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The worldwide hit online RPG is coming to Japan and becoming an anime. On Feb. 7, NC Japan announced a domestic TV anime adaptation of Blade & Soul that will begin broadcasting in April. The aim is for the TV anime to rapidly expand the familiarity of Blade & Soul and for both the game and anime to become hits.
Production on the anime was a surprise announcement, but there were already plans for it to begin broadcasting on TBS Keiretsu in April. Also, a special stage event for the Blade & Soul anime will take place at the large-scale anime event AnimeJapan 2014 on March 23. Aoi Yūki, Sayaka Ohara, Sora Amamiya, and Ayahi Takagaki from the voice cast will hold a discussion and screening.
Blade & Soul is a South Korean MMORPG that was seven years in the making and cost a total of ￥5 billion to produce. The game is set in a world after 1,000 years of peace and weaves together martial arts and Qing Gong into brutal, frantic combat. The game has already become a huge hit in South Korea and China and it is finally coming to Japan this year. A special site also opened on Feb. 7. From here on, various developments are expected, but the first development that is catching buzz is the TV anime being developed concurrently with the Japanese version of the game.
Creating the anime is Gonzo. Directing are Hiroshi Takeuchi and Hiroshi Hamasaki from Steins;Gate. Others taking part include Atsuhiro Tomioka, who has worked on the Pokémon series, as series composer and Eri Osada as character designer and chief animation director.
Source: animeanime
Source article written by Yushi Makari
© NCSOFT, Blade & Soul Anime Production Committee
