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Crunchyroll to Stream Goro Taniguchi's Estab Life TV Anime Ahead of Japanese Broadcast Premiere

Crunchyroll announced on Friday that it will debut the first two episodes of the Estab-Life: Great Escape original anime project by Goro Taniguchi (Code Geass, Planetes, Back Arrow) two weeks ahead of the Japanese broadcast date. The company will stream the first two English-subtitled episodes on March 23. New episodes will launch every week. Fuji TV's +Ultra anime programming block began streaming a promotional video that features the opening theme song "Rana" by Mei-chan.

The staff also unveiled a new visual:

The first four episodes of the show began streaming on the FOD service on March 1. Episodes 5-8 will debut on March 22, and episodes 9-12 will debut on April 12. The show will then premiere on television on April 6 on the +Ultra anime programming block on Fuji TV and its affiliates, and Crunchyroll will stream the anime outside Asia.

The anime stars:

• Tomomi Mineuchi as Ekua, the Nigashiya leader
• Rie Takahashi as Feresu, the superbly athletic, quick-firing "gun wizard"
• Maria Naganawa as Maruteese, a slime-human
• Shō Hayami as Aruga, an old fogey of an AI robot
• Shinichirō Miki as Urura, a wolfman who says nothing but "wan" (woof)

The project will have a television anime, smartphone game, and anime film, which have the themes of "escape," "records," and "variant," respectively. (The English subtitle for Estab Life is "Establishment in Life.")

The story is set in the distant future when the world population has begun to shrink after reaching its peak. The "Supernatural Renovation Project" splits Tokyo with towering walls into several Cluster neighborhoods, each with its own unique genetically modified populations, governed by artificial intelligence.

Most people live their lives in their own unique Clusters, blissfully unconcerned with life beyond. However, there are some who seek to escape to the other Clusters. An outfit called Nigashiya helps those who wish to escape.

Taniguchi is credited for the original concept and creative supervision of the Estab-Life: Great Escape television anime, and SSF is credited with the original story. Hiroyuki Hashimoto (Is the order a rabbit?, Slow Start) is directing the anime at Polygon Pictures, and Shoji Gatoh (Full Metal Panic!, Hyou-ka, Cop Craft) is supervising and writing the scripts.

Yūsuke Kozaki (No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, Fire Emblem Awakening, Bubuki Buranki) drafted the original character designs, and INEI's Kenichiro Tomiyasu (Harlock: Space Pirate, Human Lost, Night Head 2041, Resident Evil: Damnation) drafted the concept art. Yoshiaki Fujisawa (No Game, No Life Zero, A Place Further Than the Universe, Revue Starlight) is composing the music. Slow Curve developed and produced the project.

Five-member band GOOD ON THE REEL perform the ending theme song "0."

Square Enix is developing the Estab-Life: Unity Memories smartphone game. Taniguchi is also credited for the original concept and creative supervision of the game, and SSF likewise is credited with the original story.

Taniguchi is also personally directing and writing Eiga Estab-Life: Revengers' Road (Estab-Life the Movie: Revengers' Road), in addition to conceiving the original concept. SSF is again credited with the original story, and Polygon Pictures is producing the animation.

Source: Crunchyroll (Daryl Harding)