Summer Days with Coo (河童のクゥと夏休み, Kappa no Kū to Natsuyasumi) is a 2007 original theatrical anime film directed and written by Keiichi Hara and animated by studio Shin-Ei Animation. Distributed by Shochiku, the film was released theatrically in Japan in July 2007.
Background:
“Life changes for fourth-grader Koichi Uehara when he picks up a fossil on his way home. To his surprise, he has picked up a baby Kappa, a mythical water creature, who has been asleep underground for the past 300 years. Koichi names this baby creature “Coo” and brings him to live with his family, and soon the two are inseparable friends.
However, trouble abounds as Coo struggles to adjust to life in suburban Tokyo, and begins to miss his family, leading Koichi and Coo to embark on a summer road trip adventure in search of other Kappa.”
Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited, February 2021.
Just like I had said about Bartender, Anime Limited likes to go for the occasional anime show or film that was released ages ago and was left untouched, like Discotek Media does for North American fans. What Anime Limited also likes to do is to complete a director’s catalog of films whenever possible, as seen with Makoto Shinkai. Keiichi Hara is not as known as Makoto Shinkai but many may recognise his name for his recent works with Birthday Wonderland and Miss Hokusai.
Back in 2007 Keiichi Hara also directed and wrote a film called Summer Days with Coo, and was finally made available in English regions for the first time in 2020 from GKIDS and in 2021 from Anime Limited. The film did not get dubbed but it’s at least made available for those who wanted to check out one of the director’s earlier works.
Collector’s Edition Contents:
Anime Limited’s collector’s edition release for Summer Days with Coo is one of the first to use a Scanavo type Blu-ray case than the usual Amaray, which works pretty well with the design.
This package offers a rigid box that houses the film using that case. Alongside that is a small 12-page booklet with an essay written by Jonathan Clements, 5 art cards and a folded poster.
The artwork is free of any information or BBFC content and the info sheet covers the information and specification like previous Anime Limited releases, though the logos and specs are on the case. The collector’s edition Blu-ray & DVD combo pack is limited to 1000 units for an SRP of £34.99. A standard edition Blu-ray is expected to follow suit in the coming months.
I acquired the film as part of Anime Limited’s 12 Days of Christmas 2021 sale via their Red Mystery Box.
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box with Scanavo packaging and clean artwork
- Info sheet for specification and BBFC description
- 12-page Booklet
- 5 Art Cards
- Fold-out Poster
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Anime Limited
Released: 15th February 2021
The collector’s edition release for Summer Days with Coo contains the film on a single Blu-ray and DVD disc using the GKIDS encode/author. There was no English dub produced for the film, so the only audio options available are Japanese with English subtitles. The white subtitles are unlockable during playback, and the regions are locked to Blu-ray players set to B and DVD players set to 2.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | Japanese |
| Audio | Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 1.78:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | B |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 1 BD-50 |
DVD Specs:
| Languages | Japanese |
| Audio | Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Video | Standard Definition in NTSC format 1.78:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | 2 |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 1 |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
- Trailers & TV Spots
DVD On-Disc Extra Features:
- Trailers & TV Spots
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
The collector’s edition release for Summer Days with Coo is available to order across multiple retailers across the United Kingdom, including Amazon.
(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)
The Normanic Vault 
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