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Sentai Filmworks Adds Gatchaman Crowds TV Anime
posted on by Karen Ressler
North American anime licensing company Sentai Filmworks announced on Thursday that it has licensed the anime series Gatchaman Crowds, based on classic sci-fi hero series Gatchaman, which the company also recently licensed.
Sentai Filmworks had revealed in July that it had signed a deal with Tatsunoko Production to release 11 of the studio's titles, including Gatchaman and Casshan.
The story of Gatchaman Crowds is set in Japan in the early summer of 2015. 180,000 people live in Tachikawa City, the "second metropolis" of the Tokyo area. Among them are "Gatchaman" — warriors who fight in special reinforced suits powered by "NOTE," the manifestation of special spiritual powers in living beings. A council has scouted a group of individuals with latent powers to protect Earth from alien criminals. In recent years, the council has assigned Gatchaman warriors to deal with the mysterious entity known as "MESS."
The cast includes Maaya Uchida, Katsuji Mori, Ryota Ohsaka, Daisuke Namikawa, Aya Hirano, Daisuke Hosomi, Kotori Koiwai, Mamoru Miyano, Ayumu Murase, and Sakura Tange.
Kenji Nakamura (Mononoke, tsuritama) is directing off scripts from Toshiya Ono (Suite Precure, tsuritama) at Tatsunoko Productions. Illustrator Kinoko did the original character designs for the characters, while Koji Nakakita (Wandaba Style, Jūsō Kikō Dancouga Nova) did the mecha designs. Four-member rock band WHITE ASH is performing the opening theme song "Crowds." Uchida is performing he ending theme song "Innocent Note."
The first Gatchaman anime premiered in October of 1972 and earned an average rating of 21%. It was only planned for two quarters (kūru or cours) of a year, but was extended to two full years and 105 episodes. It has since spawned anime films as well as later television and video series. The anime series in the Gatchaman franchise were adapted, with varying degrees of faithfulness, into English under the names Battle of the Planets, G-Force, and Eagle Riders.
Gatchaman Crowds premiered in Japan on July 12, and Crunchyroll is streaming the series as it airs.
Update: Sentai Filmworks noted in a press release that it will release the series on home video in 2014.
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