A childhood friendship can change a whole life. The new Konatsu-focused trailer for We Are Aliens gives another angle on Kōhei Kadowaki’s original anime film before it opens in Japan on September 25. Rather than replaying the same plot summary, the cut follows Tsubasa and his classmate Konatsu as the children grow into teenagers.
The film’s main story begins with Tsubasa, an awkward third-grader who has trouble fitting in. Gyotaro, a lively classmate, takes him under his wing. Their bond becomes central to both boys — until one careless moment changes their friendship and the way their classmates see them.
Why does Konatsu have a new trailer?
Producer NOTHING NEW calls the new preview a “Konatsu edition.” It gathers moments between her and Tsubasa from elementary school through high school. That does not turn Konatsu into the sole lead or replace the Tsubasa–Gyotaro story. It lets viewers see another relationship touched by the years and choices the film follows.
The Japanese Film Festival Australia describes We Are Aliens as a story whose consequences continue through adolescence and into adulthood. That longer span helps explain why a trailer about one classmate can matter: the movie is interested in who these children become, not only in the incident that pulls two friends apart.
The animation makes memory feel unsettled
Kadowaki’s feature uses a blend of hand-drawn 2D animation and rotoscoping. The festival’s stills move from an ordinary rainy day under a yellow umbrella to warm leaves and wide skies. They look inviting, but the story underneath them is about hurt, distance and the difficulty of remembering childhood the same way as someone else.
Ryota Bando voices Tsubasa and Amane Okayama voices Gyotaro. Ten Yamazaki is announced as the voice of Konatsu in the Japanese materials. The film played in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and was selected for Annecy’s 2026 feature competition. Those are festival selections, not claims that it won prizes there.
Where can audiences see it?
We Are Aliens opens in Japanese cinemas on September 25, 2026. The Japanese Film Festival Australia has also listed screenings in October and November across several cities. No U.S. streaming date has been announced in the official materials checked for this story.
The new trailer works because it does not have to reveal the turning point between Tsubasa and Gyotaro. It shows how time passes around the people who knew them, giving the movie a broader emotional world before the audience learns exactly what went wrong.
Explore the synopsis and release information on our We Are Aliens anime page.
Quick answers
The film opens in Japan September 25. Kōhei Kadowaki directs, with Ryota Bando and Amane Okayama voicing the two boys at the center of the story.
