There’s only one week to go until Goodbye, Don Glees! opens in cinemas across the UK and Ireland. Now, we had the absolute priviledge of talking to the wonderful director Atsuko Ishizuka about her latest project, and what a treat it was. However, we have more to share with you. Anime Limited are giving fans the opportunity to find out more about this beautiful coming-of-age story through this brilliant interview with the director, which is now live on YouTube. In the interview, Ishizuka discusses why youth is so central to Goodbye, Don Glees!, the impact of all-time cinema classic Stand by Me, and even a surprising origin behind the mountainous telephone booth in the film’s striking opening shot.
Goodbye, Don Glees! Is the original feature debut of Atsuko Ishizuka, a rising female director in the male-dominated Japanese animation industry. Ishizuka made waves with her critically acclaimed 2018 television series A Place Further than the Universe, with the New York Times naming it one of the Best International Shows of the Year. Fans of Japanese animation may also know her earlier work, No Game, No Life, an adaptation of the popular fantasy light novel series., and its theatrical prequel No Game, No Life the Movie: Zero.
So, what is Goodbye, Don Glees!… Well, we’re glad that you asked.
Teen misfits Roma, Toto, and Drop call themselves the “Don Glees,” an informal name for their backyard adventures. One day, when the trio gets blamed for a nearby forest fire, they set off into the woods to prove their innocence. As disaster strikes their expedition, tensions flare between the friends as they realize that growing up has taken them on wildly different paths in life. With luminescent animation and lush backdrops, Goodbye, Don Glees! is a tender coming-of-age story about the fearlessness of being young and the bittersweet journey of self-discovery.
Goodbye, Don Glees! will be released in cinemas from 30th November, 2022. You’ll be able to watch it in Japanese with English subtitles, as well as an English dub. For more information and to book tickets, please visit dongleesfilm.co.uk
