News
New Titles for AnimeLab 2016 Winter Simulcast Season
posted on by Jon Hayward
AnimeLab has started to announce the titles for their 2016 Winter Simulcast Season on their blog. They include the following;
- Dagashi Kashi
- BBK/BRNK (Bubuki Buranki)
- Haruchika – Haruta & Chika (HaruChika: Haruta to Chika wa Seishun Suru)
- Pandora in the Crimson Shell (Kōkaku no Pandora)
- Prince of Stride Alternative
- KONOSUBA – God's blessing on this wonderful world!! (Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!)
At the time of writing this article, AnimeLab is the first western company to license each of these series. No dates for the start of AnimeLab's simulcast have been released, we will keep you updated as the dates are revealed.
Dagashi Kashi
Kokonotsu Shikada doesn't want to inherit his father's rural candy store and wants to become a manga author regardless of his natural talent for creating amazing sweets. When Shidare Hotaru, a cute yet weird girl from a famous sweet company visits she becomes determined to make Kokonotsu's father, a famous sweet maker in his own right, to join her father's company. The only catch is that Hotaru must convince Kokonotsu to take over the candy shop!
Shigehito Takayanagi (Kanamemo, The World God Only Knows, Tokyo ESP) is directing the series at the anime studio feel and is also supervising the series scripts alongside Yasuko Kamo (Galaxy Angel A, Kanamemo, Tokyo ESP). The scriptwriters are Kamo, Tatsuhiko Urahata, and Michiko Yokote. Kanetoshi Kamimoto (Burst Angel, Taishō Baseball Girls., Mushi-Uta) is designing the characters. Satoshi Motoyama is directing the sound, and Pony Canyon is producing the music.
Ayana Taketatsu is playing lead female character Hotaru Shidare, and she is also performing the ending theme song "Hey! Calorie Queen." The other cast members include Atsushi Abe as Kokonotsu Shikada, Keiji Fujiwara as Yō Shikada, Manami Numakura as Saya Endō, and Tatsuhisa Suzuki as Tō Endō. The 19-year-old singer Michi is performing the opening theme song "Checkmate!?"
Dagashi Kashi is based on Kotoyama's original manga series of the same name. Kotoyama started publication in Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday in June 2014 and the series has since been collected into three volumes, the most recent was shipped on October 16th.
Dagashi Kashi has also inspired a light-novel adaptation by Manta Aisora (Haiyore! Nyaruko-san) titled Dagashi Kashi: Mō Hitotsu no Natsuyasumi (Cheap Sweets Candy: Another Summer Vacation). Aisora will also draw the art for the novel and Shogakukan published the novel on December 18. Aisora's Haiyore! Nyaruko-san light novel series inspired two 12-episode TV anime adaptations in 2012 and 2013, respectively. The series also inspired a two-episode original video animation, a web animation series, and a series of TV anime shorts.
Dagashi Kash will premiere on January 7 at 2:16 a.m. on the TBS channel and it will then run on CBC, Sun TV, BS-TBS, and CS-TBS Channel 1. You can view the character designs here.
BBK/BRNK (Bubuki Buranki)
When Azuma Ikki returns to Japan after 10 years, he gets assaulted by a group of armed men and becomes their prisoner. Kogane Asabuki, a childhood friend, saves him with a weapon on her right hand known as Bubuki; a weapon with its own mind. Azuma Ikki, who is a Bubuki user himself, learns about the existence of Bubuki and goes on a journey alongside the companions he has found, in an attempt to find and revive Oumai, a Buranki (titan) who sleeps underground. - From AnimeLab
Daizen Komatsuda (Evangelion 1.0, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya key animation) will make his directorial debut with the series. Jirō Ishii (CANAAN, Under the Dog, Monster Strike) and Yukinori Kitajima (Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash!, Hamatora, Brynhildr in the Darkness) will be in charge of the scripts. Yuusuke Kozaki (Speed Grapher, Donyatsu, Fire Emblem: Awakening) is designing the characters. Tatsuya Yoshikawa (Breath of Fire series, Devil May Cry 4) is credited for "Buranki Design." Masaru Yokoyama (The Rolling Girls, Your Lie in April, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans) is composing the music. Quadrangle is credited with the original work.
