The official YouTube channel for the Grotesqqque anime film began streaming a fresh trailer spotlighting its “Nocturne” chapter ahead of the project’s Japanese theatrical debut this November. Directed by Atsushi Nishigori and produced at Studio CloverWorks, the feature brings together three distinct short stories that explore contrasting settings and visual tones [1]. It is an original production [2]. While earlier previews teased the broader anthology, the latest clip gives audiences their first listen to the insert song “Tiny Luck” by singer Kairi Yagi [1].
Fresh Trailer for the Grotesqqque Anime Film
The new promotional video focuses specifically on the segment titled “Nocturne: Nuit Grotesque,” presenting a desolate landscape after the collapse of human civilization [1]. Viewers follow the pure-blooded vampire Ayame as she travels inside a station wagon with three companions who survived her bite [5]. Kairi Yagi sings the insert track. The song plays over scenes of the traveling companions driving across empty roads under an overcast sky [1]. It isn’t just an action reel, as the sequence shows quiet personal moments between the traveling companions before danger interrupts their journey [6].
Production company JOEN released the footage through the official YouTube channel to give fans a deeper look at how each self-contained chapter establishes its own aesthetic [1]. While earlier promotional clips showed how three stories converge in the new Grotesqqque trailer, this preview narrows its focus to the moody pacing of director Nishigori’s post-apocalyptic narrative [5]. The studio keeps the dialogue sparse in the teaser, letting Yagi’s melodic vocals carry the emotional weight of the desolate setting [1].
Music serves as a central pillar throughout the entire omnibus, with 35 separate musical acts contributing original tracks to the three segments [1]. In addition to individual insert songs, the feature includes the opening theme “Shoot Shoot Shoot” performed by the group METALVERSE under the VERSE BY VERSE MUSIC label [5]. Haoto performs the ending song. The track features lyrics written by momosu momosu, rounding out the musical lineup across the three chapters [1].
Three Distinct Stories in Grotesqqque Anime
The Grotesqqque project gathers three standalone short films that share a creative umbrella while taking place in different fictional universes [3]. The opening segment, titled “A(E)liens,” delivers a slapstick sci-fi comedy about an alien girl named Ellie who arrives on Earth and teams up with a civil servant named Kento Kurikura to search for friends [1]. Their frantic misadventures contrast with the darker tone seen in other parts of the film, using colorful visual gags and lively pacing to ground their unusual partnership [3].
The second segment shifts toward fast-paced conflict under the title “Yoroshiku★Girl,” also rendered as “4649 Girl” with a pun on Japanese delinquent slang. The literal reading of the kanji spells out “Evening Dew Heads to Its Death★Girl,” setting the stage for a fierce battle royale called Queen of Butterfly [1]. It is set in GALs TOKYO. The story follows a colorful faction of young women known as GAL-P who clash in an arena to claim victory under the eternal night [5]. It’s an energetic urban showcase that pairs stylized character designs with physical combat [3].
The anthology concludes with “Nocturne: Nuit Grotesque,” also titled “Nocturne: Kono Grotesque na Yoru ni,” which explores the quiet survival of humanity’s remnants [1]. Four young women travel together through empty cities after an apocalyptic collapse, bound by the vampire infection that saved their lives. The story takes place inside a van [3]. By packaging three contrasting genres into a single theatrical screening, the production offers audiences a variety of storytelling formats that wouldn’t normally share the same cinema ticket [2].
Production Team Behind the Grotesqqque Film
Atsushi Nishigori leads the overall project as director, screenwriter, and original character designer, reuniting with Studio CloverWorks after previously directing DARLING in the FRANXX and The IDOLM@STER [2]. Nishigori also served as chief animation director on Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, bringing extensive visual experience to the omnibus format. Nishigori directs two segments personally. He shaped the visual aesthetics and narrative arcs of both “A(E)liens” and “Nocturne” directly from his own storyboards [3].
To handle the distinct artistic demands of each world, the studio assigned dedicated creative leaders to individual segments [3]. In “A(E)liens,” animator Masato Yasuno handled the main character designs, working alongside art director Satoko Nakamura and director of photography Yūya Sakuma, with three-dimensional elements supplied by studio Capsule [4]. Meanwhile, director Takahiro Miura, known for helming Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works], directed “Yoroshiku★Girl” with character designs by tarou2, action direction by Isao Hayashi, and computer graphics from studio sankaku [3]. For “Nocturne,” Nishigori handled character designs himself, pairing with art director Akane Iwakuma while Sakuma and Capsule returned for camera and digital graphics work [6]. Color designer Kazuko Nakajima supervised the color palette across all three chapters to maintain visual harmony throughout the screening [3].
