Blu-ray Disc in Japan on October 27, 2010 and worldwide in November 2010. The film was directed by Kazuyoshi Katayama from a script written by Katayama and Hiroshi Yamaguchi, with characters designed by Hidenori Matsubara and monsters designed by Kenji Andou. The film retains the same characters from the manga, but it takes major liberties when it comes to the plot and storyline. All of the main characters' backstories are drained down and their different storylines are changed from their counterparts in the manga. Zeus, who is a major antagonist in the manga, does not appear in the film. Alice, the young Russian girl, does make an appearance, but is deceased in present time. Terry Notary (In the English Dub) portrays the monsters in his CGI suit while Toru Nara (In the Japanese Dub) voices them. The film also has a different ending from the manga. The ending song for the film is "Edge of This World" by Misia. The anime has been licensed by Funimation Entertainment in North America, Manga Entertainment in the UK and Madman Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand. Reception The English edition of King of Thorn was named by the Young Adult Library Services Association as among the 10 best graphic novels for teens for 2008. Volume one was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping entry in the genre of violent survivor manga," and praised Iwahara's art for conveying the character's claustrophobia without confusing the reader. Theron Martin of Anime News Network found both the writing and artwork effectively convey the characters' tension and danger, but claimed that Iwahara's borrowing elements from many sources did not initially create an original work, but that as the series progresses it "offer[s] some intriguing twists on sci fi and horror gimmicks." Iwahara's art was singled out for praise, especially for conveying action scenes. The film was nominated for the 4th Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Animated Feature Film. References External links 2002 manga 2010 anime films Animated films based on manga Cryonics in fiction Dark fantasy anime and manga Enterbrain manga Films scored by Toshihiko Sahashi Funimation Japanese-language films Kadokawa Dwango franchises Madman Entertainment manga Madman Entertainment anime Psychological thriller anime and manga Science fiction anime and manga Seinen manga Sunrise (company) Tokyopop titles