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Yutaka Yamamoto's 'Twilight' Anime Project Debuts on May 24
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
The official website for Yutaka Yamamoto's original anime project Hakubo (Twilight) revealed on Friday that the anime will open in Japan at Porepore Cinemas Iwaki Onahama in Fukushima Prefecture on May 24. The anime will also then screen in other places in Fukushima Prefecture, before getting a larger countrywide release.
The website also revealed more cast members, including the main cast. Hiyori Sakurada stars as Sachi Koyama, and Seishirō Katō stars as Yūsuke Kijinami. Other new cast members include Hiro Shimono and Ayane Sakura.
The previously revealed cast includes Kana Hanazawa, Kaori Fukuhara, Sumi Shimamoto, and Sora Amamiya.
The anime's crowdfunding campaign met its goal of 15 million yen (about US$137,000) in April 2017. The anime was previously slated for 2018 before being delayed to 2019.
Yamamoto (also known as Yamakan) himself is credited with the original work, script, direction, and sound direction. Sunao Chikaoka (Wake Up, Girls!) is designing the characters and is also the chief animation director. Merrill Macnaut is the art director, Fuyuto Muraguchi is handling the color design, and Yō Yamada (Black Bullet) is in charge of sound production. Sōhei Kano (Fractale) is composing the music. Twilight Studio is in charge of animation.
Yamamoto is planning the anime as the last of his self-described "Tōhoku trilogy" set in Japan's Tōhoku region in the northeast. Hakubo in particular follows youths living in "the now and present" in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011. (The previous two Tōhoku projects, blossom and Wake Up, Girls!, were set in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture and Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, respectively.)
Yamamoto said that he first conceived of the project's initial concept two decades ago when he was in college. When he mulled over what would be a good perspective to depict Fukushima, he recalled this idea from his past and set it in Tōhoku.
Yamamoto has posted his original novel that inspired the anime online.
Sources: Twilight anime's website, Comic Natalie
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