The independent anime movie Jinsei is coming to American theaters this summer. Distributor Greenwich Entertainment shared the official English-subtitled trailer and a new poster on April 21, 2026. The film, which premiered at the Annecy Film Festival and the Tokyo International Film Festival, tells the story of a man’s life over one hundred years.
The movie is special because one person made almost the entire thing alone. Ryuya Suzuki wrote, directed, edited, drew every frame, and even composed the music for the film. He finished this huge task in just 18 months. The Japanese word “Jinsei” means “life,” which fits the movie’s big story about a person’s complete journey through time.
First U.S. Showings Start June 5 in New York City
Jinsei will open first at the IFC Center in New York on June 5, 2026. After this limited opening, the film will expand to theaters across the country starting June 12, 2026. Fans in other countries can also expect releases. The movie already opened in Japan on May 16, 2025. Greenwich Entertainment picked up the North American rights in early March 2026, and the plan gives the film a proper theatrical run rather than sending it straight to streaming.
For viewers in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and India, distributors have not yet announced specific release dates. However, given the international attention the film received at festivals, global audiences will likely get news about showings in their regions soon.
Rapper ACE COOL Leads Voice Cast
Japanese rapper ACE COOL voices the main character, a man who goes by different names during different parts of his life. The story follows him as he becomes a J-pop idol, then an outcast, later a leader, and finally an oracle. The voice cast also includes Taketo Tanaka, Shohei Uno, Remi Tyon, Ryotaro Nishino, Katsuya Maiguma, Kanji Tsuda, Miho Ohashi, Ayumu Nakajima, Eri Kamataki, and Tsubaki Nekoze.
Kenji Iwaisawa, who directed the well-known indie anime On-Gaku: Our Sound, produced Jinsei. The production company behind the film is Rock’N Roll Mountain.
One Man Made the Entire Movie Alone
Ryuya Suzuki did almost every job for Jinsei. He wrote the original plan, directed the voice actors, edited the footage, handled the cinematography, designed the characters, created the background art, and animated every scene by hand. He also composed the music and worked as the art director and animation director. This level of solo work is very rare in animation, where big studios usually have hundreds of people working on one project.
The film’s official description explains the story:
“Our hero (voiced by rapper ACE COOL), called by a different name in each chapter of his life, becomes a J-pop idol, an outcast, a leader, and an oracle in this hundred-year chronicle spanning the past, present, and future. Through a chance encounter with a transfer student, he trains to become an idol, starting his search for self-identity and a journey toward greatness beyond superstardom.”
The trailer shows Suzuki’s hand-drawn style, which looks different from typical big-budget anime productions. The animation has a raw, personal feel that matches the movie’s theme about identity and time.
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Festival Success Paved the Way for U.S. Release
Jinsei first showed to audiences at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2025, where it played in the competitive Contrechamp section. The film then made its North American debut at the New York Asian Film Festival on July 25, 2025. These festival screenings got positive attention from critics who noticed Suzuki’s unusual achievement. The buzz from these events helped Greenwich Entertainment decide to buy the distribution rights.
The English-subtitled trailer that dropped on April 21 gives American viewers their first real look at the film. Fans on social media have shown excitement about the movie’s unique production story and its big ideas about life, fame, and self-discovery.
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