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Maquia Dub Will Be Included On U.K. Home Release

Anime Limited has confirmed that it is producing NYAV Post's upcoming English dub of P.A. Works and Mari Okada's Maquia - When the Promised Flower Blooms. The dub will be included on the home release of the film, "tentatively" scheduled for December 2018.

Anime Limited adds, "We are investigating whether or not it might be possible to hold a theatrical premiere screening of the dub ahead of our home video release."

The cast includes:

• Xanthe Huynh as Maquia
• Eddy Lee as Ariel
• Ryan Shanahan as Teen Ariel
• Barnaby Lafayette as Child Ariel
• Cherami Leigh as Leilia
• Kevin T. Collins as Krim
• Michael Schneider as Lang
• Allegra Clark as Mido
• Ryan Bartley as Dita
• Lipica Shah as Racine
• Marc Thompson as Izor
• Brooklyn Nelson as Medmel
• Courtney Chu as Young Medmel
• Daniel J Edwards as Barou
• Spencer Rosen as Young Lang
• Catie Harvey as Young Dita
• Micah Gursoy as Young Deol
• Mike Pollock as Mazarte King
• Michael Schneider as Prince Hazel
• HD Quinn as Darel
• Ryan Bartley as Old Woman
• Lolita Lafayette as Proprietress
• Marc Thompson as Baiera King
• Pheobe Quinn as Millia
• AnnaBelle Deaner as Lily
• Wayne Grayson as Hyke
• Graham Halstead as Riko
• Christian La Monte as Jack
• Ben Phillips as Eido

Additional Voices include Ryan Bartley, Camden Carter, Courtney Chu, Allegra Clark, AnnaBelle Deaner, Michael Deaner, Daniel J Edwards, Wayne Grayson, Graham Halstead, Christian La Monte, Lolita Lafayette, Eddy Lee,Ben Phillips, Mike Pollock, Spencer Rosen, Michael Schneider, Ryan Shanahan, Jason Simon, and Marc Thompson.

Other credits include Voice Direction by Kevin T. Collins and Michael Schneider; Casting by Stephanie Sheh, Kevin T. Collins and Michael Schneider; and the Script Adaptation by Christian La Monte.

The film is the directorial debut of anime screenwriter Okada (The Anthem of the Heart, anohana). She wrote the film's script at P.A. Works.

Akihiko Yoshida (Nier: Automata, Bravely Default, Final Fantasy XIV games) is credited with the original character designs. Toshiya Shinohara (A Lull in the Sea, Red Data Girl) was chief director. Yuriko Ishii (Kuromukuro, Another) designed the characters for animation and was chief animation director. Kazuki Higashiji (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, A Lull in the Sea) was art director, and Tomoaki Okada (Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, Blast of Tempest) was in charge of art design and concept design. Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell, Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru) composed the music, and Kazuhiro Wakabayashi (Ghost in the Shell, Bungo Stray Dogs) was sound director.

Eleven Arts describes the story:

The vertical threads are the passing days. The horizontal ones are the lives of mankind. The people of Iorph live faraway from the lands of men, weaving the happenings of each day into a fabric called Hibiol. They live for centuries, yet maintain their youthful appearance. For this, they are known as "The Clan of the Separated" and are treated as a living legend. Maquia, an orphaned Iorph girl, lives her life in an oasis surrounded by friends, but somehow feels "alone". But the tranquil lives of the Iorph are shattered in an instant when the Mezarte army invades their territory on a dragon fleet, seeking the blood that grants the Iorph long life.

Amidst the despair and chaos, Maquia's friend Leilia, the most beautiful of the Iolph girls, is kidnapped by the Mezarte in their plot to thicken the royal blood with longevity. Krim, a young boy with whom Maquia harbors a quiet infatuation, goes missing. Maquia manages to escape, but loses her friends and her home. As she wanders through a dark forest with an empty heart, she encounters a baby who is "alone", his family killed in an ambush. Maquia adopts the baby and names him Ariel, and with the help of some new friends she raises him. But even as time passes, Maquia retains the form of a young girl. As the era changes, the bond between Maquia and Ariel changes too, amidst a backdrop of racial tensions between the Iorph and the Mezarte. This is a story of irreplaceable time, woven by two lonely people who find solace in each other.

The film premiered in Japan on February 24. Anime Limited premiered the film in the U.K. and Ireland on March 4.