Nasu: Andalusia no Natsu

Nasu: Andalusia no Natsu

Pepe is a Spanish cyclist competing in an multi-stage Iberian cycling race similar to the Tour de France. He is a support rider for one of the teams competing in the race, and his role is to assist the team's top rider in winning the overall race. As the story unfolds, the racers are set to ride through Pepe's home town in Andalusia on the same day as the wedding of his elder brother Angel to his former girlfriend Carmen. Their relationship was a factor in his decision to leave the town to pursue professional cycling, and the wedding is a frustrating reminder that his career hasn't turned out as he would have liked. Now, with the sponsor planning to drop him from the team and his family and friends cheering him on, Pepe abandons his assigned role and strives for glory. (Source: ANN)"Nasu: Summer in Andalusia" is the directorial debut of longtime Studio Ghibli collaborator Kosaka Kitaro. Kosaka has honed his chops as animation director on Studio Ghibli's "Spirited Away", and other masterpieces including "Princess Mononoke" and "Grave of the Fireflies", putting him in the company of the anime world's elite.The film is based on one episode of Kuroda Io 's famous manga of the same name, and is the tale of the Spanish cyclist Pepe as he competes in the Vuelta - a world famous cycling tour. One of the stops on the tour is Pepe's hometown, and as fate would have it, he rides in on the very same day that his brother is to get married to Pepe's former girlfriend, Carmen. Tired of playing second fiddle in relationships and on his own cycling team, Pepe decides that now is the time for him to control his own destiny...