Konomi Suzuki is performing the opening theme, and MYTH&ROID is performing the ending theme.
The anime celebrates SANZIGEN Animation Studio's 10th anniversary. The anime will premiere on Tokyo MX on January 9 at 10:00 p.m. You can view promotional videos for the series here
Haruchika – Haruta & Chika (HaruChika: Haruta to Chika wa Seishun Suru)
Haruta and Chika are members of their high school wind instrument club that is on the verge of being shut down. The two are childhood friends, and they spend their days practicing hard while also trying to recruit new members. When a certain incident happens within their school, they work together to solve it.
Haruchika is an adaptation of "wind instrument youth mystery" novel series by Sei Hatsuno. Masakazu Hashimoto (Tari Tari, Soul Eater Not! Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva) is directing the anime at P.A. Works. Reiko Yoshida (Bakuman, K-ON!, Yowamushi Pedal, Tamako Market) is handling the series composition, Namaniku ATK (Chaika the Coffin Princess) is in charge of the original character design, and Asako Nishida (Love Live! School idol project, Vampire Knight, Angel Links) is adapting those designs for animation.
Yurie Oohigashi is serving as chief animation director, and Noboru Sugimitsu is directing the instrument-playing animation. Ayumi Satō is the art director with Katsue Inoue as color key artist. Yōhei Hirata is directing the CG, and Satoshi Namiki is director of photography. Ayumu Takahashi is editing.
Satoki Iida is directing the sound at Glovision, and Katsuhiro Nakano is handling sound effects. Shiroh Hamaguchi (Ah! My Goddess, One Piece, Sakura Wars) is composing the music with producer Terunari Yoshie at Lantis.
The band fhána will perform the opening theme song "Niji wo Ametara" (If You Knit a Rainbow), while singer ChouCho will perform the ending theme "Kūsō Traingle" (Imaginary Triangle).
Sei Hatsuno released the first novel in the series in 2008 and Kadokawa Shoten published the fifth novel, Wakusei Karon (Planet Karon), this past summer.
Pandora in the Crimson Shell
In an age when large-scale natural disasters frequently happen all over the world, when cyborgs and autonomous robots are beginning to appear on the market in technologically advanced nations, and major world powers compete for technology and resources, the divide between rich and poor grows and the future for the poor looks bleak. In this transitional stage, everyone wanders around in a self-indulgent daze and the way out isn't clear… This is the story of how two cybernetically enhanced girls meet. - From AnimeLab
Munenori Nawa (D.C.S.S. ~Da Capo Second Season~, Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu, Kiss×sis) is directing the anime at Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ, and Tatsuya Takahashi (THE IDOLM@STER MOVIE: Kagayaki no Mukōgawa e!, The Fruit of Grisaia) is writing the script. Takuya Tani (Strike Witches, Persona 3 The Movie #1 Spring of Birth animation director) is designing the characters.
The anime opened in a two-week limited engagement in three theaters in Japan from December 5: Kadokawa Cinema Shinjuku (Tokyo), Fushimi Million-za (Nagoya), and Umeda Burg 7 (Osaka).
The event anime will then be aired as an anime series from January 8th 2016 on Tokyo MX. You can view the promo and the character designs here.
The TV anime version will feature ZAQ's opening theme song "hopeness." Sanae Fuku and Manami Numakura are singing the ending theme song "LoSe±CoNtRoL" as their characters. ZAQ is writing, composing, arranging, and singing the opening theme song, and is also writing and composing the ending theme song. TECHNOBOYS PULCRAFT GREEN-FUND is arranging the ending theme song.
Shirow and Rukudo launched the manga in Kadokawa Shoten's Newtype Ace magazine in 2012. Shirow is responsible for the story, while Rikudou is drawing the art. After Newtype Ace ceased publication in 2013, the manga then moved to Kadokawa's Niconico Ace website. Kadokawa published the seventh volume in Japan on December 24th. Seven Seas Entertainment published the second English volume in October and will publish the third volume on January 12 2016.
