Kotatsu Animation Festival 2025: Iconic and Groundbreaking Japanese Anime Films Come to Wales
Skwigly
The line-up for this year’s Kotatsu Animation Festival will give Welsh viewers the opportunity to see some of the iconic films that have fuelled anime’s growing popularity, alongside bold new titles making waves internationally.
Highlights of this year’s programme include Perfect Blue, the psychological thriller that shocked audiences in the late 1990s, and which some believe inspired Black Swan, The Colors Within, the latest work from acclaimed female director Naoko Yamada, a tender coming-of-age story about music and friendship; and Ghost Cat Anzu, a playful French–Japanese co-production that brings a quirky, indie sensibility to the screen. Not to be forgotten is Totto-Chan, featuring a girl who struggles to adapt to a traditional learning environment, set against the backdrop of WWII.
Welsh audiences may not always catch every nuance of Japanese visual culture, but what they do respond to is its exotic beauty and magical storytelling. That’s what makes anime so special – it reaches across cultures and speaks to people’s imaginations.
Eiko Meredith, Festival Director
With anime now one of the fastest-growing genres in global cinema, Kotatsu offers audiences across Wales a unique chance to experience its emotional power, visual daring, and sheer inventiveness on the big screen.
- Sept 27-28 – Chapter, Cardiff
- Oct 11 – TAPE Community Music and Film, Old Colwyn
- Oct 24–26 – Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Timetable (Chapter, Cardiff)
27th September – with a BSL Interpreter Today Only
11:00 Totto-Chan (PG TBC)
13:25 The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (12)
15:30 Summer Wars (12A)
18:30 Jero11 Live (PG)
20:30 Perfect Blue (18)
28th September
11:30 Ghost Cat Anzu (PG)
13:35 The Colors Within (U)
15:45 Wolf Children (PG)
18:10 Raffle
19:00 Reception
In Addition…
Music Performance
JERO11 is a guitarist and shamisen player who composes instrumental rock inspired by traditional Japanese instrumentation. JERO11 produces original music and arranges rock covers of Anime, VOCALOID, video game and shamisen music. In this session he will perform traditional shamisen pieces with a modern twist using his homemade electric box-shamisen.
Comic Café
An area to sit and chill while browsing freely donated manga! Any pre-loved comics/books/magazines are very welcome, so please bring them along to Chapter if you are happy to donate them to a good cause. Please don’t take them home afterwards, so others can also get a chance to enjoy them!
Marketplace
At Chapter and Aberystwyth Arts Center, there will be an all day marketplace, featuring stalls selling a variety of Japan/Anime/Manga related goods.
Raffle
Finally, there is the festival raffle held for a chance to win some great prizes. Ticket sales help fundraising efforts for future Kotatsu events. Tickets will be available on the day from the Kotatsu Festival reception, at just 50p each.
The prizes will all be listed on the website at: www.kotatsufestival.com/raffle