News Reporting

Kunihiko Ikuhara Gets New Show, Titled Sarazanmai – Studio & Trailer Revealed Also


Don’t worry, that high-pitched squeal was just me trying to hold back my excitement!

Earlier today, an official website and Twitter account launched for Kunihiko Ikuhara’s newest anime project. The first staff members and trailer for the project, titled Sarazanmai, were also unveiled.

We break the details down below.

Trailer

The 19-second promo features a deep-voiced narrator, who speaks over a scrolling visual. The teaser confirms a 2019 première for the show. The tagline at the end states “Don’t surrender, desire is your life.”

Staff

The series will be produced by studios MAPPA and Lapin Track. “Ikunirappa” is credited with the original concept.

Broadcast

Sarazanmai will hit Japanese TV in 2019.

This is the first original project from Kunihiko Ikuhara since his 2015’s Yurikuma Arashi.

Ikuhara, himself, has been active in the anime industry since 1986. He started his career at Toei Animation, where he cut his teeth as assistant director on shows like Maple Town Monogatari and Akuma-kun.

Ikuhara received his big break in 1993, when he took the director’s chair for Sailor Moon R and Sailor Moon S.

In 1996, Ikuhara left Toei to form the Be-PaPas creative group with manga artist Chiho Saito, animator Hasegawa Shinya, producer Okuro Yuuichiro, and writer writer Yōji Enokido. The collective crafted Revolutionary Girl Utena, which consisted of a manga by Saito and an anime that Ikuhara directed at J.C. Staff.

Following the Utena franchise, Ikuhara collaborated on manga title The World Exists for Me and novel Schell Bullet. He also served as supervisor for the English dub for Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie – Adolescence of Utena.

In 2011, Ikuhara returned to the director’s chair with Mawaru Penguindrum.

Sources: Comic Natalie, Otakomu, Animate Times

About the author

Samantha Ferreira

Samantha Ferreira is Anime Herald’s founder and editor-in-chief. A Rhode Island native, Samantha has been an anime fan since 1992, and an active member of the anime press since 2002, when she began working as a reviewer for Anime Dream. She launched Anime Herald in 2010, and continues to oversee its operations to this day. Outside of journalism, Samantha actively studies the history of the North American anime fandom and industry, with a particular focus on the 2000s anime boom and bust. She’s a huge fan of all things Sakura Wars, and maintains series fansite Combat Revue Review when she has free time available. When not in the Anime Herald Discord, Samantha can typically be found on Bluesky.

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