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Crunchyroll Adds Strike the Blood OVAs, Hakubo Anime Film to Catalog (Updated)

Crunchyroll announced on Tuesday that it will stream three Strike The Blood original video anime (OVA) series and the Hakubo anime film.

Crunchyroll will begin streaming the first original video anime (OVA) series adaptation of Gakuto Mikumo's Strike The Blood light novels on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. EDT in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Netherlands, Scandinavian countries, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Central America, and South America. The company will stream the Strike the Blood Second (Strike the Blood II) and Strike the Blood Third (Strike The Blood III) OVAs at a later date.

The company describes the story:

Kojou and Yukina are on their way to school as usual when they find La Folia being chased by someone. Yukina crosses blades with the enormous man who's pursuing her, but before the fight can escalate further, La Folia makes a shocking comment: "Father, this is the Fourth Progenitor, Akatsuki Kojou... my first!" La Folia's father, Lucas, had told her to decide who she wished to marry, so she declares that Kojou is her choice. Lucas refuses to accept this, but then La Folia's mother, Polifonia, invites Kojou and Yukina to a party so they can all talk in more detail. When they arrive at the party, they discover that Asagi, Yaze, Nagisa, and Sayaka have been invited as well, due to their connections with Kojou. What sort of heated battle is about to break out between the many girls in Kojou's life?!

Mikumo's original novel series inspired a 24-episode television anime series in 2013, as well as two OVA seasons in 2015 and 2016-2017. Crunchyroll streamed the television anime series as it aired in Japan. Discotek licensed the television anime for North American home video.

Strike The Blood III, the third Strike The Blood OVA season, shipped in five installments between December 2018 and September 2019. Each release featured two episodes, for a total of 10 episodes. The season covered up to volume 17 of Mikumo's original series, as well as the end of the "Holy War" (Seisen) arc.

Strike The Blood IV, the fourth OVA series for the Strike The Blood franchise, debuted its first two-episode home video release on April 8 after a delay. The OVA's second volume was delayed from June 24 to July 29, due to the effects of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The remaining four volumes (each with two episodes) are planned to ship on September 30; December 23; March 24, 2021; and June 30, 2021.

Crunchyroll will begin streaming the director Yutaka Yamamoto's original anime project Hakubo (Twilight) on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. EDT in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Crunchyroll describes the story:

Koyama Sachi (Sakurada Hiyori), a high school girl living in Iwaki City, Fukushima, has been deeply scarred by the Tohoku earthquake of 2011. Since it occurred, she's distanced herself from her friends and family, and shows no interest in people or romance. A violinist since childhood, she's a member of her school's music club and practices every day to prepare for the quartet performance at the school cultural festival. In the midst of all this, she meets Yuusuke (Kato Seishiro), a boy who took refuge in Iwaki after his family was left unable to return home following the great quake, and the two begin to fall in love...

The film opened in Japan in June 2019. The film premiered in North American at Anime Expo in July 2019.

Yamamoto (also known as Yamakan) himself is credited with the original work, script, direction, and sound direction. Sunao Chikaoka (Wake Up, Girls!) designed the characters and was also the chief animation director. Sōhei Kano (Fractale) composed the music, and Twilight Studio animated the film. Azuma Hitomi performed the film's theme song "Tooku" (Far).

Update: Strike the Blood Second (Strike the Blood II) began streaming on September 10. Source: Crunchyroll (Joseph Luster)

Source: Crunchyroll