Anime movie The Last Blossom (Housenka), the new project from Odd Taxi director Baku Kinoshita and Odd Taxi writer Kazuya Konomoto, has been selected to compete in Annecy 2025’s Feature Film Competition. It was also announced that it will premiere in Japan this fall.
Additionally, a teaser trailer and teaser visual for the film, as well as the cast lineup, were revealed. The latter includes:
• Kaoru Kobayashi
• Junki Tozuka
• Hikari Mitsushima
• Yoshiko Miyazaki
• Pierre Taki
The Last Blossom was previously featured at Annecy 2024’s Work-in-Progress lineup. Annecy’s synopsis reads:
Autumn 2023. Akutsu, an elderly inmate serving life in prison, is on the verge of a lonely death in his single cell. A talking Housenka flower says to him, “What a rotten life you had.” Akutsu starts reflecting on his past. Summer 1986. Akutsu is living with Nana and her son Kensuke in a shabby apartment with a garden full of Housenkas. It is the tale of a one-night victorious comeback by a dying yakuza, and his family’s story told by a flower that blooms in prison.
Konomoto is credited as The Last Blossom‘s creator, while Kinoshita is also its character designer. The film has CLAP in charge of the production and planning. In an official post announcing The Last Blossom‘s production, the staff credits also listed Michinoku Toge as concept artist.
Aside from The Last Blossom, another Japanese film that was selected for this year’s Feature Film Competition is the mermaid x human romance ChaO.
Source: Press release
