The upcoming original anime film AS ONE, directed by Kobun Shizuno and featuring character designs by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, is set for theatrical release in Japan on August 22, 2025, with distribution by GAGA. The newly unveiled teaser trailer highlights the film’s stunning animation and emotional sci-fi narrative, stirring excitement across the anime community.

Director Shizuno is widely known for his work on the Detective Conan film series, including the blockbuster Quarter of Silence (2011) and The Crimson Love Letter (2017), which became the top-grossing Japanese film of that year. Sadamoto, the celebrated creator behind the character designs of Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), and Summer Wars (2009), joins forces with Shizuno to bring this original story to life.

While AS ONE is inspired by the arcade game Starwing Paradox (developed by Square Enix), the film features an entirely new cast and storyline. The world and setting retain the game’s foundation, but the narrative is fully original, crafted under Shizuno’s direction with a new script and characters, all visually reimagined by Sadamoto.

Plot Overview

The story follows You, a high school student living on Earth who dreams of becoming a musician, but finds himself at odds with his parents and bandmates about his future. One day, while crossing the busy streets of Shibuya, he hears a desperate voice calling out, “Help me!” Just then, he’s engulfed by a mysterious white light.

Meanwhile, far away on the planet Meguriboshi, a girl named Laco works as a robot mechanic amidst a fragile ceasefire between the Kingdom of Vu-Reido and the nation of Gōa-Slaga, locked in a long-standing war over a powerful energy source called Starblood. Just as peace talks are about to begin, a massive piece of orbital debris falls toward the surface. Laco launches in an unfinished mech to save her friend Vigo, a member of the Pluguard unit, but ends up in a near-fatal accident.

Though Laco succeeds in diverting the debris, she falls into a coma. In her unconscious state, her mind transcends dimensions and connects with You’s—sparking an encounter that defies time and space.

As glimpsed in the teaser, the film depicts the surreal moment when You and Laco reach out to each other in Laco’s dreamlike subconscious. With explosive mech battles, emotional tension, and questions of fate, the film explores how two people from different worlds become “as one.”

Staff Highlights

Director: Kobun Shizuno (Detective Conan, Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters)
Character Design: Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Evangelion, Summer Wars)
Mechanical Design: Ippei Gyobu (Gundam Reconguista in G)
Original Concept Based On: Starwing Paradox by Square Enix

Trailer: AS ONE

Source : ORICON NEWS