K2 Pictures is putting serious money behind some very interesting Japanese screen projects, and anime fans should keep an eye on this one.
The movie and video works company announced at the Cannes International Film Festival that its K2P Film Fund I will finance multiple projects. Two standouts are a theatrical anime adaptation of Hiroya Oku’s GIGANT manga and a musical film adaptation of Osamu Tezuka’s The Book of Human Insects.
For anime fans, the headline item is definitely GIGANT. This will be K2 Pictures’ first animated feature project, which makes it more than just another manga adaptation announcement. The studio is stepping into theatrical anime, and it is doing so with a Hiroya Oku title — meaning we should probably expect something weird, bold, and not exactly family-friendly.
Seven Seas Entertainment publishes GIGANT in English. The story follows Rei Yokoyamada, a high school student whose father works in film production. Rei wants to make his own short film with friends, but things take a very strange turn after he discovers tabloid-style notices claiming that adult film star Papico lives nearby. When he removes them to protect her, he meets Papico herself — right before she gets pulled into a supernatural situation where she grows to giant size.
Oku launched the manga in Shogakukan’s Big Comic Superior in December 2017. It ended in September 2021, with the 10th and final compiled volume released in Japan in December that same year.
For Malaysian and SEA fans, the practical question is simple: will this actually reach our cinemas? No Malaysia or regional release details have been announced yet, so don’t start booking GSC seats lah. But theatrical anime has been getting more visible across Southeast Asia, especially when there is enough fandom noise online. If GIGANT gets a proper cinema push in Japan and international distributors see demand, this is the kind of title that could become either a limited screening, festival pick, or later streaming conversation.
The second major project is the Osamu Tezuka 100th Anniversary Project adaptation of The Book of Human Insects, with Ken Ninomiya set to direct. This one is planned as a musical film, not an anime feature. The project was previously pitched at the “Spotlight on Japan” event during Berlin’s European Film Market in February.
Vertical publishes The Book of Human Insects in English. The manga centres on Toshiko Tomura, a young woman who has already collected major achievements across literature, design, and theatre. Around her is a very noir world of journalists, hit men, power brokers, executives, and artists — basically, a messy adult drama where nobody gets to look clean.
The manga also received a live-action TV series adaptation in 2011.
There is more Tezuka activity happening too. The official Tezuka website announced on May 12 that NHK is producing a live-action television special based on Tezuka’s autobiographical manga short Paper Fortress (Kami no Toride) for August.
So yes, this is one of those industry announcements that feels niche at first glance, but it matters. K2 Pictures using a dedicated film fund to back manga-based projects suggests more Japanese companies are looking beyond standard TV anime pipelines. For fans here, that could mean more theatrical anime, more prestige manga adaptations, and hopefully more chances for SEA audiences to catch these works officially instead of waiting forever.
Source: Anime News Network