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Otomo's Hipira: The Little Vampire Book Gets TV Anime (Updated)

posted on by Egan Loo
Children's book from Akira creator published in North America by Dark Horse

A television anime adaptation of Katsuhiro Ōtomo and Shinji Kimura's Hipira: The Little Vampire (Hipira-kun) picture book will premiere in Japan on December 21. The anime will run for five consecutive days within the BS Fuyu Yasumi Anime Tokusen program on the NHK BS2 satellite/cable channel.

The story follows a young vampire boy named Hipira who lives in Salta, an eternally dark city of vampires. He goes on a series of adventures with the rest of the town's residents.

Otomo is best known for creating the stories of Akira, Steamboy, and Memories, and he directed or co-directed the anime for all of these. Kimura — the Deathtic 4 director and a background artist on Angel's Egg, Akira, and Steamboy — not only illustrated the original Hipira book, but he is also directing the anime. Sunrise is producing the animation with CG director Kōdai Satō. Keiichi Momose (Blood: The Last Vampire, Freedom, Steamboy) is overseeing the soundtrack at Conisch.

Yumiko Kobayashi will play the title character, and Sayaka Ōhara will play Soul-kun. Bin Shimada (Chōrō), Chihiro Suzuki (Georuge), and Ayumi Fujimura (Erena) round out the cast.

Dark Horse Comics published the picture book in North America in 2005.

Source: Saishin Anime Jōhō

Image © Katsuhiro Ōtomo, Mushroom, Shinji Kimura/Hipira Production Committee

Update: More background information added.


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