ブンナよ, 木からおりてこい

A theatrical anime adaptation of the novel of the same name by Tsutomu Minakami, known for works such as "The Sea's Fang," "The Temple of the Wild Geese," and "Strait of Hunger." The story explores the weight of life through the relationships between a frog and other creatures in the natural world. 　In a temple pond lives a group of pond frogs, led by the young and energetic Bunna. Bunna spends his days teasing the beautiful female frog Yūna, but eventually grows weary of the limited world of the pond. Seeking new horizons, he climbs a chinquapin tree beside the pond, only to find it is a feeding ground for black kites. Soon, injured shrikes and sparrows are tossed onto the tree. Within the ruthless cycle of the food chain, the shrike accepts that, once injured, it is meant to be eaten by others. However, the sparrow advises the shrike to eat Bunna to regain strength. In the natural world, where the weak are prey to the strong and survival depends on consuming others, Bunna finds himself at a crossroads... 　The overall director is the renowned actor Eitarō Ozawa, while the on-site director is the live-action prodigy Yūji Tanno. The animation director, collaborating with Mitsuru Suzuki, is Yoshio Kabashima of "Gamba's Adventures."