Japan’s anime event scene has delivered another “wait, what?” moment — and honestly, this one is kind of legendary.
The publishers behind the King of Prism anime franchise announced on May 12 that its newest feature-length film, King of Prism: Your Endless Call – Minna Kirameki! Prism☆Tours, will be screened together with the 2018 disaster movie The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time.
Yes bro, that Sharknado. Flying sharks, apocalyptic chaos, chainsaw energy — all that nonsense. Paired with a glossy boy idol anime about emotional performances, sparkly stage moments, and figure skating-style spectacle.
The joint event is happening on June 7 in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, and it is being run as a cheer screening. For those unfamiliar, cheer screenings are cinema sessions where fans are allowed — sometimes encouraged — to clap, shout, cheer, bring the live-show energy, and react loudly instead of sitting in total silence.
That format makes total sense for King of Prism. The series is built around “Prism Stars,” male performers who deliver dramatic idol-style shows combining singing, dancing, and figure skating. It is loud, emotional, flamboyant, and very much designed for fans who want to respond like they are at a concert.
Sharknado, on the other hand? Not exactly standard cheer screening material. But that is also why this crossover is so funny.
According to the organisers, tickets for the event sold out in just three minutes. Even fans and some people connected to King of Prism reportedly reacted with the same basic energy: “What is happening?” But clearly, the curiosity was strong enough to pack the screening immediately.
The event is organised by Japanese film news outlet Eiga Natalie. The idea apparently came from its column All Roads Lead to Shark Movies (?), written by Shark Movie Rookie, a Japanese film buyer and translator who specialises in shark movies. Shark Movie Rookie is also the president of the Japan Shark Movie Society — because of course Japan has one, and honestly, respect.
Here’s the surprisingly sincere part: Shark Movie Rookie is also a big King of Prism viewer, and they noticed that the two titles share a weird kind of emotional logic. Both throw audiences into situations that are wildly impossible, push past normal common sense, then somehow still try to land sincere drama underneath all the chaos.
There is also one actual plot connection: both King of Prism: Your Endless Call and The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time involve travelling through time to fix things. Is that a thin reason for a crossover screening? Absolutely. Is it enough? Apparently yes.
The screening order will start with King of Prism: Your Endless Call – Minna Kirameki! Prism☆Tours, followed by The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time. During the break, Shark Movie Rookie and a PR representative from the Japan Shark Movie Society will hold a talk session teaching attendees how to cheer for sharks in Sharknado.
That last bit is the most anime-event sentence ever written.
Attendees will also receive a special admission bonus: a parody crossover novel written by Shark Movie Rookie, featuring sharks entering King of Prism’s academy setting.
For Malaysia and SEA anime fans, this is the kind of event that shows why Japan’s fan culture is still unmatched when it comes to niche chaos. We get anime movie screenings here, sure, and sometimes special fan events — but this level of “let’s combine idol boys with time-travelling shark disasters” is a different tier.
If anything, it proves there is real demand for cinema events that feel more like community experiences than normal movie screenings. Malaysian anime clubs, cons, and distributors should take notes. Fans here would absolutely show up for the right absurd-but-fun event, especially if it comes with exclusive merch or one-night-only energy.
Because sometimes, the pitch does not need to make perfect sense. Sometimes it just needs to be weird enough that everyone goes, “Okay lah, I need to see this.”
Source: Automaton Media