Go Beyond the Tracks Limited Run Oct 10

This poster

“Beyond the Tracks,” an independent animated film produced by Studio DOT, a group of approximately 100 creators who came together online during the COVID-19 pandemic, will be screened at Theater Shinjuku for a limited one-week late-night screening starting October 10th. The trailer and official poster design have been released. Additionally, Takayuki Hirao, known as the director of “Pompo the Movie Lover,” has provided a supportive message.

Numerous stills from the trailer have also been released.

This approximately 30-minute animated short depicts a group of girls who survived war in a world where they turn into monsters after death. They confront the death of a friend, their dependency, and each become independent. This is illustrator Vab.png’s directorial debut, and he also wrote the screenplay and key animation. The film had its world premiere at the 29th Fantasia International Film Festival in July, where it was nominated for the Satoshi Kon Award (Animation Category) and won the Bronze Audience Award for Best Animated Short Film. The protagonist, Leicht, a war criminal after World War II, falls in love with Esus, his superior and benefactor, while on a mission to wipe out abandoned biological weapons known as “Tekkai.” However, one day, Esus disappears into a blizzard while pursuing a man during a mission. Confronted with various conflicts, Leicht also finds himself stepping into the blizzard.

Remone Ido will play Leicht, Hotori Asami will play Esus, Yui Watanabe will play Gross, Kisei Omori will play Komete, Yota Kawase will play Rommel, and Mana Kobayashi will play the maintenance chief. The theme song is a different version of the Vocaloid song “Kamome” released in February by young composer Inu Abu, and will be sung by Yaya Takanashi, a VTuber and VSinger.

The trailer, featuring “Kamome (feat. Takanashi Yaya),” features a voiceover of Leicht searching for Essu. The poster, with the tagline “One step, everything changes.”, depicts Leicht holding Essu’s hand.

Comments from the staff and a supportive message from Director Hirao of “Movie-loving Pompo-san” are below.

[Abuse Inu (Theme Song, Lyrics and Composition)] I feel like “Kamome (feat. Takanashi Yaya)” and “Beyond the Tracks,” which were chosen for this project, share many common concepts. It all began when I began writing a song about a man gazing out at the sea in my hometown of Sendai. No matter how much I try, the reality never changes, and I think of the disaster that once struck the beach, entrusting reality to the idol of a bird and praying. With Takanashi Yaya chosen to sing “Go Beyond the Tracks,” the song’s contours as a theme song were truly revealed. Yaya’s voice is like a ripple of sound that embodies “Go Beyond the Tracks.” The spirituality of the music and the physicality of her singing voice resonate throughout the film. Once again, I am truly happy to have been able to be a part of this production, and I will put down my pen, praying that she will continue to soar for a long time to come.

[Takanashi Yaya (Theme Song, Vocals and Finishing Touches)] I took the plunge and approached the director to ask me to sing the theme song. The desire to “go beyond” pushed me to do so, and my long-held dream of singing the theme song came true. When I first heard “The Seagull,” indescribable emotions stirred deep within my heart and surged over me like waves. I felt such joy I trembled when I was able to layer my voice over that sound. The lingering echoes of the song quietly imprint in my heart the emotions that well up from watching the story. This film gave me such an irreplaceable experience, and I hope you will watch it on the big screen and savor the lingering impression it leaves in your memory through sound.

[Futamoku (Producer)] “Beyond the Tracks” was my first time working as a producer. Until then, I had been on the production side, and I was constantly thinking about “what I could do” and “what I should do” in a place where I didn’t know what to do. Sometimes I followed in someone else’s footsteps, and other times I had to make my own. Loneliness is often what lies at the end of the path you forge. If you fear that and cross paths with others, you may find that conflict awaits you. Studio DOT is a little unique, but I now believe that independent producers move forward through repeated experiences of “loneliness and conflict.” After a production that seemed both long and short, “Beyond the Tracks” is finally here. I hope you’ll see it in theaters.

[Hirao Takayuki (Director of “Pompo the Movie Lover”)] I felt the breath of a new era in the fascinating worldview and characters packed into the approximately 30 minutes, the expansive script, and the ingenuity of the visuals.