| Deemo: Memorial Keys | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Kanji | DEEMO サクラノオト -あなたの奏でた音が、今も響く- |
| Revised Hepburn | Deemo Sakura no Oto: Anata no Kanadeta Oto ga, Ima mo Hibiku |
| Directed by | Shūhei Matsushita |
| Written by |
|
| Based on | Deemo |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Hisashi Ezura |
| Edited by | Yoshinori Murakami |
| Music by |
|
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Pony Canyon |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 89 minutes[1] |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Deemo: Memorial Keys (Japanese:DEEMO サクラノオト -あなたの奏でた音が、今も響く-,Hepburn:Deemo Sakura no Oto: Anata no Kanadeta Oto ga, Ima mo Hibiku;lit. 'Deemo: The Sound of Cherry Blossoms — The Sound You Played Still Echoes') is a 2021Japanese animated film produced byProduction I.G andSignal.MD, based on the Taiwanese mobilerhythm gameDeemo developed byRayark. It was released theatrically in Japan in February 2022. This was Signal.MD's final anime film as the studio will be absorbed by Production I.G in June 2025.[2]
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The titular Deemo is a mysterious character that plays the piano in a castle. One day, amnesiac girl Alice (Ayana Taketatsu) comes falling from the sky, which starts the story of the two of them, the castle inhabitants, and a tree that grows with the sound of the piano.[3]
| Character | Cast | |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | English[4] | |
| Alice | Ayana Taketatsu |
|
| The Masked Lady | Akari Nibu | Michelle Marie |
| Sania | Akari Kitō | Luci Christian |
| Rosalia | Ayane Sakura | Stephanie Sheh |
| Hans | Kouhei Matsushita [ja] | Bryce Papenbrook |
| Fragrant Sachet | Naomi Watanabe | Luci Christian |
| Mirai | Gaku Hamada | Bryce Papenbrook |
| Nutcracker | Issey Ogata | Mike Pollock |
| Professor Valensky | Kōichi Yamadera | Mike Pollock |
Game developer Rayark announced thatDeemo would receive an animated adaptation in November 2019. The film would be animated byProduction I.G andSignal.MD, and directed by Shūhei Matsushita, with Junichi Fujisaku serving as executive director and Mebachi as character designer.[5]
The theme song is titled "Nocturne" (stylized inall lowercase), composed byYuki Kajiura and performed by Hinano Takashima. Takashima was selected through a worldwide audition of 1400 participants that took place from January to July 2020, with the final round being broadcast as part of theAnime Expo Lite 2020 online event on July 4.[6][7]
Ayana Taketatsu was the first voice actress announced to take part in the film, continuing her performance inDeemo: Last Recital as the voice of main character Alice. In March 2021, it was announced at the AnimeJapan 2021 virtual event thatAkari Nibu ofHinatazaka46 would voice the Masked Lady. In July,Ayane Sakura andAkari Kitō was announced to have also joined the cast at the Anime Expo Lite 2021; the official English title of the film,Deemo: Memorial Keys, was also announced at the same event.[3] Five more cast members were announced in October.[8]
The film was Nibu and Kōhei Matsushita's first major voice acting role. Despite this, Fujisaku decided to treat Nibu "equally" and raised his expectations of her,[9] while Taketatsu commented that Nibu's performance did not "feel like that of a first-timer".[10] Meanwhile, Matsushita consulted "word by word" with the director on producing a voice which would fit the film's world, and also drew from his experience as a pianist.[10]
Deemo: Memorial Keys was first screened at the 23rd Bucheon International Animation Film Festival on October 22, 2021.[11] It was released theatrically in Japan on February 25, 2022,[12] Thailand on March 17,[13] and Taiwan on March 25.[14]
On June 4, 2022, American distribution companyEleven Arts announced that it obtained the distribution license forDeemo: Memorial Keys.[15] The film was released in select U.S. theaters on February 2, 2023.[4]
Yuichi Shigeta ofIGN commented thatDeemo: Memorial Keys is generally respectful to the source material and would satisfy both newcomers and fans of the game, although it would not exceed the expectations of the latter. The flow of storytelling was considered reminiscent of the game despite the differences in media, and the addition of original characters does not interfere with the main storyline. While the animation is not very "adventurous", he recommended the film to be watched in theaters to enjoy the music to the fullest.[16]
| Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bucheon International Animation Festival 2021 | International Competition - Feature Film[11][17] | Deemo: Memorial Keys | Nominated |
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