Danica Davidson
July 7, 2023 
The new Sumikko Gurashi movie Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Tsugihagi Kōjo no Fushigi na Ko (translated as The Mysterious Child of the Makeshift Factory) is hitting Japanese theaters on November 3. Ahead of this a trailer has dropped.
This is the third film in the franchise. The movie is being made at Fanworks, with Hazumu Sakuta of Neko no Dayan and Uchū Nanchara Kotetsu-kun helming the project as director. The script was written by Takashi Sumita, who also wrote the script for the first Sumikko Gurashi movie. Yoshihiko Inohara and Manami Honjō have both been cast as narrators.
In the movie, the characters Shirokuma and Penguin? (yes, there’s a question mark as part of the name) discover a toy factory.
Sumikkogurashi – Good to be in the corner was the original movie in the franchise, and it came out in 2019. The following year, it took home the award for Best Animation of the Year at the 29th Annual Japan Movie Critics Awards. Amazon gave this description for its plot:
In the usual corner at the usual café. What’s in the mysterious picture book hidden in the basement…? One day, the Sumikko friends find an old pop-up book in the basement of their favorite Sumikko Café. When they are looking at the book, the mechanism suddenly starts moving and the Sumikko friends are sucked into the book. In the world of the book, they meet a lonely Hiyoko, who doesn’t where it is from or who it is. “Let’s help Hiyoko find its home!” The Sumikko friends decide to help their new friend. The journey in the world of the book begins.
This movie was followed by Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Aoi Tsukiyo no Mahō no Ko (translated as The Magical Child of the Blue Moonlit Night), which came out in late 2021.
Source: ANN
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
