An English-subbed trailer for Sound! Euphonium spin-off Liz and the Blue Bird has been released by Eleven Arts, the LA distributor bringing the film to North American audiences.

Having premiered in Japan back in April, the Kyoto Animation movie is set to open in US and Canadian theatres on 9 November. Helmed by K-On! director Naoko Yamada, who also made 2016 film A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird focuses on two Sound! Euphonium side-characters, oboe player Mizore Yoroizuka and flautist Nozomi Kasaki.

“As seniors, this will be their last competition together, and the selected piece ‘Liz and the Blue Bird’ features a duet for the oboe and flute,” runs Eleven Arts’ plot synopsis. “‘This piece reminds me of us,’ Nozomi says cheerfully, enjoying the solo, while Nozomi’s usual happiness to play with Nozomi is tinged with the dread of their inevitable parting.

“By all accounts the girls are best friends, but the oboe and flute duet sounds disjointed, as if underscoring a growing distance between them. Talk of college creates a small rift in their relationship, as the story evolves to reveal a shocking and emotional conclusion.”

Liz and the Blue Bird is the first of a pair of upcoming Sound! Euphonium films, with main series director Tatsuya Ishihara telling the story of Kumiko’s second year in Gekijō-ban Hibike! Euphonium: Chikai no Finale, set to debut in Q2 2019.

Official Liz and the Blue Bird Movie Poster