Grotesqqque trailer showcases new anime movie from Evangelion director

CloverWorks and Atsushi Nishigori will deliver a visual spectacle

Announced during the CloverWorks industry panel at Anime Expo 2026, Grotesqqque is an anthology movie directed by Atsushi Nishigori, who was chief animation director for Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon A Time. Nishigori also directed the underrated mecha romance gem Darling in the Franxx and was the character designer for another seminal mecha anime, Gurren Lagann.

Originally announced during Anime Expo 2024, Grotesqqque (seriously, what's up with anime's obsession with long sequences of the same letter?) will premiere in Japanese theaters on Nov. 6, with early screenings happening at the Fantasia International Film Festival in July. CloverWorks vice president Yuichi Fukushima revealed that the movie was born out of his desire to work with Nishigori.

The anthology, co-produced by CloverWorks and Joen, will consist of three movies. The first, Æliens, is directed by Nishigori. Based on the trailer, the protagonist is an adorable octopus alien girl with a malleable body and a bubbly personality. The second movie, 4649 Girl, is directed by Takahiro Miura of Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] fame. It looks like an all-girl take on the cyberpunk world of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, with plenty of neon signs, ninja assassins, and fancy guns. Nishigori directs again for Nocturne: En Cette Nuit Grotesque for which he also handled character design. From the trailer, this last movie looks heavily yuri-coded (in Japanese manga and anime, "yuri" is a term used to describe "girls' love" stories), with a group of girls embarking on a trip and some vampires thrown in the mix.

What is impressive about the trailer shared during Anime Expo is that each of the movies has its own unique, striking visual style. From the color explosions of Æliens to the flashing lights of Yoroshiku Shoujo to the more somber tones of Nocturne, the anthology promises to be a spectacle for the eyes, at the very least. Nishigori's art direction lends to this pastiche a subtle sense of cohesion that makes the sum greater than its parts.

Grotesqqque truly looks like a celebration of Nishigori's art. As an industry veteran who created the iconic cast of Gurren Lagann and mixed drama, action, and romance perfectly in Darling in the Franxx, the director's versatility is perfect for the anthology format.

The music deserves a separate mention, as no less than 35 artists have been involved in the production. The opening theme for Grotesqqque is "Shoot Shoot Shoot" by Metalverse, and the film includes tracks from ASCA, Mika Ichinose, Iori Noguchi from =LOVE, Kanon Shizaki, VaVa, Reol, Taku Inoue, Yushi Nakajima from Gusokumuzu, Nakano + and more. It's a parade of contemporary Japanese artists, but overseas audiences are sure to enjoy it as well.

At a time when most anime movies seem to be just spinoffs of an existing series, like the recently-announced Solo Leveling movie, it's truly refreshing to see original works stepping up. While films such as Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc might be massive moneymakers, the industry also needs movies like Grotesqqque to allow artists like Nishigori and the others involved to fully express their creativity.