Both Crunchyroll and Netflix have made some announcements this week regarding new shows in their anime line-ups.
First up, Crunchyroll has officially unveiled its first-ever slate of Crunchyroll originals which includes eight original anime series. There’s the supernatural romance mystery “In/Spectre” airing now, and “Onyx Equinox” hits in the summer and follows a young Aztec boy saved from death and chosen to act as ‘humanity’s champion’ in fights across Mesoamerican cultures.
“Noblesse” is based on the Webtoon comic about a powerful vampire noble awakened in modern times after eight centuries of slumber. “Meiji Gekken: Sword & Gun” is a 19th-century Meiji-era set Japan tale about four people (a samurai, a yakuza, a spy, a geisha assassin) coming together to find their place in the world.
“FreakAngels” is a post-apocalyptic tale about a dozen psychics living in the rubble of London who must check their wild impulses and rebuild society. “High Guardian Spice” follows four fierce girls training to become great heroes at High Guardian Academy.
The most notable shows are adaptations of “The God of High School” and “Tower God”. ‘High Schoo’ is based on Yongje Park’s comic and follows a student and his friends competing in a tournament and borrowing power directly from the gods. ‘Tower’ arrives Spring 2020 and is a dark fantasy action series based on the SIU comic and follows a young man as he battles his way through the mysterious Tower, building friendships and facing terrors on the way.
The eight anime originals will join the more than 1,000 titles currently available on the streaming platform and is expected to be the first group of many originals that Crunchyroll will begin developing.
Shortly after that announcement, Netflix revealed it has partnered with six Japanese anime creators – a blend of manga artists, novelists, screenwriters and filmmakers – for new projects. These include CLAMP (“Cardcaptor Sakura”), Shin Kibayashi (“The Kindaichi Case Files”), Yasuo Ohtagaki (“Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt”), Otsuichi (“Goth”), Tow Ubukata (“Mardock Scramble”) and Mari Yamazaki (“Thermae Romae”).
The six will develop new projects and Netflix will also explore ways to exploit these projects off-screen through publishing and consumer products. It follows on from deals Netflix made with five Japanese animation producers – Production I.G, bones, anima, David Production and Sublimation – last year.
Source: Crunchyroll & Netflix
