Steven Reynolds 
Upcoming mecha-themed anime film AS ONE has an official theatrical release date in Japan.
That date is August 22nd, 2025, with the announcement also coming with a new trailer via the AS ONE X account.
The trailer is brief, but it does show off the anime film’s beautifully unusual art style and introduces its two main characters — musician You and robot mechanic Rako.
Along with the new AS ONE trailer, the account also announced Ippei Gyoubu (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury) is in charge of mechanical designs, and confirmed Kobun Shizuno (the Godzilla movie series) is directing, with Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (FLCL) designing the characters.
Studios GOONEYS (Show By Rock!!) and Honoo are animating the film.
What is the AS ONE plot?
Not based on a manga or light novel, but this time on Square Enix game Starwing Paradox, but with its plot happening 20 years before the in-game events.
The description for the just-released AS ONE trailer describes the anime film’s plot, which is based on an original story, in this way:
Present-day Earth.
You, a high school student aspiring to be a musician, is struggling with his parents’ disapproval and complicated relationships with his bandmates, leaving him unable to decide his future. One day, while walking through Shibuya Crossing, a desperate cry for help—“Save me!”—echoes in You’s mind, and he is suddenly enveloped in a blinding white light.Meanwhile, in the floating orbital city of Meguriboshi…
The Vu-Radei Kingdom and the Thundering A-Sulegga Nation, long at war over the energy source “Hoshi no Chi” (Star’s Blood), are on the verge of signing a ceasefire agreement. But just as the ceremony begins, a massive orbital debris fragment plummets toward the city. Vigo of the Pulguard Unit races to intercept it.
In a desperate attempt to aid Vigo, Rako —a robot mechanic—takes off in a still-under-repair mech, only to find herself in a dire situation.
After a blinding flash, Rako’s heavily damaged machine barely manages to divert the debris into the ocean, averting disaster—but she loses consciousness.
In her coma, Rako’s mind encounters You’s. What does this meeting between You and Rako mean? And what fate awaits these two souls—“two yet one”—?
Keep an eye out for the film if you live or will be visiting Japan in August. There is no word yet on where it will stream internationally.
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