Studio Ghibli enforces stricter non-disclosure measures for Hayao Miyazaki’s last spectacle

Studio Ghibli’s How Do You Live? has taken its no advertisement policy further by announcing that, unlike the usual practice in Japanese theatres, the movie won’t sell pamphlets on the opening day. The film is all set to premiere in Japan this Friday, July 14, 2023.

How Do You Live?, arguably one of the most anticipated theatrical releases of this year, will likely mark the final directorial work of the living legend, Hayao Miyazaki. Needless to say, the global anime and cinematic community is waiting to witness the return of Miyazaki’s work to the big screen.

Studio Ghibli’s How Do You Live? to sell no pamphlets or merchandise on premiere day

映画『君たちはどう生きるか』の劇場パンフレットは、上映劇場および通信販売にて、後日発売予定です。発売日は、後日当アカウントほかにてお知らせいたします。

▼上映劇場はこちらhttps://t.co/47ZNXl16s3 pic.twitter.com/HXy0HExcIm

— 東宝映画情報【公式】 (@toho_movie) July 10, 2023

Toho Animation, which is in charge of distributing the latest Studio Ghibli movie How Do You Live? has recently announced on their official Twitter account that pamphlets will not be sold on the day of the release, but on a later date.

The English translation of the tweet reads:

“The theater pamphlet for the movie How Do You Live? will be released at a later date at screening theaters and mail order. The release date will be announced later on this account and others.”

Once the pamphlets are made available, they will also be sold online, via mail delivery. Further details regarding the movie’s arrival are available on the official website of Toho.

love this trend of people trying speculate what the new Miyazaki movie ‘How do you live’ will be about 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/5fsBfSTaMV

— Grady (@grady393637) July 11, 2023

When a movie is released, Japanese theaters generally arrange memorabilia items, such as pamphlets or an official merchandise store, for the audience to purchase.

It seems that Studio Ghibli’s How Do You Live? has chosen to stray from tradition and sell the merchandise after the premier, so as to not give away a single hint about the movie before it comes out.

This announcement by Toho is in accordance with the decision taken by the president of Studio Ghibli and also the producer of How Do You Live?, Toshio Suzuki, that the film shall receive no promotional campaign or advertisement prior to its release. Suzuki revealed this decision last month in an interview with Bungei Shunju, which was posted on Shunju’s Youtube channel on June 2, 2023.

Apart from an official intriguing poster, containing only a vague illustration of a white bird, everything about the movie has been kept in the dark, including the voice cast or an official synopsis. Not even a full-length trailer has been unveiled.

1 WEEK UNTIL MIYAZAKI RETURNS
Hayao Miyazaki’s final film (& first in 10 years) “How Do You Live?” releases in Japan on July 14 (USA & other countries tbd). To celebrate the legend himself, let’s take a trip down memory lane.#MiyazakiMoments #StudioGhibli #Anime #Film (1/25) pic.twitter.com/jW3uaTAhpW

— Atom (@theatomreview) July 8, 2023

The movie is a namesake of the 1937 novel by Genzaburo Yoshino, called How Do You Live? The novel follows 15-year-old high school student Junichi Honda, nicknamed Copper, after the astronomer Copernicus, and his life as a Japanese youth of the era.

However, Suzuki had previously made it clear that the movie will not be a direct adaptation of the novel by Yoshino. Instead, the book itself will be featured in the movie.

Stay tuned for more updates on Studio Ghibli’s How Do You Live? movie, and other trending manga and anime shows like Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Oshi no Ko and more.