The team behind the popular anime series ODDTAXI is bringing their new movie to North America. GKIDS, a top distributor of animated films, will show The Last Blossom (also known as Housenka) in U.S. theaters for two nights only. The screenings are set for August 30 and August 31, 2026.
The movie first came out in Japan on October 10, 2025. It also played at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2025. Now, American fans get the chance to see this yakuza story on the big screen.
A Dying Man Talks to a Flower in This Unique Yakuza Story
The Last Blossom tells the story of Minoru Akutsu, a former yakuza member serving life in prison. He is old and dying alone in his cell. His only friend is a talking flower growing out of a can. The flower talks back to him with a sharp tongue.
As Akutsu breathes his last, he thinks back on his life. He remembers the choices he made, the woman he loved, and a child he wanted to protect. The movie asks a simple question: Is it too late to find redemption?
The story jumps between two time periods. Autumn 2023 shows Akutsu on his deathbed. Summer 1986 takes viewers back to when he lived with a woman named Nana and her son Kensuke in a small apartment. That apartment had a garden full of Housenka flowers.
ODDTAXI Creators Reunite for This Grown-Up Animated Drama
Baku Kinoshita directed the film. Kadzuya Konomoto wrote the script and created the original idea. These two worked together before on ODDTAXI, the 2021 mystery anime that gained a loyal fanbase.
The animation comes from CLAP, the studio behind Pompo: The Cinรฉphile and The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes. The band cero made the music and performs the theme song “Moving Still Life.”
Unlike kids’ cartoons, this film deals with heavy subjects. It looks at masculinity, crime, family ties, and whether people can change. Early reviews from the Annecy festival call it a “character study” similar to films by Martin Scorsese.
Two Actors Play the Same Role at Different Ages
The voice cast uses a smart idea. Two actors share the role of Minoru Akutsu.
- Kaoru Kobayashi voices Akutsu as an old man in prison
- Junki Tozuka voices the younger Akutsu in the 1986 flashbacks
The same goes for Akutsu’s partner Nana Nagata.
- Hikari Mitsushima plays the younger Nana
- Yoshiko Miyazaki plays the older Nana
Pierre Taki voices the talking Housenka flower. This flower talks to Akutsu and questions every choice he made in life.
Other cast members include:
- Hideaki Murata (from the comedy duo Toro Salmon) as Hayashida, Akutsu’s helper
- Hiroki Yasumoto as Tsutsumi, Akutsu’s older yakuza brother
- Sลma Saitล as Wakamatsu, a younger yakuza member
- Kลta Nakayama as Konishi, another helper for Akutsu
- Natsuki Hanae as Kensuke, Nana’s son
Natsuki Hanae previously worked with Kinoshita and Konomoto on ODDTAXI, where he played the lead character Odokawa.
The Movie Makes You Think About Life and Change
The talking flower is not just for comedy. It serves as the movie’s moral center. The flower tells Akutsu that plants live by working together and sharing resources. This goes against everything Akutsu learned as a yakuza, where you take what you want and fight to survive.
“What a rotten life you had.” – The talking Housenka flower to Akutsu.
The film also shows how the yakuza lost power over time. As Japan changed, these crime groups had to adapt or disappear. This mirrors what happens to Akutsu himself, a man stuck in his old ways.
One early review from the Annecy festival praised how the movie shows real emotion without making fun of itself. In a time when many movies use jokes to avoid deep feelings, The Last Blossom goes the other way. It wants viewers to think about hard questions.
“It’s great to see a Scorsese-esque character study of a gangster in animation, especially one that’s pulled off as well as The Last Blossom.” – Skwigly Animation Magazine.
The 2D animation style looks simple but beautiful. Characters have bumpy outlines and few facial details. This makes Akutsu’s scar stand out more. Colors pop off the screen, even during violent moments. The flower shows attitude by waving its leaves like arms, crossing them, or scratching its chin, all without having a face.
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Only Two Nights to Catch This Film in Theaters
GKIDS will show The Last Blossom in Japanese with English subtitles. The screenings happen on Sunday, August 30, 2026, and Monday, August 31, 2026.
The movie had a special preview on June 3, 2026, at the JAPAN CUTS festival in New York, hosted by the Japan Society.
The film runs for 90 minutes.
For fans of ODDTAXI, this is a must-see. The same creative team brings their sharp writing and unique storytelling to a more serious, grown-up story. For anyone who likes animated films that deal with real-life problems, this movie offers something different from typical Hollywood cartoons.
Tickets will likely sell through official GKIDS channels and theater websites closer to the August dates. Given that this is a two-night-only event, fans should plan ahead.
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Source: GKIDS’ Bluesky account
