The upcoming original anime film, The Last Blossom (known as Housenka in Japan), has unveiled additional cast members, staff, and its opening theme song in a new trailer video. The film is set to premiere in Japan on October 10, 2025.
Expanded Cast and Production Team
The latest revelations include four new voice cast additions: Hideaki Murata, Hiroki Yasumoto, Sōma Saitō, and Kōta Nakayama. These actors join the previously announced main cast, which features Kaoru Kobayashi and Junki Tozuka both portraying the protagonist Akutsu at different stages of his life, and Hikari Mitsushima and Yoshiko Miyazaki voicing Nana Nagata, Akutsu’s partner, across various timelines. Pierre Taki lends his voice to the talking Housenka flower.
The film is a collaboration between director Baku Kinoshita and writer Kadzuya Konomoto, known for their previous work on the acclaimed ODDTAXI anime series. Kinoshita also handles character design for The Last Blossom. CLAP, the studio behind Pompo: The Cinéphile and The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes, is in charge of the animation production, with Michinoku-Toge credited for concept art.
Opening Song Revealed
The new trailer also previews and reveals the film’s opening theme song, titled “Moving Still Life,” performed by the three-piece Japanese pop rock band cero. The band cero is also responsible for composing the film’s overall soundtrack music.
Film’s Premise and Festival Recognition
The Last Blossom tells the story of Akutsu, an elderly inmate serving a life sentence, who is on the verge of a lonely death in his cell. His reflection on his past begins when a talking Housenka flower confronts him with the words, “What a rotten life you had.” The narrative delves into his past in Summer 1986, where Akutsu lives with Nana and her son Kensuke in an apartment surrounded by Housenkas, exploring the tale of a dying yakuza’s unexpected comeback and his family’s story as told by the prison-blooming flower.
Before its theatrical release in Japan, The Last Blossom was selected for the Feature Film Competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2025, with a preview of the film having been part of the “Work in Progress” lineup at the 2024 Annecy Film Festival. International distribution rights have been acquired by Anime Limited and Plaion Pictures for several European regions, where the film is slated for a theatrical release followed by home video distribution.
