The WAO Corporation shared an announcement on March 8, 2021. They are creating a new anime film called Tongari Atama no Gonta: Futatsu no Namae o Ikita Fukushima Hisai Inu no Monogatari. This translates to “Pointy-Headed Gonta: The Story of the Two-Named Dog in the Fukushima Disaster” in English and follows the events of the Tohoku Earthquake.
The film, based off of the book Fukushima Yomei 1-ka Getsu no Hisai Iny Tongari Atama no Gonta by Takeshi Nakamoto, will release in 2022.
Synopsis
Nakamoto’s book follows Gonta and his owners. Gonta is left behind in Namie, Fukushima during the evacuation that occurred during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Gonta’s owners work to pull together a rescue team to save all pets that were left behind in the aftermath.
WAO Corporation staff members who previously worked on films like NITABOH and Symphony in August are returning for Tongari Atama no Gonta. Names include director Akio Nishizawa and art director Tadashi Kudo.
Anniversary of Tohoku Earthquake
The 10-year anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster passed on March 11, 2021, just days after the film’s announcement. The earthquake and tsunami saw the loss of over 15,500 lives. The earthquake was a 9.0 earthquake and remains the most powerful recorded in Japan as of publication.
In the aftermath of the disaster, those affected by the events were faced with reconstruction and rebuilding.
With a focus on a dog and a family’s efforts to recover Gonta, the anime film will join a list of media with a focus on the Tohoku earthquake, such as Pray for Japan.
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