News

Crunchyroll to Stream AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across the Blue Anime

Media distribution service Crunchyroll announced on Monday that it will stream the AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across the Blue (Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm) anime as it airs in Japan. The stream will premiere in the United States, Canada, Central and South America (including the Caribbean), South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, Scandinavia, and the Netherlands at 3:25 p.m. EST on January 11.

Crunchyroll describes the series:

The invention of Grav-Shoes, footwear that function as antigravity devices, drastically changes the world, as they give people the ability to freely soar the skies.

Asuka Kurashina transfers into Kunahama High school, where she meets Masaya Hinata and Misaki Tobisawa, finds out about the aerial sport that's rapidly gaining popularity—Flying Circus, or FC for short—and, fascinated by it, immediately joins the school's FC Club.

She and her teammates sometimes clash, but they also support one another in the pursuit of their respective goals as they take on formidable rivals and look to triumph in the summer FC tournament.

Gonzo is animating the series based on sprite/fairys original game. Fumitoshi Oizaki (Romeo × Juliet, Etotama, Astarotte's Toy) is directing the series, and Reiko Yoshida (Bakuman., K-ON!, Girls und Panzer) is handling the series composition. Singer Mami Kawada is contributing the opening theme song "Contrail ~Kiseki~," while singer Ray is contributing the ending theme song "a-gain."

The anime will premiere in Japan on January 11 and air on TV Tokyo and other channels.

The cast includes:

Misato Fukuen as Asuka Kurashina, a second-year transfer student

Azumi Asakura as Misaki Tobisawa, Asuka's classmate and "grash" guide

Nozomi Yamamoto as Mashiro Arisaka, Asuka and Misaki's kohai

Madoka Yonezawa as Rika Ichinose, a model student who moved next to Masaya

Naomi Wakabayashi as Madoka Aoyagi, Asuka's classmate

Takayuki Kondou as Shion Aoyagi, FC club president

Risa Taneda as Reiko Satōin, FC club vice-president

Kazuyuki Okitsu as Kazunari Shindō, another FC club president

Ryota Ohsaka as Masaya Hinata, Asuka's classmate

Megumi Ogata as Aoi Kagami, teacher and FC club adviser

Yuko Gibu as Minori Hosaka

The original PC game featured planner and main scenario writer Nachi Kio (The Fruit of Grisaia), as well as scenario writers Ryōichi Watanabe (Harumade, Kururu) and Ryūsuke Mutsu (Sakaagari Hurricane). Suzumori served as the game's art director and co-designed the characters with Itsuka Yūki. Elements Garden scored the soundtrack, and Mami Kawada contributed the theme song and "grand ending theme song." Kotoko contributed an insert song.

The game shipped for Windows PCs on November 28, and it is getting a PlayStation Vita port on February 25, 2016.