Wit Studio’s New Anime Comes Out Next Month, but What Is It?

From original IPs like Vivy: Flourite Eyes Song to acclaimed works like Ranking of Kings or their collaboration with CloverWorks on Spy x Family, Wit Studio has killed it these past few years. But their newest project, Moonrise, has been steadily forgotten about, mainly because there’s hardly been a peep about it since it was announced over two years ago.

Originally announced on June 8, 2022, Moonrise is an original science fiction story created by Tow Ubukata (Ghost in the Shell: Arise) and directed by Masashi Koizuka (Attack on Titan). Later that year, a trailer was dropped, confirming the involvement of Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiromu Arakawa as the character designer, along with a 2024 release window.

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What Is Wit Studio’s Moonrise?

At the time that the project was originally announced, a prologue novel penned by Ubukata was released on Amazon for free with Kindle Unlimited or for .99 cents to buy. It was translated to English by Matt Treyvaud and included a foreword by Wit Studio president George Wada describing the story and hyping up the animated series thusly:

Pitching a new story is one thing, but this was a pretty bold promise for an original IP. The trailer released a few months later lacked dialog, but spoke volumes with Ryo Kawasaki’s (To Your Eternity, Black Butler) powerful and cinematic score paired with Arakawa’s gorgeous character art. A war between a resistance on the Moon and the “peaceful inhabitants” of Earth was the sole plot hook to go off of.

Two and a Half Years Later…

For the longest time, there wasn’t much news beyond what the trailer and press releases disclosed. 2024 – a release window that already seemed so far away in 2022 – came and went. Last month, we even reported on the speculation that Moonrise was indefinitely delayed. The universe sure has a sense of humor because on March 7, Netflix broke their silence and confirmed that the project was not delayed but, in fact, coming out on April 10. Despite that, there is no new preview as of the time of writing, nor much expansion on the premise.

If anyone read the prologue novel, more plot details make Earth seem considerably more culpable than the briefest plot synopses would suggest. In this future, humanity relies on an AI network called Sapiential to make its decisions, one such monumental decision being the launch of a project that sends criminals and so-called ‘pollutants’ to the moon. Bogged down by poverty and oppression, they declare war against Earth. Enter the protagonist, Jacob Shadow, who enters the war to avenge his murdered family.

The Staff Behind Moonrise

Along with the release date, Netflix shared new staff information. Ayumi Yamada and Satoshi Kadowaki serve as the chief animation directors for Moonrise. Yamada was the AD for Seraph of the End, Banana Fish, and Attack on Titan Season 2. Kadowaki was one of the original chief ADs on Attack on Titan across seasons 1-3, as well as Guilty Crown, Vinland Saga, and Wit Studio’s 2022 film Bubble.

Color designer Satoshi Hashimoto has previously worked on Dandadan, Spy x Family, Beastars, Vinland Saga, Trigun Stampede, Ranking of Kings, and many more. If you’re noticing a pattern, it’s because much of the staff is comprised of Wit Studio regulars. Background artists Satoshi Takabatake and Kazushi Fuji worked on Spy x Family, Vivy, Vampire in the Garden, and Great Pretender, among their work across the industry.

The Director and Writer

As for the staff that we already knew about, director Koizuka made a name for himself as an animator long before he helped make Attack on Titan the sensation it became. Later, he even directed seasons 2 and 3 under its original director, Tetsuro Araki. Koizuka is also the director of Wit Studio’s upcoming remake of One Piece, which will surely skyrocket him to even greater recognition.

Tow Ubukata is a writer who can be divisive, depending on who you ask, and not solely because of controversy involving his personal affairs. As a storyteller – particularly one within the sci-fi genre – he can conjure bold ideas, but his execution can vary. His Mardock Scramble series is well regarded, but his contributions to Ghost in the Shell and Psycho-Pass, in particular, have been met with criticism.

If it’s any consolation for those skeptical of his work, though, it’s important to note that while Ubukata is credited as the original creator, Koizuka is credited with series composition. Now, considering this is Koizuka’s first credit as such, it isn’t saying a whole lot, but it’s worth keeping in mind, depending on how the story pans out upon release.

Will Moonrise Take to the Skies?

Netflix’s approach to marketing its content is one of debatable competence, but this is a special case. If Moonrise truly is as exciting as its singular trailer makes it seem – or as groundbreaking as Wit’s CEO claims – two years of radio silence can’t have been good for it. Contrary to the rumors from February, it is not indefinitely delayed, but one wonders how much of the surrounding context behind those rumors was true.

It’s tempting to say that it’s too early to tell, but the years past are plenty telling in themselves, and all that’s left is to wait for Moonrise to hit Netflix on April 10 and see how true the rumors were. As of the time of writing, there is no confirmed episode count nor a confirmation of whether the full series will drop at once or if episodes will be released weekly.

Moonrise will be available to stream on Netflix on April 10.

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Sources: ANN [Link 1][Link 2][Link 3]