Rikudou may be best known as the creator of Excel Saga. He ended Excel Saga in Shonengahosha's Young King Ours magazine in 2011. Rikudou ended his Kantan Kiss (Easy Kiss) manga in Shonengahosha's Young Comic magazine in September 2014. He also ended his Sarakiel fantasy manga and his AGEHA manga in 2013.
Prince of Stride Alternative
"Stride" is a competitive sport that involves six people running a relay race through towns and many schools compete to win the "End of Summer". Hōnan Academy used to have a club, but now first-year high school students Takeru Fujiwara and Nana Sakurai want to restart the team and they just need another four people. When they ask Riku Yagami to join he states that Stride is the one thing he doesn't want to do, but Takeru and Nana won't take no for an answer.
Based on the PSVita Otome game "Prince of Stride", Shūji Sogabe [FiFS] is credited with the original design works for the series. Kanako Nono [FiFS] is credited with the original character design, and Tomoyuki Uchikoga is credited with the original graphic design. Atsuko Ishizuka (Hanayamata, No Game, No Life, The Pet Girl of Sakurasou) is directing the series at MADHOUSE. Taku Kishimoto (Silver Spoon, Haikyu!!, Bunny Drop) is handling the series composition, and Kokunen Ou (Hanayamata) is adapting Nono's character designs for animation. The main cast returns from the original game.
The unit "Galaxy Standard" made up of voice actors from the anime's Saisei High School Stride Club will perform the ending theme song "Be My Steady." The voice actors include: Mamoru Miyano, Daisuke Hirakawa, Takuya Eguchi, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Yuuki Ono, and Toshiyuki Toyonaga.
The anime will debut on AT-X on January 5 at 11:00 p.m. The show will then air on Tokyo MX, Sun TV, KBS Kyoto, TV Aichi, and BS11. You can view the promo and character designs here.
Kadokawa Games released the game for the PlayStation Vita on July 30 2015. The game franchise also includes a "visual novel series" (light novels with many illustrations) by various authors and a drama CD. Kadokawa released the fourth visual novel in the series on August 21.
Teruko Arai launched the Prince of Stride: Galaxy Rush manga side story in Kadokawa's Dengeki Maoh magazine on November 27.
© 2016 Natsume Akatsuki, Kurone Mishima / Kadokawa
/ Kono Suba Production Committee
KONOSUBA – God's blessing on this wonderful world!! (Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!)
When hikikomori Kazuma Satō finds his disappointing life brought to a sudden end, he wakes up to discover a beautiful girl who introduces herself as a goddess. She asks Kazumi if he would like to go to an alternate world but he can only bring one things with him and Kazumi instantly responds “…So, I'll bring you.” With that he's transported to another world and his quest to defeat the demon king begins, but first he has to find food, shelter and clothing. And that's before the goddess continues to raise one problem after another.
Takaomi Kanasaki (Tokyo Ravens, Is This a Zombie?) is directing at Studio DEEN. Makoto Uezu (Is This a Zombie?, The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Yuki Yuna Is a Hero) is in charge of the series scripts, and Koichi Kikuta (animation director on episodes of Robotics;Notes, Haikyu!!) is designing the characters. Masato Kōda (Arpeggio of Blue Steel, Maria the Virgin Witch) is composing the music.
Machico is performing the opening theme song "fantastic dreamer" and Amamiya, Takahashi, and Kayano as their characters are performing the ending theme song "Chiisana Bōkensha" (Small Adventurer). The single CDs for both themes will ship on January 27.
Konosuba is based on the light novel series Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o! (Give Blessings to This Wonderful World!) by Natsume Akatsuki. Akatsuki launched the light novel series with illustrations by Kurone Mishima (The Devil is a Part-Timer! High School! (manga) in 2013 and Kadokawa published the seventh volume on August 29. The light novels already inspired a Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen o! spinoff novel series, and Masahito Watari launched a manga adaptation of the original novels in Kadokawa's Monthly Dragon Age magazine last September.
The anime will premiere on January 13 on Tokyo MX and other channels. You can view most of the character designs here.
