Summary

Masaaki Yuasa, anime director known for his unique visual sensibilities, has announced a new film.
Based on a Japanese magical realism novel, Daisy's Life is set to premiere in Japan in late 2026.
This is the first film for Yuasa since 2021's Golden Globes-nominated anime rock opera, Inu-Oh.

Anime name	Director	Studio	Release Date
Daisy's Life	Masaaki Yuasa	ame pippin	2026

One of anime's boldest artists is officially returning to the director's chair. Masaaki Yuasa, one of modern anime's most celebrated and unique directors, has announced the production of his first original animated film since 2021's acclaimed Inu-Oh.

Daisy's Life, an anime feature based off of the eponymous Japanese magical realism novel, has been announced this week through Variety for a 2026 release date. The film is going to be the first project of his brand-new Tokyo-based studio, ame pippin. The film is billed as a childhood Japanese drama of loss and friendship expanded to the limits of reality.

"A 100-Meter Radius on a Cosmic Scale"

Synopsis and Inspirations for the Film

Daisy’s Life follows the emotional journey of a six-year-old girl named Daisy, who loses her mother in a tragic accident and struggles to adapt to life with her aunt. One sleepless night, she encounters a mysterious girl named Dahlia at her window. Their days together begin to transcend time and space, bringing a cosmic perspective to Daisy’s modest life in a downtown yakisoba restaurant.

Masaaki Yuasa is no stranger to works that transcend the limits of spacetime. In his statement to Variety, he makes it exceptionally clear that Daisy's Life hopes to capture the epic whimsicality of his past works like Lu Over the Wall and Ride Your Wave:

"Even among the works of [source material novelist] Ms. Banana Yoshimoto, this is a novel that evokes visual images throughout, and while there are parts that are vividly scary, the final passage is very happy, like something I had dreamed of in the past. I would like to depict the life of the protagonist who works for a yakisoba restaurant in a downtown area with a 100-meter radius on a cosmic scale."

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The newest feature from ‘Inu-Oh’ studio Science Saru and ‘A Silent Voice’ director Naoko Yamada is a vivid ode to the simple wonders of youth.

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By Kevin Credo

Yuasa's Legacy and Future

Science Saru and ame pippin

In Yuasa's more than two decades of directing since his avant-garde breakout Mind Game, he has become one of the most visually distinct figures in contemporary anime. From anime series such as The Tatami Galaxy and Devilman Crybaby to theatrical projects ranging from Lu Over the Wall to his recent period piece rock opera Inu-Oh, Yuasa's many projects have garnered a cult following in Japan and abroad for their mixture of surreal visual spectacle and sincere, character-driven storytelling.

On the production end, his experience with the new studio ame pippin is reminiscent of his previous experience as co-founder of Science Saru. While certainly bearing the creative genes of Yuasa through his own projects with the studio like Lu Over the Wall and Inu-Oh, the studio has branched out through both its international IP adaptations like 2021's Star Wars: Visions anthology and 2023's Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, as well as its original projects like The Heike Story and Yurei Deco.

With Saru's 2024 paranormal comedy Dan Da Dan becoming one of the year's biggest anime and fellow director Naoko Yamada becoming one of the most artistically acclaimed directors through her work on Saru projects The Heike Story and The Colors Within, Yuasa's previous endeavors have certainly become some of the anime industry's biggest success stories. Yuasa's new studio and new film are certainly set to keep that moment going strong.