From Evangelion to an Original Anime Anthology
Atsushi Nishigori (錦織敦史) isn't a household name outside animation circles, but his fingerprints are all over some of anime's biggest productions. He served as character designer and chief animation director on Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time, directed both The Idolm@ster and DARLING in the FRANXX, and cut his teeth as a key animator on Gurren Lagann. Now he's partnered with CloverWorks (Spy x Family, Bocchi the Rock!) for something entirely original.
GROTESQQQUE isn't a single film — it's three. According to Eiga Natalie, the project is composed of three distinct titles, each with its own world and genre:
- Aliens (エリィアンズ) follows an alien girl who teams up with a civil servant at a space agency on a mission to find friends.
- Yoroshiku★Shōjo (夜露死駆★少女) throws a group of fighters called "Gal P" into a frenzied battle royale over the title of Queen of Butterfly. The sub-title uses bōsōzoku-style ateji — phonetic kanji that screams delinquent culture.
- Nocturne
On This Grotesque Night(ノクターン～このグロテスクな夜に～) follows a pureblood vampire and three girls she turned, traveling by wagon through a world where humanity has already perished.
An alien buddy comedy, a gal-fighter death game, and a post-apocalyptic vampire road trip — all from one animator's imagination. The tonal range alone makes GROTESQQQUE one of the more ambitious original anime projects in recent memory.
14 Names, Zero Role Assignments
The voice acting contingent reads like an anime all-star roster. Saori Hayami (早見沙織) — the voice behind Yor Forger in Spy x Family and Shinobu Kocho in Demon Slayer — headlines alongside Rie Kugimiya (釘宮理恵), beloved for her turn as Alphonse Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist. Kana Ichinose (市ノ瀬加那), who most recently voiced Fern in Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, has a personal connection to Nishigori's work: she played Ichigo in his DARLING in the FRANXX. Chika Anzai (安済知佳), Maaya Uchida (内田真礼), Ikumi Hasegawa (長谷川育美), Miyu Tomita (富田美憂), and Rumi Ōkubo (大久保瑠美) round out the professional voice cast.
Then there's the crossover talent. Gen Hoshino (星野源), the musician and actor who voiced roles in Mamoru Hosoda's Mirai and Masaaki Yuasa's The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl, joins the lineup. Live-action actress Sara Minami (南沙良) — star of Netflix's Kimi ni Todoke adaptation — takes on what appears to be her first original anime voice role.
Four members of Nogizaka46's 5th generation complete the cast: Miku Ichinose (一ノ瀬美空), Nagi Inoue (井上和), Nao Tomisato (冨里奈央), and Aruno Nakanishi (中西アルノ).
The kicker: Eiga Natalie reports that none of the role assignments have been disclosed. With three separate films and wildly different casts of characters, the matching game is wide open. Who lands in the alien comedy? Who gets the vampire apocalypse? Character images were released alongside the cast announcement, but which actor belongs to which character remains a deliberate mystery.
Looking Ahead
GROTESQQQUE is set for a 2026 theatrical release in Japan, though no specific date has been announced. The project was first revealed in July 2025 when Nishigori and CloverWorks confirmed their partnership, and a teaser video is already available showcasing the three films' distinct visual styles.
No international distribution partners have been confirmed. Given CloverWorks' recent track record with Crunchyroll — both Spy x Family and WIND BREAKER stream on the platform — a Western window seems plausible, but nothing is official. Role assignments and a concrete release date should be the next major reveals to watch for.