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Twin Engine Starts New Crowdfunding for Feature-Length Kurayukaba Anime

Twin Engine announced during a livestream presentation on Thursday that it has launched a new crowdfunding campaign on the Motion Gallery platform to fund a feature-length film of Shigeyoshi Tsukahara and Twiflo's original anime project Kurayukaba. The campaign is aiming to raise 20 million yen (about US$188,000) before its end on August 27. Twin Engine also revealed a key visual and began streaming a four-minute pilot film for the anime.

If successful, the new crowdfunding campaign will fund a film of more than 40 minutes in length. Shigeyoshi Tsukahara ("The Man Traveling with the Brocade Portrait," "Joseito," "Hashi no Mukou," SEKAI NO OWARI rock band's in-concert anime footage and set design) is making his feature-length directorial debut with the anime at Makaria. Kazunori Minagawa (animation director on Macross Delta, Tokyo Ravens, Yuruyuri, Code Geass: Akito the Exiled) is designing the characters, and Ryo-timo (Yozakura Quartet) is credited as special animator.

maxcaffy is handling CG and serving as director of photography. Pochi is in charge of art setting and the original backgrounds. The "design works" staff members are Chōta Akatsuki, Keeze, Takeshi Ishikawa, Kazunoko, Kitsuneiro, Kahi, and Shie Nanahara.

As of press time, the campaign has raised 534,000 yen (about US$5,000). Backer rewards include digital production materials, picture postcards, a recording of the pilot film's background music, a special short story by novelist Ryohgo Narita (Baccano!, Durarara!!), the right to have a name in the ending credits, the right to participate in an in-person meeting, and a tour with the director in Tokyo.

The project's previous crowdfunding campaign that ran from December 2018 to February 2019 funded the pilot film. The campaign raised 6,901,864 yen (about US$63,000) from 397 backers: 276% of its 2,500,000 yen (about US$22,100) goal. The campaign reached its 4,000,000 yen (about US$35,300) stretch goal to create a one-minute video (the original goal was for a 30-second video).

Twiflo describes the anime:

Our story is set beneath the surface of the great metropolis, below the district of Ogi-town in a realm of dreams that floats in a haze of purple lignite smoke.

A network of roads stretches away underground, concealing bandits at every turn! An armored train snakes through the looming darkness: the steel-clad train Sokore 463 is equipped with a 75mm mountain gun that can blow a target to smithereens! In command is the mysterious girl Tanne.

What awaits her and her comrades? From the winding alleys of Akegata (dawn) to the deep subterranean world of Kuragari (dark), a daring adventure unfolds!

The project screened at the 2018 Annecy International Animated Film Festival in June 2018.

Sources: Twin Engine Conference 2020 livestream, Twin Engine's YouTube channel, Kurayukaba's Motion Gallery page, Comic Natalie