Comedian, writer, and illustrator Akihiro Nishino's Entotsu-chō no Poupelle ( Poupelle of Chimney Town ) picture book is getting an anime film adaptation that is slated to premiere in 2019. Nishino is making his directorial debut to helm the project.

The story is set in a town surrounded by a wall that stands 4,000 meters (about 2.5 miles) tall. Because the town is full of chimneys, the air is always full of smoke. No one in the town knows what the sky looks like. On one night of the town's Halloween festival, a deliveryman accidentally drops the heart he is supposed to deliver. He cannot find the heart in the smoke and gives up. The heart continues to beat where it fell in the town of chimneys.

The picture book's illustrations are available with English text on Nishino's official Line Blog. Gentosha released the picture book in Japan on October 21. A total of 33 illustrators and creators worked on the print book with Nishino.

Nishino is one half of the comedy duo King Kong. He decided to begin drawing as a way to convey his stories after a conversation with fellow comedian and television personality Tamori about ten years ago. Nishino released his first picture book, Dr. Ink no Hoshizora Kinema (Dr. Ink's Starry Sky Cinema), in 2009. He has released a total of five books.

Nishino starred in the live-action television series adaptation of Shuntarō Ōsawa's Gota Keshi: Jidan Kōshōnin Shirai Torajirō manga in 2011. He also voiced Freddy in the Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew anime film in 2005.

Source: Yahoo! Japan News via 0takomu