A special new promotional video for Mamoru Hosoda’s Scarlet anime film has been released, which spotlights its main theme song. The anime film will premiere in both regular and IMAX screenings in Japan on November 21, 2025.
The highlighted theme song featured in the video is “Hateshinaki,” performed by Mana Ashida, who is the voice actress of the lead heroine, Scarlet. Hosoda is credited with writing the song’s lyrics.
Scarlet was slated to debut in U.S. theaters on December 12, 2025, but it has since been delayed to an early 2026 premiere date.
Hosoda is directing and writing the film’s screenplay, while Studio CHIZU is in charge of the animation production. Taisei Iwasaki is serving as the film’s music composer.
Meanwhile, the main voice cast stars Ashida as Scarlet and Masaki Okada as Hijiri.
Scarlet was screened at this year’s New York Film Festival on October 11, 2025 for an Oscars qualifying run. The film had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2025, and was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2025.
Comic Natalie previously quoted Hosoda saying during the film‘s announcement event that the anime film is in “neither 2D nor a Hollywood-style CG animation” and that its theme will tackle life and death, with action and romance elements included.
© 2025 スタジオ地図
Sony Pictures Releasing International will distribute Scarlet worldwide through the Sony Pictures Classic division. It describes the main premise, via press release, as:
From visionary Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda (MIRAI) comes a powerful, time-bending animated adventure about SCARLET, a medieval-era, sword fighting princess on a dangerous quest to avenge the death of her father. After failing at her mission and finding herself gravely injured in the Otherworld that exists somewhere between life and death, she encounters an idealistic young man from our present day who not only helps her to heal but shows her the possibility of a future free of bitterness and rage. When confronted again by her father’s killer, Scarlet faces her most daunting battle: can she break the cycle of hatred and find meaning in life beyond revenge?
Sources: Studio CHIZU Official Twitter (via AIR News), Anime News Network
