who goes to school with Kikuko and with whom she builds a budding friendship. Hanae is a familiar voice on the scene, probably best known for his work voicing Tanjiro Kamado in the anime action series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. An accomplished voice actor affiliated with Across Entertainment, some of his other credits include Ken Kaneki in Tokyo Ghoul, Inaho Kaizuka in ALDONAH.ZERO, Takumi Aldini in Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, Kōsei Arima in Your Lie in April, Sieg in Fate/Apocrypha, and Korai Hoshiumi in Haikyu!!.
Here's a quick list of all the confirmed characters:
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The film was first announced in January 2021. The film is actually based on a novel by Kanako Nishi of the same name. She is the winner of the Oda Sakunosuke Prize, the Kawai Hayao Literary Prize, and the Naoki Prize, and has had a number of her works adapted to film. Kanako Nishi’s 2014 novel Nikuko of the Fishing Harbor (Gyokō no Nikuko-chan in the original Japanese) has sold over 350,000 print copies. A manga adaptation was released last year drawn by artist Sugisaku and has since been collected in a single volume. Studio 4°C is handling production for the film. They're renowned for works like Mind Game, Genius Party, Tekkonkinkreet, and most recently Children of the Sea. They've tapped Children of the Sea director Ayumu Watanabe again for Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko. The script was written by Satomi Ôshima (The 100th Love With You). Kenichi Konishi was in charge of character design, and Sanma Akashiya was the creative producer.
Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is an animated dramedy centered around the mother-daughter relationship between single mother Lady Nikuko (Shinobu Otake) and her pensive 11-year-old daughter Kikuko (Cocomi). The two couldn’t be more different: Nikuko’s bold and expressive personality is the exact opposite of Kikuko’s quiet, thoughtful nature. Nikuko is seen as an odd figure in their relatively quiet seaside town, while Kikuko is trying to be normal while navigating the pressures and drama of middle school. Lurking on the horizon is a revelation from the past that could shake the bonds between mother and daughter. Here's the official description from GKIDS:
From acclaimed director Ayumu Watanabe (Children of the Sea) and STUDIO4°C (Tekkonkinkreet, Mind Game) comes a heartwarming and moving comedy-drama with touches of magical realism. Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is about an unconventional family and the bonds that they share in their sleepy seaside town.Brash single mother Nikuko is well-known for her bold spirit, much to the embarrassment of Kikuko, her pensive yet imaginative daughter. In contrast to her mother, Kikuko wants nothing more than to fit in as she navigates the everyday social dramas of middle school. Life in the harbor is peaceful until a shocking revelation from the past threatens to uproot the pair’s tender relationship.
Lyndon Nicholas is a Resource Writer for Collider interested in film, television, media, video games, and all things blerd culture.
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