Someday, after the war and the sadness, we shall laugh together once more.
On August 2, Eleven Arts started streaming a new trailer for Laughing Under the Clouds Gaiden Parts 1 & 2. The two-minute, subtitled trailer offers a brief overview of the films’ plots.
Laughing Under the Clouds Gaiden Parts 1 & 2 will screen in North America as a double feature when they open on August 24. The third film, Laughing Under the Clouds: Cherry Blossoms, the Bridge to Heavenly Wishes (Donten ni Warau Gaiden: Ōka, Tenbō no Kakyū) will also receive a theatrical run, though a specific time frame has yet to be announced.
Tetsuya Wakano was tapped to direct the trilogy at Wit Studio, with Kii Tanaka (Cheating Craft, Hundred) providing character designs. Eiji Umehara (Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Beelzebub) is in charge of series composition for the project.
Eleven Arts describes the features as:
Gaiden picks up where the original series left off, in the wake of the Yamainu squad’s battle with the formidable Orochi serpent. Now that the Yamainu have vanquished their enemy and escorted all criminals to the local prison, government officials decide to outlaw swords – putting Japan’s great avengers out of a job. So now the Yamainu, all trained assassins, must pull together to find a new cause, one within their own group.
Although he ought to feel victorious, the Orochi took its toll on squad leader Tenka, the eldest of the Kumou brothers. Tenka’s paraplegic condition, rendering him unable to help his teammates in battle, leaves him with severe guilt and self-doubt. No longer threatened with possession by the Orochi, Tenka must reconcile with his own inner demons, and the squad must save him from himself.
Eventually, internal disputes will turn themselves inside out again, when a new enemy emerges from the shadows. The Fuuma ninja clan, who assassinated the Kumou parents years before, inches one step closer to their goal of reviving the Orochi, with the help of some surprising allies. Now the remaining Yamainu will find themselves back in employment.
The original Laughing Under the Clouds manga received an anime adaptation, which aired in the Fall 2014 broadcast season. Hiroshi Haraguchi (Eureka Seven – good night, sleep tight, young lovers) directed the project at Doga Kobo, with Takao Maki providing character designs. Yuuya Takahashi (Luck & Logic) took charge of series composition on the project.
Funimation currently holds the rights to the Laughing Under the Clouds anime. They describe the series as:
When swords were outlawed in the Meiji era, the mighty samurais began to disappear. Those who rejected the ban rebelled, causing unrest throughout the countryside. To combat this criminal activity, an inescapable lake prison was constructed. Three young men, born of the Kumo line, were given the duty of delivering criminals to their place of confinement—but could there be more to their mission?
Source: Eleven Arts (Email Communication)
Eleven Arts Streams New Laughing Under the Clouds Gaiden 1 & 2 Trailer – Samantha Ferreira
