part of the Shiki Theatre Company. Sonooka's positive comments on Hiroi helped persuade Kuno to accept the role. Music Regular series composer Kohei Tanaka scored the film. Tanaka composed the film's music between May and June 2001. While previously faced with technical limitations with games and other limits with related productions, Tanaka was able to expand the scope of his music within a film environment. Several themes from the original video games were rewritten for orchestra. Tanaka's friendship with Kuno was a deciding factor in her accepting the role of Ratchet. As part of the audio production, a private performance of the game's score was held at Sumida Triphony Hall on July 8, 2001, and the audience's applause recorded for use in the soundtrack. The opening theme "Miracle Bell" was sung by the entire main female cast, while the ending musical number "Everything is Into the Sea" was sung by Kuno and Sakura's voice actress Chisa Yokoyama. During the film's recording sessions, Yokoyama was performing in a Sakura Wars stage play of The Sea God's Villa, which was reproduced in the film. Due to performing her role and songs both on stage and in the film, Yokoyama was able to become absorbed in the performance and timing more than she had anticipated. Hiroi wrote the lyrics to the two songs. The soundtrack album was released by Avex Mode on December 19, 2001 in Japan. The cover design was created by Saito. "Miracle Bell" and "Everything is Into the Sea" were released by Avex Mode as a separate album on November 21, 2001. The soundtrack album was released in North America by Pioneer Entertainment on September 9, 2003. Release The film was first announced in October 1999 as part of the "Sakura Wars 2000" project. The film was revealed alongside Sakura Wars 3, the first game's anime series adaptation, and the original video animation series Sakura Wars: The Radiant Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms. During a pre-release screening of the film, Hoir included a joke teaser surrounding a feature focused on the character Iris in the vein of the mahō shōjo series Cardcaptor Sakura. Despite this being a joke, it stemmed from Hiroi's concept for how the series could expand as a media franchise. The film premiered on December 22, 2001. It was promoted with special campaigns, including a decorated bus related to a special lottery prize for those who spotted it.