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Chinese-Japanese Three Kingdoms Anime to Air in June
posted on by Egan Loo
More details of a new joint Chinese-Japanese anime adaptation of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel classic were revealed at The 4th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou on April 28. The novel depicts the tumultuous warring period of second-century China and the political intrigue between the different factions. The 52-episode television adaptation will begin broadcasting in China and Japan in June and finish production at the end of the year.
The Beijing Glorious Animation Co., an affiliate of the state-owned CCTV broadcaster, is producing on the Chinese side. The company's managing director Zhou Feng Ying noted that the novel is one of China's Four Great Classical Novels (along with Journey to the West, Dream of the Red Chamber, and Water Margin/Suikoden) that has been popular in Japan. She also said that her company is ensuring that the new Three Kingdoms anime retains the "essence of Chinese history and culture" while the Japanese anime industry is bringing the project to fruition. The company already adapted Journey to the West and plans to adapt Dream of the Red Chamber and Water Margin as well.
On the Japanese side, Future Planet Co. is producing. Future Planet President Shunzaburō Ishihata said that the bilateral cooperation extends beyond anime production and into the development of related products. The companies are talking with foreign broadcasters about the possibility of exporting the project to 13 countries and regions in America, Europe, and elsewhere. The two companies signed a distribution agreement on Monday for Qin-Han Heroes, another series from Beijing Glorious.
The same Three Kingdoms novel inspired countless Japanese manga, anime, and games of varying historical accuracy, including Sangokushi, Ikki Tousen, New Tale of Three Kingdoms, Yawaraka Sangokushi Tsukisase!! Ryofuko-chan, SD Gundam BB Warriors: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, KOEI's Dynasty Warriors game franchise, and BaseSon's moe-influenced Koihime†Musō.
Thank you to dormcat for background research.
Source: Asahi Shimbun, Bizchina
