A cautionary tale about a man who eats bugs...

The eagerly anticipated TAISU, an animated anthology film with two segments each from Japan and China, is just around the corner. In the meantime, Fantasia is delighted to present the second Japanese segment, following Shinichiro Watanabe’s A GIRL MEETS A BOY AND A ROBOT (Anime no bento 2022). Shuhei Morita, director of the TOKYO GHOUL TV series and the Oscar-nominated short POSSESSIONS, contributes a dramatic flight of fantasy in which otherworldly wonders meet all too familiar conflicts.

A lupine sculptor crafts a tiny figurine of a girl, imbuing her with life and memories. He places her in his elaborate miniature model of a city, but what are the intentions of this godlike wolf-man? A revolution is brewing among his playthings, while a lone boy is driven towards a different path of revenge... The first taste of director Tomoyuki Niho’s distinctive new animation project.

The girl Nycteris has only known a world of perpetual shadows. Lured through a portal to the outside world, she emerges into a realm of life and colour. There she encounters the boy Photogen, a child of the light, terrified by the darkness. Promising new anime talent Naoki Arata’s first short film is a gorgeous, gothic fantasy in miniature, adapting a Victorian fairy tale.

Young animator Mito feels trapped between the demands of a difficult sequence, a tight deadline, debilitating self-doubt, and a seemingly deranged director. Sometimes the only way to get to the other side is to charge right through. One of the four short films from GEMNIBUS VOLUME 1, the recent anthology from Toho's digital production brand, Gemstone Creative Label. – Rupert Bottenberg

Haruka is a top-ranking student. Rin is a high-school dropout. When the two teenage girls cross paths, a friendship—however fraught and fragile—begins. A resonant reflection on the bonds that girls build between themselves, MAIDENS OF THE RIPPLES introduces Michiko Soma, a new anime director to watch out for.

Princess Romi of the Emotions Kingdom goes on a magical journey to save the Teenieping creature that she believes is her soulmate.

In the chambers of the Edo harem, two newcomers uncover political intrigue, rivalry and a vengeful spirit only one traveling medicine seller can vanquish.

A trio of rascals discovers that their friends are making delicious pancakes. They then set out to steal their precious meal, but their plan doesn't go quite as planned!

The Ioks clan lives on a distant planet, on the Great Stone Tree in the middle of the ocean. Among them, only the strongest survive and there is no place for pity. To stay among brothers and sisters, young Koren must pass the test - fight the monster and overcome himself.

First film in the theatrical version of Be Forever Yamato: Rebel 3199.

Marcos is a boy who is about to appear in front of the audience of a talent show, but when he finally enters the stage to sing, his voice breaks, ending with him experiencing a panic attack on stage.

In a dystopian world, a masked figure commutes to work. For him, everything is normal, but things truly aren't.

The mighty warrior Ruslan embarks on a perilous journey to save his beloved Lyudmila from the hands of the treacherous warlock Chernomor.

An anime movie based on the boy band Strawberry Prince.

Xanat lives a secret identity under her teen nerd outfit. At her crazy party tonight, she’ll grow out of her BFF rockstar, Lila, and her old elementary school friend, Alejandra. She’ll discover her influences and addictions.

A symphony of flapping and vibrating imagery set to a whirlwind of perfectly synchronised optical sounds.

Chinese Taoism, the concepts of yin and yang, and the Five Elements. Dao generates one, one generates two, two generates three and three generates all things.

The end of the world is coming. The last man in the universe travels through space with twin aliens professing a strange religion. After visiting thousands of extinct planets, he meets a single inhabitant on one. This encounter changes the space traveler forever.