A Few Anime Announcements

Right, being in London on Saturday visiting my aunt meant that there was a whole bunch of anime news that came up that I couldn’t make posts about. This is where I’ll be doing just that. Naturally, this will all be stuff that I’m personally interested in. Some of it will be new details on shows I’ve already posted about, but there’s a few new things in there as well. With that said, let’s dive straight in.

Magic of Stella

First up is an anime about high school girls making doujin games. We have a PV for this one:

We also have the characters, though the actual voice cast hasn’t be revealed just yet:

• Tamaki Honda, the art illustrator of the group
• Shiina Murakami, the group’s manager and project programmer
• Ayame Seki, the project’s scenario writer
• Kayo Fujikawa, the project’s sound and music composer
• Yumine Fuda, the project’s resident fujoshi

Magic of Stella is being directed by Shinya Kawatsura (Non Non Biyori, Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge) at studio SILVER LINK. Series composition is being handled by Fumihiko Shimo (Myriad Colors Phantom World, Clannad) and the character designer is Hideki Furukawa (Invaders of the Rokujyōma!?, WATAMOTE).
Magic of Stella is slated to premiere in autumn.

Shakunetsu no Takkyū Musume
Next up is an anime about middle school girls playing ping pong. The title translates as Scorching Ping Pong Girls, and we have a PV for this one:

This series will be produced by Kinema Citrus.

D. Gray-man HALLOW

D. Gray-man has always been a series that I’ve wanted to get into, but I’ve never really made an effort to do so. However, this announcement definitely gives me some motivation to do so. Here’s a PV:

The cast includes:

• Ayumu Murase as Allen Walker
• Takuya Satō as Yū Kanda
• Natsuki Hanae as Lavi
• Ai Kakuma as Lenalee Lee
• Shinnosuke Tachibana as Howard Link
• Yutaka Aoyama as The Earl of Millennium
• Masakazu Nishida as Tyki Mikk
• Yui Kondou as Road Camelot
• Souichiro Hoshi as Wisely
• Ryōta Asari as Alma Karma

The tagline for this series is ‘Don’t stand still. Keep walking.’ It is due to air in July.

Ange Vierge
I’ve mentioned this one before, but it has a teaser video now:

I’m taking a cautious approach to this one. Due to air in July.

Hai Furi
This is on my spring 2016 watchlist, and due to air April 9th. The reason I’m mentioning it here is a CM which previews the ending theme song:

Hello!! KINMOZA and Yuyushiki
These two series are set to get special episodes. I certainly welcome more from both, but one episode isn’t enough to satisfy me – I would love to see new seasons for both.

Show By Rock!!
So this getting a series of shorts in July, but the PV here is the for an actual sequel, and it focuses on Shingan Crimsonz.

The full sequel doesn’t have an airdate yet.

Popin Q
This one is an anime film by Toei Animation. The story begins a day before a graduation ceremony and focuses on five middle school girls who are each preoccupied with their real everyday lives. Through a sudden occurrence, the five girls are sent to a fantasy world where they meet each other. They learn of an impending crisis that the world is facing, and the only to avert it is to collaborate and bring their hearts together as one through dance. However, the five cannot come to love the world, and cannot tell their true feelings to each other, which means their hearts are unable to unite. Can the dance of the five girls save the world? And will they be able to graduate?
The cast for the main heroines:

• Asami Seto as Isumi Kominato
• Shiori Izawa as Aoi Hioka
• Tomoyo Kurosawa as Saki Tsukai
• Ari Ozawa as Asahi Ōmichi
• Atsumi Tanezaki as Konatsu Tomodate

The director of the film is Naoki Miyahara (Dragon Ball Z, PreCure All-Star DX 3D Theatre short, PreCure series dance sequences) and original character designs were drafted by Kouhaku Kuroboshi (Kino’s Journey), World Conquest Zevzda Plot). Character designer and chief animation director is Takayuki Uragami.
The film will premiere in Japan next winter, and it will commemorate the 60th anniversary of Toei Animation. Hopefully Crunchyroll (or other streaming service) will pick it up like it did with Garakowa -Restore the World-, otherwise it’s probably gonna be a long wait until us non-Japanese types get to watch this one.

Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel

So the third route of the Fate/stay night visual novel is getting adapted into a trilogy of films. First one is due to air in 2017. Here’s a teaser:

Oh, and there’s another Fate anime coming up, as well…

Fate/EXTRA Last Encore

Fate/EXTRA was a dungeon RPG released for the PSP. It’s getting an anime adaptation in 2017, which means new servants as well as some familiar ones. I don’t really know much else about it, but I’m always happy to see some more Fate stuff. Here’s a teaser trailer:

Animation production is being handled by Studio Shaft (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Bakemonogatari). You know what that means? Head tilts. Original Fate/stay night creator Kinoko Nasu is handling series composition.

New Game!

Ah, another anime about making games. In this one, main character Aoba Suzukaze graduates from high school and joins a game company. The person who made the game that Aoba loved as a grade-schooler just happens to be Aoba’s senior at the company. The story follows girls who work and aspire at the Eaglejump Company.
To me, that basically sounds like Shirobako, but with video games isntead of anime – that’s a very good thing.
Starring in the show are:

• Yūki Takada as Aoba Suzukaze#
• Yōko Hikasa as Kō Yagami
• Ai Kayano as Rin Tōyama
• Megumi Yamaguchi as Hifumi Takimoto
• Megumi Toda as Hajime Shinota
• Ayumi Takeo as Yun Iijima

The opening theme will be performed by Takada, Yamaguchi, Toda and Takeo as a new unit. The staff are taking suggestions for the name of the new unit.
As for the staff, the director is Yoshiyuki Fujiwara (Plastic Memories, GJ Club) at Doga Kobo (Luck & Logic, Himouto! Umaru-chan). Assistant director is Ryohei Takeshita (To Love Ru: Darkness, Maken-Ki! Battling Venus 2 episode director). In charge of series composition is Fumihiko Shino (Infinite Stratos, Kokoro Connect) and character designer is Ai Kikuchi (Engaged to the Unidentified, Rainbow – Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin). The music is being composed by Hajime Hyakkoku (GJ Club, K-On!).

The rest of the staff:
Chief Animation Director: Ai Kikuchi, Yūichi Oka, Manamu Amazaki, Chisato Kikunaga
Prop Design: Eri Nakajima
Art Director: Shunsuke Suzuki
Colour Key: Kei Ishiguro
Director of Photography: Takafumi Kuwano
Editing: Daisuke Hiraki
Sound Director: Masanori Tsuchiya
Sound Effects: Yasumasa Koyama
Sound Production: delfi Sound
Music Production: KADOKAWA
This series will premiere in July.

Ah, that should be about everything. Looks like I’ve got a D. Gray-man marathon in the near future, though there’s a couple of other things before I get to that.
Definitely a lot of interesting stuff to look forward to in the future, here’s hoping none of these things waste their potential.