| Bâan: The Boundary of Adulthood | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Key visual poster | |||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | bâan - 大人の彊界 | ||||
| |||||
| Directed by | Yoshimitsu Ōhashi [ja] | ||||
| Screenplay by | Megumi Hosaka | ||||
| Story by | Garnt Maneetapho | ||||
| Produced by | Garnt Maneetapho | ||||
| Starring | |||||
| Music by | Kevin Penkin | ||||
Production companies | GeeXPlus Studio Daisy | ||||
Release date |
| ||||
Running time | 19 minutes | ||||
| Country | Japan | ||||
| Language | Japanese | ||||
Bâan: The Boundary of Adulthood (Japanese:bâan - 大人の彊界,Hepburn:Bâan - Otona no Kyōkai) is a 2025 Japaneseanimatedfantasyshort film produced by Studio Daisy andGeeXPlus. The film is directed byYoshimitsu Ōhashi [ja] and based on an original story byGarnt Maneetapho (Gigguk), with music composed byKevin Penkin, and is one of the first projects to be created in association withGeeXProduction. The film premiered theatrically in Tokyo on 24 August 2025, and later premiered on Gigguk'sYouTube channel on 20 September 2025.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(November 2025) |
Set in both modern-dayJapan and the fictional world of Euthania, which are connected by a warp gate, the story follows two characters on their respective journeys. Rinrada Ratchamanee leaves her village in Euthania to travel to Japan, while Daichi Arai leaves Japan for Euthania following personal conflicts with his family. Euthania is depicted as having a mild and peaceful climate, inhabited by various fantasy races, but also home to dangerous creatures such as large monsters.[1][2][3]
| This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(November 2025) |
In an interview withThe Japan Times, Maneetapho stated that he first realized he could create his own film after watching the music video for "Shelter" byPorter Robinson andMadeon, produced byA-1 Pictures andCrunchyroll, which he had previously praised upon its release.[7] On his podcastTrash Taste, Maneetapho explained thatBâan was a fully independent production with no plans to develop it into a larger franchise. He funded the project entirely with his own money, even doubling the budget when necessary, and took on additional sponsorships for his YouTube videos to support the film. Maneetapho also shared that he initially pitched the concept as anisekai story first to Kadokawa and later to Studio Daisy, explaining that while developing the work, he drew inspiration from themes of cultural identity and the struggle to find one's place while writing the film.[2] In an interview with Japanese entertainment websiteNatalie, he shared that having lived in many countries and experienced a variety of cultures, he often found it difficult to understand the concept of home.[5] During the writing process, he listened to others, including his wife,Sydney Poniewaz, and industry veterans, to guide him on various aspects of the film.[7] The film marks the first time that GeeXPlus has produced an anime, as the company entered the animation business in response to a growing number of employees with extensive knowledge of anime among its video distributors.[8] The world of Euthania was inspired by bothThai folklore and Southeast Asian mythology.[9]
On 3 July 2025, during a panel atAnime Expo, Maneetapho announced the production ofBâan, with the film being produced by Studio Daisy and directed byYoshimitsu Ōhashi [ja].Kevin Penkin was confirmed to compose the film's music.[10] The project was introduced as part ofGeeXPlus’s new production division, GeeXProductions, alongside other titles.[11] It was also revealed that Japanese voice actorsHaruna Mikawa andShōya Ishige will voice the characters Rinrada Ratchamanee and Daichi Arai, respectively.[1] Maneetapho’s wife, Sydney Poniewaz, who was also present at the panel, was announced as the English voice actress for Ratchamanee.[4][10] While developing the character of Rinrada Ratchamanee, Maneetapho described her as the "child" of himself and Sydney Poniewaz, explaining that she embodied Poniewaz's energy and his own insecurities.[9] On 24 August 2025, he announced that the English dub featuresAleks Le as the voice of Daichi, withTrash Taste co-hostConnor Colquhoun serving as theADR director andJ-pop singerDiana Garnet as the English localization producer.[6][12]
The film premiered at Grand Cinema Sunshine inToshima, Japan on 24 August 2025, and was later released on Maneetapho's YouTube channel on 20 September 2025, accompanied by a behind-the-scenes documentary.[6][13][14] The YouTube release will feature both a Japanese dub and an English dub.[1] On the same day as the theatrical premiere, Maneetapho announced that there would also be a launch party hosted on hisTwitch account to celebrate.[6]
In a review forAnime News Network, Richard Eisenbeis gave the film an overall rating of B, describingBâan as an "emotionally resonate short film that twists the isekai formula to show the choice all expats must one day face." He noted that while the theme was strong and emotionally impactful, the film prioritizes the story it wants to tell over logical consistency, calling this "the singular blemish on an otherwise excellent short film."[15] Josh Piedra ofThe Outer Haven gave the film three stars out of five, praising the animation and soundtrack, as well as the pacing considering its short length. However, he noted that some of the English voice acting did not reach the same high quality.[16] Timothy Blake Donohoo ofComic Book Resources described the film as a "breathtaking piece" that "quickly captures the essence of the potential within the isekai genre," noting that its quality and story could unseatSolo Leveling as the best new anime of 2025.[17]
On 9 July, Maneetapho posted a preview of the film's soundtrack titled "Khlui" onX (formerly Twitter) and later explained that the title shares its name with thetraditional Thai bamboo flute and noted that it was his mother's favorite instrument.[13] On 25 September, Kevin Penkin announced that theoriginal soundtrack of the film,Bâan -Otona no Kyōkai- Original SoundTrack -, was released onSpotify,Apple Music, and YouTube.[† 1][† 2]
At Anime Expo, exclusive merchandise fromBâan and other GeeXPlus projects was available for pre-order at a dedicated booth.[9] The merchandise will be produced and sold by Nonsense, a brand owned byJoey Bizinger, who is also Maneetapho's co-host on theTrash Taste podcast.[2] On 20 September, Maneetapho announced the release of the first merchandise for the film to support it.[† 3]