NYCC: Crunchyroll Announce Kaiju No. 8 and More Anime

 

Anime streaming service (and much more) Crunchyroll is a mainstay of convention season. At all the major events they host their trademark industry panel where they announce their latest acquisitions. New York Comic Con is no different.

At this year's NYCC panel, the new announcements were led by Kaiju No. 8. The highly anticipated new series is coming to Crunchyroll next spring, subtitled and dubbed in more than 200 countries and territories, simulcast weekly after it airs in Japan.

The series centers on a group of characters living in a Japan that is subject to frequent attacks from giant monsters- or Kaiju. It follows in a rich Japanese tradition of film and TV, probably most commonly associated in the West with men in rubber suits.

Kaiju No. 8 is animated by the world-renowned Production I.G. (Ghost In The Shell franchise), with Kaiju artwork and design supervision by Studio Khara (the Rebuild Of Evangelion franchise). The anime is based on the manga by Naoya Matsumoto.

During the panel, a message from Matsumoto was shared:

Hello from Japan to everyone attending New York Comic-Con. I'm the author of Kaiju No. 8, Naoya Matsumoto. It's a story about someone struggling in a harsh world without ever giving up, in the hopes of leading people into an even slightly brighter future. To anyone dealing with the complexities of reality that reads this manga, I hope it can help make your future a little brighter, too.

  

Next year when Kaiju No. 8 begins to air in America and worldwide, I'll be looking forward to seeing your reactions. I hope you're looking forward to it, too!

The story focuses on Kafka Hibino who aspires to join the Japan Defence Force and fight Kaiju. Kafka made a promise to his childhood best friend, Mina Ashiro to wipe out Kaiju together. Years later, Kafka is employed by Monster Sweeper Inc, who clean up in the aftermath of Kaiju attacks. Mina meanwhile is now the Captain in the third division of the JDF.

Here's the other titles announced during the panel:

Classroom of the Elite Season 3

Studio: Lerche

ETA: January 2024

Synopsis: Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School is a dream school which boasts a 100% employment and college entry rate and gifts points worth 100,000 yen to each of its students every month. Beneath that ideal exterior, though, it’s a meritocracy, affording preferential treatment to only a select few elites. With the third term approaching, Ayanokouji and his classmates, having moved up from Class D to Class C, are heading out for a school camping trip. There, they face a special exam known as the “mixed training camp” in which all class years participate. As the name suggests, groups of men and women are created from students from all classes, and the individual groups are scored. The students all tremble as they’re forced to work with students who were previously enemies to achieve high scores, facing the threat that any group that doesn’t achieve a certain benchmark will be expelled! The tumultuous third term is about to begin! 

 

 

Spice and Wolf: merchant meets the wise wolf

Studio: Passione

ETA: Coming Soon

Synopsis: Lawrence is a travelling merchant selling various goods from a horse-drawn cart. One day, he arrives at a village and meets a beautiful girl with the ears and tail of an animal! Her name is Holo the Wisewolf and she brings bountiful harvests. She wishes to return to her homeland, and Lawrence offers to take her. Now, the once-lonely merchant and the once-lonely wisewolf begin their journey north.

The Unwanted Undead Adventurer

Studio: CONNECT

ETA: 2024 

Synopsis: Rentt Faina has hunted monsters for the last 10 years. Sadly, he’s not great at his job, stuck hunting slimes and goblins for a few coins each day. His luck turns when he finds an undiscovered path. At the path’s end, he meets his demise in the maw of a legendary dragon. But, he wakes up as an undead bag of bones! He sets out to achieve Existential Evolution and rejoin the land of the living.

7th Time Loop : The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!

Studios: Studio KAI and HORNETS

ETA: 2024

Synopsis: Rishe Irmgard Weitzner, a duke's daughter, has a secret: she died at the age of 20 and returned to the moment five years prior when her engagement was called off. She has already experienced this time loop six times and lived out those five years a different way each time, as a merchant, a doctor, a maid, a knight, and more. Now, on her seventh go-around, she's determined to live to a ripe old age and spend it relaxing. But the moment she flees the castle with that decision in her heart, she runs into the infamously cruel crown prince of a rival kingdom, Arnold Hein. He happens to be the one who killed her during her life as a knight, but now, he seems to have taken a bizarre liking to her... and begs her to become his wife. Thus, in order to stay alive and prevent a war, Rishe utilises her previous experiences to kick off her seventh life as the bride of an enemy nation's crown prince. 

 

 

Sengoku Youko

Studio: WHITE FOX

ETA: January 2024

Synopsis: The world is divided into two factions: humans and monsters called katawara. Despite being a katawara, Tama loves humans and vows to protect them from evil, even if it means fighting her own kind. Her brother Jinka, however, hates humans, despite mostly being one. The siblings are joined by a cowardly swordsman named Shinsuke, who wants to learn how to become strong. When the group uncovers a plot to experiment on humans and transform them into monsters, they vow to defeat whoever is behind it... Even if it means battling an entire army of warriors.

The Foolish Angel Dances with the Devil

Studio: Children's Playground Entertainment

ETA: 2024 

Synopsis: Masatora Akutsu, a demon on a recruitment mission in a human high school, is drafting allies for Hell against the heavenly angels. But when seated beside the captivating Lily Amane, he’s in for a devilishly hilarious celestial surprise! 

 

 

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! Movie

Studio: SILVER LINK.

ETA: Coming Soon

Series Synopsis: Wealthy heiress Catarina Claes is hit in the head with a rock and recovers the memories of her past life. It turns out the world she lives in is the world of the game Fortune Lover, an otome game she was obsessed with in her past life... but she's been cast as the villain character who tries to foil the protagonist's romances! The best ending the game has for Catarina is exile, and the worst, death! She'll have to find a way to avoid triggering the flags of doom, and make her own happy future! The misunderstanding-based screwball love comedy now begins! 

 

 

Bye Bye, Earth

Studio: LINDEN FILMS

ETA: 2024

Synopsis: In a world of anthropomorphic animals, Belle Lablac was born as the only human being. Having no fangs, fur, or scales, she was called "Faceless," and she lived a lonely life with no one else she could identify with. "I want to be part of the world..." With such longing in her heart, she decides to set out on a journey to find her roots, carrying the Runding, a great sword as tall as she is. She doesn’t know how many adversities await her along the way… This masterpiece by the remarkable Tow Ubukata is considered to be his origin, and many have deemed it impossible to animate. But at long last, it will be adapted into anime form by the top creators that represent Japan!