Expelled from Paradise: Resonance from the Heart Release Date

Expelled from Paradise: Resonance from the Heart (楽園追放 心のレゾナンス, Rakuen Tsuihō: Kokoro no Resonance) opens in Japanese cinemas on Friday, November 13, 2026. That's a week from today. It's a feature-length film, not a TV series, and a direct sequel to the 2014 Toei Animation and Nitroplus movie Expelled from Paradise.

Outside Japan, no theatrical or streaming release has been announced yet. Below: what's confirmed, who's making it, whether you need the first film, and how I'd plan to watch it from abroad.

Resonance from the Heart at a glance

About the English title: there isn't one settled English name yet. Wikipedia uses Resonance from the Heart, some outlets write Resonance of the Heart, and Anime News Network glosses the subtitle as "Heart's Resonance". When the project was first announced in January 2024, it even went by Liberated from Paradise before the title changed. They're all the same film.

Release timeline: from announcement to premiere

That's almost three years from announcement to release, and twelve years after the first film. The original did well for a small release: Anime News Network reports it opened in only 13 Japanese theaters and still sold 110,000 tickets.

Cast and staff

The headline is the return of the original creative pair. Seiji Mizushima (Mobile Suit Gundam 00) directs again, and Gen Urobuchi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Psycho-Pass) writes the screenplay again.

The official site lists Angela as the only returning character so far. Dingo and Frontier Setter, the other two leads of the 2014 film, haven't been announced, so I wouldn't assume either way.

Key staff, from the official site:

• Director: Seiji Mizushima
• Screenplay: Gen Urobuchi (Nitroplus)
• Character design: Masatsugu Saitō (also returning)
• Mechanical design: Kanetake Ebikawa, Junya Ishigaki, Takayuki Yanase
• Music: NARASAKI (also returning)
• Sound director: Masafumi Mima
• Producer: Kōichi Noguchi
• Animation: Toei Animation
• Theme song: "Beyond the Night" by TeddyLoid feat. Ayane Sakura (as Gabriel) and Nagi Inoue (Nogizaka46). Final Weapon reports a digital release in Japan on November 11 and a CD on November 18.

Jargon check: the first film was a mostly 3DCG anime, meaning the characters are 3D models rendered to look like hand-drawn animation. The sequel's staff list includes 3D modeling supervisors, so expect a similar look.

What is it about? (no spoilers)

The setting comes straight from the first film. In the year 2400, most of humanity has left their physical bodies behind and lives as data in DEVA, a digital society running on a space station. The official site says that, after Angela Balzac's rebellion in the first film, agents who deserted DEVA for the Earth's surface have become a threat called the "Fallen". Gabriel and her fellow agents are tasked with finding out what they really are.

That's all that's official. The actual plot hasn't been revealed beyond the trailers.

Do you need to watch the 2014 film first?

My honest answer: yes, if you can. The new film is a sequel, not a reboot. Angela comes back, and the whole "Fallen" premise builds on how the first film ended. You'd probably follow the action without it, but you'd miss why any of it matters.

The good news is that it's a single 104-minute movie, not a 24-episode series. It's a tight sci-fi story about a DEVA agent sent down to a ruined Earth to hunt a hacker, and Urobuchi in a rare optimistic mood. If you only know him from Madoka or Psycho-Pass, it's a pleasant surprise.

Where to watch the 2014 film: Aniplex of America released it on Blu-ray in the Americas in 2015. Streaming availability changes a lot by country, so check a legal aggregator like JustWatch for your region before you buy anything.

How to watch it outside Japan

Right now, you can't. No international distributor has been named, and there's no streaming date.

• The precedent: the first film went to Aniplex of America, which released it in US theaters about a month after Japan, then on Blu-ray. Aniplex hosted the sequel's September trailer reveal, so it's an obvious candidate, but nothing has been announced. Treat any "coming to Crunchyroll/Netflix" claim as a guess until an official account posts it.
• What I'd do: follow the official site and Aniplex of America's channels. Overseas plans for films like this are often announced after the Japanese premiere.
• Not the same thing: Expelled from Paradise -The Stellar Angel- is a separate visual novel game from Studio51, out November 26, 2026 on Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam), with English and Japanese text. Some search results mix the two up. If you're outside Japan and want something new from this world this month, the game is the one you can actually get.

Seeing it in Japan

If you're in Japan or visiting next week, the official site has a theater list and a ticket page. My tip, as someone who lives here: this isn't a huge-scale release like a Demon Slayer movie, so check which cinemas near you are actually screening it before you plan your evening. And as with almost every anime film here, regular screenings don't have English subtitles.

For bigger anime films in theaters this month, see our Witch on the Holy Night movie guide, and for what's airing on TV, our Fall 2026 anime season guide. I'll update this post when an international release, runtime or streaming date is announced.