Behind the animation desks, production company JOEN coordinated resources between major industry players [1]. Established in 2022 by Sony subsidiary Aniplex, CloverWorks, Wit Studio, and publisher Shueisha, the venture aims to support original creative work by combining the capabilities of competing studios [3]. Two studio producers lead the company. CloverWorks producer Yūichi Fukushima and Wit Studio producer Tetsuya Nakatake serve as representative directors of JOEN, helping Nishigori complete an original feature that didn’t rely on an existing manga or light novel adaptation [1].
Ensemble Voice Cast and Soundtrack Lineup
The vocal cast spans the different styles of the three stories, bringing together seasoned voice actors, pop idols, and mainstream performers. In “A(E)liens,” Kana Ichinose voices the extraterrestrial protagonist Ellie, while popular singer and actor Gen Hoshino plays the civil servant Kento Kurikura. Veteran voice actor Akio Ōtsuka joins the comedic segment as the Space Agency Bureau Director, giving the alien search team an authoritative foil [1].
The cast grows in “Yoroshiku★Girl,” assembling a large group of voice talents to portray the rival battle royale competitors. Sara Minami stars as Stella, while Ikumi Hasegawa voices Unknown, Saori Hayami plays Hikarin, and Maaya Uchida voices Gorgeous Mika. Eight actors voice the tournament rivals. Chika Anzai portrays Sword, Miyu Tomita voices Chiffon, Rumi Ōkubo plays Papico, and Rie Kugimiya voices Poyomi [1]. The crowded roster matches the energy of the Queen of Butterfly tournament, giving each delinquent fighter an individual voice [3].
In contrast to the experienced anime cast of the first two chapters, “Nocturne” features four members of the idol group Nogizaka46 in the lead roles. Nagi Inoue voices the vampire Ayame, while Aruno Nakanishi plays Shion, Miku Ichinose voices Momo, and Nao Tomisato plays Canna [1]. Speaking about the overall experience, members of METALVERSE said that the opening theme flows into each story, adding that watching all three felt “like watching a single story” that they wanted to experience again [6]. ASCA and Reol contribute additional music. Other participating acts include VaVa and TAKU INOUE [1].
Theatrical Premiere and Release Schedule
The Grotesqqque omnibus film arrives in Japanese theaters on November 6, 2026, distributed nationwide by ANIMEC [1]. Pre-sale tickets opened on July 10. Fans in Japan could purchase Mubichike advance tickets featuring collectible designs based on characters from all three shorts [3]. The road to theatrical distribution took longer than planned, as CloverWorks first unveiled the project during Anime Expo 2024 with a tentative 2025 launch window before rescheduling it to allow additional production time [2].
International audiences received an early look at the completed feature ahead of its domestic theatrical premiere. The movie held its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, Canada, which took place from July 16 to August 2, 2026. North American viewers then gained a second opportunity to watch the film when The Japan Society hosted the United States premiere in New York City on October 8, where director Atsushi Nishigori appeared in person to introduce the screening [1].
Although the feature has made festival stops abroad, producers haven’t announced a wider theatrical release or streaming partner for overseas regions [3]. Viewers tracking autumn debuts through the Crunchyroll anime release schedule must wait for distribution updates following the Japanese theatrical launch [2]. Screenings open in Japan this November [1]. Since the film is an original production without a manga counterpart, audiences will experience the full story for the first time in theaters [3].
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- ONLINE NEWS Adepu, R. (2026, July 6). GROTESQQQUE: Inside CloverWorks’ Three-Story Anime Anthology Hitting Japanese Theaters November 6. OtakuKart. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Wasabi POP Editorial. (2026, July 5). Nishigori and CloverWorks’ ‘GROTESQQQUE’ Opens November 6. Wasabi POP. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS pon.works. (2026, July 8). GROTESQQQUE Original Anthology Anime Film Premieres November 6. pon.works. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS AMBot. (2026, July 5). New Trailer for “GROTESQQQUE – Grotesque”: Three Anime Short Films and Opener by METALVERSE. animeMANGA. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Animeanime. (2026, July 5). “Shin Evangelion” Atsushi Nishigori x CloverWorks Original Anime Film “GROTESQQQUE” METALVERSE in Charge of OP, Nationwide Release on November 6, 2026. Anime! Anime!. [Article Link]
