GROTESQQQUE: “Strings Vivantes” Video Sets the Mood for Nocturne
The most melancholy side of GROTESQQQUE -グロテスク- now has a distinct musical voice. On October 28, 2026, Aniplex and the film’s official project released the collaboration video for “Strings Vivantes,” a piece by Nakano+ created for the chapter “Nocturne ~Kono Grotesque na Yoru ni~.” The track also began its advance digital release that day, while the video premiered at 5:00 p.m. in Japan.
This is more than a routine promotional clip. Official Nocturne footage follows four girls travelling through a world that is silent, wounded and beautiful, while strings and choir turn their journey into a promise suspended between life and immortality. It is the latest piece of the campaign before the film opens in Japan on November 6, 2026.
One original film, three universes
GROTESQQQUE is an original anime film conceived, written and directed by Atsushi Nishigori, with animation production by CloverWorks. Its structure is unusual: three self-contained stories, each carrying a separate visual and narrative identity, share the same feature-length film.
Q1 focuses on aliens, Q2 stages a battle between girls, and Q3 becomes a vampire road movie. That third chapter is Nocturne. Ayame and her companions cross an abandoned landscape where the wish to stay together collides with the weight of eternity. The new video does not retell the plot; it condenses the chapter’s mood, rhythm and vulnerability.
Why “Strings Vivantes” matters
Nakano+, whose work moves between electronic and orchestral music, is composing for an anime production for the first time. He recorded “Strings Vivantes” in Paris with players associated with the Opéra national de Paris and the Orchestre de Paris, combining strings, choral voices and a patient build that avoids easy spectacle.
The result speaks directly to Nocturne’s premise. The road is not simply a physical space; it measures how much time the characters may have left. The music seems to move with them, shifting between intimacy and scale until it suggests that the true conflict is not the journey itself, but the choice to keep going.
The staff behind Nocturne
Nishigori is not only the film’s overall director. On the third chapter he also serves as episode director and character designer. Kazuko Nakashima handles colour design, Dehogallery’s Akane Iwakuma is art director, Yuya Sakuma directs photography, and Capsule is responsible for 3DCG.
Those credits help explain the video’s visual character. The broad, nearly empty backgrounds are not decorative: they make the protagonists feel small, while the colour design retains warmth even among ruins. Soft light and layered depth give the journey a contemplative quality that closely matches the music.
Cast, release and availability
The film’s main cast includes Kana Ichinose, Sara Minami, Nagi Inoue, Aruno Nakanishi, Miku Ichinose and Nao Tomisato. GROTESQQQUE opens in Japanese cinemas on November 6, 2026. At the time of the video announcement, neither an international theatrical release nor a global streaming date for the full film had been confirmed.
That distinction matters: November 6 is the Japanese release date. For viewers in Europe, the official “Strings Vivantes” video is currently the most direct way to enter Nocturne’s world without turning a local opening into a global promise that has not yet been made.
A Visual Interlude: 05 IDOL
This commercial box is separate from the editorial coverage: Smart GFX is not affiliated with Aniplex, CloverWorks or Project GTQ. THE SIGNAL // 05 IDOL canvas is available from the Smart GFX shop for €28.90.
Official sources
Dates, credits, release information and visual materials were checked against the official October 28 announcement, the film website and CloverWorks’ production page. The linked video is published on the official Aniplex channel.
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