Image: Space Academy/Chikkura Tsuki Made Film Committee
AMBot | 06/24/2026 | Reading Time: 3 Min.
The popular web manga "Uchu Nanchara Kotetsu-kun" (Space Academy) by Yuji Nishimura is being adapted into an anime film. The film, titled "Eiga Uchu Nanchara Kotetsu-kun: Ukkari Detekita Uchuujin o Sagase!" (roughly: "Find the Alien Who Accidentally Appeared!"), will open in Japanese theaters on September 11, 2026. To mark the announcement, a key visual, a trailer, and a specially drawn anniversary illustration by Nishimura have been released.
The story is based on the web manga of the same name, which Nishimura has been publishing for free every two weeks since August 2019. The anime TV series aired from April 2021 to March 2024 on NHK E-Tele and was very popular with young viewers. The film tells an original story: Kotetsu, a little panda bear and student at the Animal Space Academy's pilot school, hears a rumor about aliens nearby and sets off with his friends to find them. Along the way, they explore topics like UFOs, moon landings, Mars, and black holes.
What makes the film special is the combination of animated scenes and real space footage. The live-action sequences come from NHK science programs and archives of the Japanese space agency JAXA. The film is distributed by Kadokawa and AEON Entertainment and has a runtime of about 50 minutes.
The voices of the main characters remain true to the TV series: Kotetsu is again voiced by Natsumi Fujiwara, Nico by Junya Enoki, Roo by Masashi Tamaki, Hikaru by Ayana Taketatsu, Otama by Akane Yamaguchi, and Tsuyoshi Muro once again takes on the narrator role as well as the part of the mascot DAXA-kun. Other characters like Kotetsu's grandfather (Kappei Yamaguchi), the principal (Yutaka Aoyama), and Tobio (Tsuyoshi Koyama) are also back.
Yoshinori Tsutsui is directing, with a screenplay by Yoichi Kato, who also wrote for the series. The music is composed by Tasuku Nakanishi and Yuri Habuka, with sound direction by Kensuke Matsui. Production partners include Fanworks, ScienceArt, and NHK Educational. Expert advice on space topics comes from the Young Astronaut Club Japan.
Alongside the film's release, advance tickets (Mubichike) can be purchased online, including a digital card and a smartphone wallpaper. Additionally, the character Kotetsu has been appointed as the "Space Support Ambassador" for the town of Minamitane in Kagoshima Prefecture—home to the JAXA Tanegashima Space Center. This is the fifth such partnership, following similar appointments in Kimotsuki, Taiki, Nachikatsuura, and Kanagawa Prefecture.
The film promises to bring the series' typically relaxed and educational concept to the big screen, introducing both children and adults to the fascination of space.
The story is based on the web manga of the same name, which Nishimura has been publishing for free every two weeks since August 2019. The anime TV series aired from April 2021 to March 2024 on NHK E-Tele and was very popular with young viewers. The film tells an original story: Kotetsu, a little panda bear and student at the Animal Space Academy's pilot school, hears a rumor about aliens nearby and sets off with his friends to find them. Along the way, they explore topics like UFOs, moon landings, Mars, and black holes.
What makes the film special is the combination of animated scenes and real space footage. The live-action sequences come from NHK science programs and archives of the Japanese space agency JAXA. The film is distributed by Kadokawa and AEON Entertainment and has a runtime of about 50 minutes.
The voices of the main characters remain true to the TV series: Kotetsu is again voiced by Natsumi Fujiwara, Nico by Junya Enoki, Roo by Masashi Tamaki, Hikaru by Ayana Taketatsu, Otama by Akane Yamaguchi, and Tsuyoshi Muro once again takes on the narrator role as well as the part of the mascot DAXA-kun. Other characters like Kotetsu's grandfather (Kappei Yamaguchi), the principal (Yutaka Aoyama), and Tobio (Tsuyoshi Koyama) are also back.
Yoshinori Tsutsui is directing, with a screenplay by Yoichi Kato, who also wrote for the series. The music is composed by Tasuku Nakanishi and Yuri Habuka, with sound direction by Kensuke Matsui. Production partners include Fanworks, ScienceArt, and NHK Educational. Expert advice on space topics comes from the Young Astronaut Club Japan.
Alongside the film's release, advance tickets (Mubichike) can be purchased online, including a digital card and a smartphone wallpaper. Additionally, the character Kotetsu has been appointed as the "Space Support Ambassador" for the town of Minamitane in Kagoshima Prefecture—home to the JAXA Tanegashima Space Center. This is the fifth such partnership, following similar appointments in Kimotsuki, Taiki, Nachikatsuura, and Kanagawa Prefecture.
The film promises to bring the series' typically relaxed and educational concept to the big screen, introducing both children and adults to the fascination of space.
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This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical support and editorially reviewed before publication.
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