Disney+ is the latest streaming platform to join the anime game and here's every anime coming to the streamer. As Disney+ prepares to enter more markets in the Asia Pacific region — South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong — in November 2021, the media giant is looking to add more Asian-Pacific programming to its roster. On top of K-dramas, J-dramas, and documentaries, four new original anime will be hitting Disney+.
As anime like My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer bring the anime genre into the mainstream, more and more U.S. companies have embraced Japanese and Japanese-style animation. Netflix jumped into the anime market with original anime like Record of Ragnarok, Devilman Crybaby, and The Seven Deadly Sins. Sony Pictures Entertainment — which already owns Funimation and Aniplex, two major players in the anime game — has recently purchased Crunchyroll, one of the largest anime and manga distributors in the United States. Disney+ has already proven it has what it takes to create a successful animated series with Marvel's What If...? and Star Wars: Visions. Now, it's trying its hand in the anime market.
So far, there is no confirmation on when the four new anime will hit international markets. All four series are expected to launch on Disney+ in Japan in 2022, but it is unknown when these titles will be available to stream in the United States and other countries. Still, anime enthusiasts have some big titles to look forward to from Disney+.
Black Rock Shooter: Dawn Fall
Black Rock Shooter: Dawn Fall is a reboot anime based on the popular Japanese franchise Black Rock Shooter. The series originated from character concepts by the artist Ryohei "Huke" Fuke in 2007. The main character, Black Rock Shooter, is a mysterious 15-year-old girl who has a blazing blue eye and an oversized cannon that can shoot up to 20 rocks per second. What started out as Huke wanting to draw a girl with a weapon evolved into a franchise after a music video animation to Supercell's Vocaloid Hatsune Miku song "Black Rock Shooter" went viral. After multiple anime and video game adaptations, Black Rock Shooter is returning for another series.
So far, little information has been released about Disney+'s anime reboot series, which follows the current Hollywood trend of animated reboots and spinoff shows. The official website has announced a spring 2022 release, but there is no information surrounding the cast or plot of Black Rock Shooter: Dawn Fall. Previous adaptations of Huke's art have attempted to provide a plot for his character concepts, revolving around Mato Kuroi, Yomi Takanashi, and their friends as the high schoolers were forced to fight against one another as virtual avatars in an alternate reality. While it's possible the reboot may pick up a similar plot, the ten-year gap between the 2012 and 2022 anime may mean the series is due for an overhaul.
Summer Time Rendering
Summer Time Rendering is a Japanese anime based on the manga of the same name. Running in the manga magazine and app Shonen Jump+ from October 2017 to September 2021, Summer Time Rendering became one of the platform's top manga, accumulating over 130 million page views. The manga is written and illustrated by Yasuki Tanaka, the author of Kagijin who has previously worked with Kohei Horikoshi, the creator of My Hero Academia.
Summer Time Rendering tells the story of Shinpei Ajiro, a young boy who returns to his hometown for the funeral of his childhood friend, Ushio. However, upon returning to Wakayama City and reuniting with his childhood friend's family, Shinpei begins to realize that something strange is happening on his home island of Hitogashima. So far, no voice cast members have been announced for Summer Time Rendering, though a live-action adaptation and a real escape game for the series were announced at the same time as the Disney+ anime adaptation.
Yojohan Time Machine Blues
Yojohan Time Machine Blues is a new animated series that will serve as a sequel to The Tatami Galaxy, an anime based on the Japanese novel by Tomihiko Morimi. After the high success of Tatami Galaxy, the novel's sequel — Yojojan Time Machine Blues — will be receiving its own anime adaptation by production studio Science SARU, which has produced anime like Space Dandy and Devilman Crybaby.
The Tatami Galaxy follows an unnamed high school student's life through parallel universes. Each universe explores what his high school life could have looked like if he pursued different campus clubs, though he is often disappointed by the results. The sequel, which was published in July 2020, follows the protagonist and his "terrible friend," Ozu, as they use a time machine in order to recover a broken remote for their air conditioning unit while dealing with the protagonist's affections for his love interest, Akashi. The staff has revealed that most of the original cast are returning to reprise their roles, including Shintarō Asanuma (Nishiki Nishio of Tokyo Ghoul) as the protagonist, Hiroyuki Yoshino (Present Mic of My Hero Academia) as Ozu, and Maaya Sakamoto (Akito Sōma of Fruits Basket) as Akashi.
Twisted Wonderland
Disney: Twisted Wonderland is an anime adaptation of the popular Japanese mobile game of the same name, which was published and developed by Aniplex in 2020. Twisted Wonderland is highly successful in Japan, with over 1.5 million downloads. Unfortunately, the game is only available in Japan at the moment, and it's unknown if the game will ever be adapted for a Western release. The game concept is credited to Yana Toboso, creator of the popular manga Black Butler. The game was adapted into a manga in March 2021 by Wakana Hazuki and Sumire Kowono. So far, plot and cast details for Twisted Wonderland haven't been announced, and it is unknown if the anime will use the manga for inspiration.
The mobile phone game follows the main character as they discover a magical training school, Night Raven College, on the other side of a magic mirror. The main character interacts with Disney movie villains who have been given the anime-style treatment as they represent their respective dormitories, which each represent seven different Disney licenses: Alice in Wonderland, The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Hercules. While the plot for the series is still unknown, concept art shared on Disney+ Japan's Twitter reveals that each of the seven representatives that fans have come to love will be featured in the anime.