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Azur Lane Warship Girl Game Gets TV Anime by Grisaia: Phantom Trigger Director, Studio

The "Azur Lane 1st Anniversary Important Announcement Stage" event revealed in Tokyo on Saturday that a television anime adaptation of Shanghai Manjuu and Xiamen Yongshi's Azur Lane smartphone game has been green-lit. Tensho (Grisaia, Rewrite, Kinmoza!) is directing the anime at Bibury Animation Studio, the studio he founded in 2017. Jin Haganeya (Demonbane game scenario, Kamen Rider Gaim scripts, Guilty Crown scripts) is in charge of the series scripts.

Text: Azur Lane's New Project
Text: Director: Tensho (Kinmoza!, The Fruit of Grisaia)
Text: Series Script Supervision: Jin Haganeya (Demonbane, Kamen Rider Gaim)
Text: To a new naval battle (epic).
Text: Azur Lane
Text: TV Anime Adaptation Green-Lit
Text: Director: Tensho
Text: Series Script Supervision: Jin Haganeya
Text: Animation Production: Bibury Animation Studio

The event at Tokyo's Akihabara district also reported that Tsuchii (Girls und Panzer: Little Army) is adapting the game into a manga series that will launch in the December issue of Ichijinsha's Monthly Comic Rex magazine on October 26. The "slapstick daily-life story" Azur Lane Queen's Orders (pictured below) will center around the tsundere Queen Elizabeth and her school friend Warspite (the "Grand Old Lady").

The original game will have a November collaboration with the AQUAPLUS franchise Utawarerumono. The event previewed the characters Kuon, Nekone, and Rurutie, and also teased the silhouettes of three more characters.

In the game for iOS and Android devices, players collect early 20th century warships from various countries and use fleets of six ships to battle enemies. Yostar describes the game:

Azur Lane features an interactive combat system that combines the best of strategy and 2D shooter games. Players must command a flotilla, divided into two parts: the Vanguard Fleet and the Main Fleet. While the Vanguard is responsible for striking and clearing operations, the Main Fleet must focus on fire support and dealing damage to enemy ships. Strategy is key, and players must build their fleets carefully to succeed on the high seas. Players can strengthen their fleets from the base via the Academy and Dorms, where they can earn experience points, buy items from the shop, or improve their skills in the Classroom.

Shanghai Manjuu and Xiamen Yongshi developed the game, and bilibili released it in China in May 2017. Shanghai Yostar released it in Japan in September 2017. The game has become popular in Japan with more than 6 million downloads, and a collaboration with Compile Heart's Hyperdimension Neptunia game ran in December. XD Global also released the game in South Korea in February 2018.

Yostar is developing an English version of the game. A closed beta launched in the United States and Canada between August 2-9, and an open beta launched on August 17.

Compile Heart announced on Thursday that it is publishing Azur Lane: Crosswave, a new action game for the PlayStation 4 based on the smartphone game. Felistella is developing the game.

Sunrise animated a commercial for the original game that debuted in April.

Source: Azur Lane staff's official Twitter account via Hachima Kikō