Matt Schley
August 6, 2020 
Shika no Ō (The Deer King), the new anime film from Production I.G, has been delayed to 2021.
The film was originally set to open in Japanese theaters on September 18 of this year.
The announcement didn’t cite any reason for the delay, but we have a guess, and it rhymes with boronacyrus.
If the film had opened on September 18, it would have been competing with the Violet Evergarden film, which is set for the same day.
Shika no Ō, based on a series of novels by Nahoko Uehashi (Moribito), is the directorial debut of Masashi Ando, a veteran character designer and animation director known for his work with directors like Hayao Miyazaki, Satoshi Kon and Makoto Shinkai. Ando is co-directing the film with Masayuki Miyaji (Xam’d: Lost Memories).
Ando is also serving as character designer and animation director. The script was written by Taku Kishimoto (Fruits Basket).
The novels, which came out in 2014, center around Van, a soldier-turned-slave who escapes and meets a mysterious girl.
This delay is just one of many for theatrical anime films this year. Other examples include this year’s Detective Conan film, delayed by an entire year, and the original film Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop, which was originally set for May and has not yet received a new release date.
Source: Comic Natalie
