GKIDS has announced that it has acquired the North American distribution rights for the wartime drama anime cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood. The film will be released in theaters across North America starting September 4, 2026, in both Japanese with English subtitles and an English dubbed version.
The anime is based on the manga by Machiko Kyo and marks the directorial debut of Yukimitsu Ina. The production features key animation work from Akihiko Yamashita (Spirited Away) and Shinji Otsuka (Princess Mononoke), with a musical score composed by Kensuke Ushio.
Key Visual:
CAST:
Hikari Mitsushima as Mayu
Marika Ito as San
Yoko Hikasa as Tamaki
Rena Motomura as Hina
Chinatsu Akasaki as Mari
Aoi Koga as Yuri
Yume Miyamoto as Kaede
Miyuki Sawashiro as Kaho
Umeka Shoji as Teacher
Izumi Aoyagi as Shiho
cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood originally premiered in Japan on March 30, 2025, and later aired on NHK General TV on August 25, 2025. It will also have its North American premiere at the JAPAN CUTS film festival in New York this July, organized by the Japan Society.
The original Cocoon manga was serialized from 2009 to 2010 and later collected into a single volume. It was reissued in 2015 with additional content. The English edition is published by VIZ Media.
GKIDS describes the anime film:
San and Mayu attend an all-girls school on a warm and tranquil island. When war reaches their shores, they are ordered to help nurse the wounded in a military hospital hidden away in a cave. Amidst escalating death and brutality, the friends struggle to find solace in their fragile lives.
Source: GKIDS
© Machiko Kyo (AKITASHOTEN) / NHK, NEP
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