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Crunchyroll Expo Hosts The Rising of The Shield Hero Staff, Holds World Premiere of Somali and the Forest Spirit Anime
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Crunchyroll Expo announced on Wednesday that it will host five cast and staff members from the The Rising of The Shield Hero anime at this year's convention. Event staff also announced on Tuesday that the convention will host the world premiere of the first episode of the Somali and the Forest Spirit anime on August 30 at 1:00 p.m.
The Rising of The Shield Hero opening theme song performers MADKID, Myne voice actress Sarah Emi Bridcutt, character designer Masahiro Suwa, music composer Kevin Penkin, and producer Junichiro Tamura will appear at the convention.
The anime series premiered with a two-hour special on January 9 and will run for 25 episodes. Crunchyroll is streaming the series as it airs in Japan. The series was scheduled to launch on Crunchyroll with English subtitles on January 9, but Crunchyroll streamed the first 45-minute English-subtitled episode early on January 5.
Crunchyroll and FUNimation Entertainment originally announced plans to debut the English dub on January 9, the same day the show premiered on AT-X in Japan. However, the staff announced on January 8 that the dub would be delayed. The first six dubbed episodes then premiered on February 13, and subsequent dubbed episodes debuted on the same days as the English-subtitled episodes mid-May. The dubbed episodes are currently streaming with a two-week delay.
Crunchyroll premiered the first dubbed episode at Crunchyroll Expo on September 3 with guests from the anime.
Takao Abo (Norn9) is directing the anime at Kinema Citrus. Keigo Koyanagi (Regalia: The Three Sacred Stars) is in charge of series composition. Masahiro Suwa (Chaika the Coffin Princess animation director) is adapting Seira Minami's original character designs for animation. Crunchyroll is co-producing the show with Kadokawa.
The television anime of Yako Gureishi's Somali and the Forest Spirit (Somali to Mori no Kamisama) manga will premiere in January after a delay from fall. Crunchyroll is co-producing the anime, and it will stream the series as it airs in Japan.
The manga is set in a world ruled by spirits and monsters, and where humans are persecuted and driven to the brink of extinction. In a certain forest, a golem – the guardian of the forest – and a little girl meet. Their journey as surrogate father and daughter to each other begins.
Inori Minase will play Somali, and Daisuke Ono will play Golem in the anime. Staff will hold auditions for original guest characters for the anime.
Kenji Yasuda (Macross Delta, Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens) is directing the anime at Satelight (Aquarion, Macross Delta). Ikuko Ito (Princess Tutu, The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan) is designing the characters.
Crunchyroll Expo will be held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in California from August 30 to September 1. Other Japanese guests include voice actor Ryō Horikawa, horror manga artist Junji Ito, voice actresses Yuu Asakawa and Miho Okasaki, Wit Studio's George Wada, and composer Yasuharu Takanashi. The Mob Psycho 100 anime's voice actor Setsuo Ito (voice of Mob), director Yuzuru Tachikawa, character designer Yoshimichi Kameda, and character designer Terumi Nishii will also attend this year's event. Music producers Teddyloid and HEAVYGRINDER will appear for the convention's kick-off party on August 29.
Source: Crunchyroll (link 2)
