Dhruv Sharma
The much-awaited ‘Ni No Kuni‘ game adaptation is finally here on Netflix and though it is heavily clichèd and dramatic, it is quite enjoyable. While the original game series has been animated by Studio Ghibli, the film’s animation has been done by OLM Studio. However, Momose Yoshiyuki, who is an animator at Studio Ghibli, has worked on the animation of the film as well. Now, for the most part, ‘Ni No Kuni’ is not way reminiscent of Miyazaki’s films, both visually and thematically, but anyone who is even mildly familiar with the games will have a pretty good time watching it.
With that said, if you have already seen the film, you might want to read on further to know about the prospects of its renewal.
Ni No Kuni 2 Release Date: When will it premiere?
The first ‘Ni No Kuni’ movie initially released on August 23, 2019 and premiered internationally on Netflix on January 16, 2020. So far, there have been no confirmations about its renewal, but if everything works out well for the film, Netflix might consider it for a sequel. Now as far as the storyline of the first film is considered, it is not a direct adaptation of the original game series, but still involves similar themes.
Moreover, the film has a very conclusive ending and leaves no room for a whole new installment. However, just like the games, even the movie sequel could serve more like an anthology and instead of having direct links with the first one, the sequel could simply have some connective threads with it. So clearly, from a storyline standpoint, a sequel should certainly not be a problem for the creators.
Even so, at the end of the day, it will only get a sequel if it does well commercially, so we’ll just have to wait and see how well it is received by the anime community. As of now, since there are no confirmations from the creators of the movie, there isn’t much we can say about it. But if it is already being considered for one, you can expect Ni No Kuni 2 to release sometime in 2022.
Ni No Kuni English Dub
The English dub of ‘Ni No Kuni’ is available on Netflix.
Ni No Kuni Plot
Two very close friends, Yusuke (Yuu) and Haru have a thing for a girl named Kotona. When Kotona gets murdered one day, in an attempt to save her, the two boys get hit by a bus. To their surprise, instead of dying, they get teleported to the magical world of NiNoKuni. Soon they figure out that they have actually traveled back in time and somewhere in their new world, Kotona is still live. This is when they meet Princess Astrid who looks exactly like their friend Kotona and is suffering from a life-threatening condition. Just like Kotona, she, too, needs to be “rescued.” With this, the boys embark on a journey in their new fantastical world to figure out its links with the real world. Along the way, they not only get the answers they’re seeking but also find a way to save both the girls in the two parallel worlds.
The first ‘Ni No Kuni’ movie deals mostly with themes of love, loss and embracing friendships. A sequel could very well work along the same lines and even be an adaptation of one of the games. The first two installments of the game revolve around a young boy named Oliver, who gets transported to the world of NiNoKuni and gets a second chance to save his dead mother. And while he’s at it, he faces several evil enemies who cause destruction in both the mirroring worlds. So a second film could easily adapt Oliver’s story from the first two games and could further explore elements of the fantasy world that have not been covered in the first film.
