“This is an experiment to guide the world filled with wars to peace.”
SANTA MONICA, CA (November 1, 2017) – Aniplex of America announced on their Facebook Live show yesterday that they will be releasing the Sci-Fi anime series, KIZNAIVER, as a complete Blu-ray set with Crunchyroll later this year. The Blu-ray set will include textless opening and ending, collectible cards and box illustration by Original Character Designer, Shirow Miwa (Katsugeki/TOUKEN RANBU), and Blu-ray case illustrated by Character Designer, Mai Yoneyama (Sword Art Online). The Complete Blu-ray Set is currently accepting preorders and will be released on December 26th at RightStuf and the Crunchyroll store.
The original anime series, produced by acclaimed studio TRIGGER (KILL la KILL) and written by Mari Okada (anohana – The Flower We Saw That Day-), is a perfect blend of TRIGGER’s signature dynamic style and Mari Okada’s poignant and emotive storytelling. KIZNAIVER centers around Katsuhira Agata and his classmates in a fictional Japanese city called Sugomori City. After being selected for an experimental program, Katsuhira and his classmates are connected as “Kiznaivers” and now share each other’s pain. In a 2016 review of the series, Anime News Network’s Nick Creamer writes, “This was a show about people coming to terms with both their own feelings and the inscrutable feelings of those around them.” The title for the series is a play on words for the Japanese words for pain and bond or kizu and kizuna.
The Japanese cast stars Yuki Kaji (Magi franchise, Occultic;Nine) as Katsuhira Agata, Hibiku Yamamura (Durarara!!x2, Hell Girl) as Noriko Sonozaki, Yuka Terasaki (Your Lie in April, WWW.WAGNARIA!!) as Chidori Takashiro, Tomoaki Maeno (God Eater, BLEND-S) as Hajime Tenga, Nobunaga Shimazaki (Fate/Grand Order – First Order-, Eromanga Sensei) as Tsugihito Yuta, Rina Satoh (Blue Exorcist –Kyoto Saga-, Gurren Lagann) as Honoka Maki, and Misaki Kuno (March comes in like a lion, Durarara!!x2) as Nico Niyama. The English version was produced by Crunchyroll in association with Ocean Media Inc. with English voice direction by Karl Willems (Dragon Ball Z, Inuyasha).
KIZNAIVER Complete Blu-ray Set includes:
<BD Features>
- Spoken Languages: Japanese & English
- Subtitles: English
- Aspect ratio: 16:9 widescreen
- Episodes: #1-#12 (12 Episodes)
- Number of Disc: 2 Blu-ray Discs
- Total Run Time: Approx. 300 minutes
- Rating: 13 UP
<Bonus Contents>
- Textless Opening
- Textless Ending
* Bonus contents are subject to change
<Bonus Materials & Package>
- Collectible Cards Illustration by Shirow Miwa (Original Character Designer)
- Box Illustration by Shirow Miwa (Original Character Designer)
- Blu-ray Case Illustration by Mai Yoneyama (Character Designer)
STAFF
- Original Story: TRIGGER / MARI OKADA
- Director: HIROSHI KOBAYASHI
- Series Composition / Screenplay: MARI OKADA
- Original Character Design: SHIROW MIWA
- Character Design: MAI YONEYAMA
- Animation Production: TRIGGER
- English Version Production By: CRUNCHYROLL
- In Association With: OCEAN MEDIA INC.
- English Voice Director: KARL WILLEMS
- English Adaptation Script: MARK MACDONALD
- Blu-ray Production: ANIPLEX OF AMERICA INC.
CAST (Japanese/English)
- Katsuhira Agata: YUKI KAJI / RYLAN STRACHAN
- Noriko Sonozaki: HIBIKU YAMAMURA / NATASHA STRICKEY
- Chidori Takashiro: YUKA TERASAKI / CAITLYNNE MEDREK
- Hajime Tenga: TOMOAKI MAENO / LUCAS GILBERTSON
- Tsugihito Yuta: NOBUNAGA SHIMAZAKI / SCOTT ROBERTS
- Honoka Maki: RINA SATOH / LORI BACHYNSKI
- Nico Niyama: MISAKI KUNO / KATRINA SALISBURY
- Yoshiharu Hisomu: KOUTAROU NISHIYAMA / HANS WACKERSHAUSER
- Kazunao Yamada: JUNICHI SUWABE / MICHAEL ADAMTHWAITE
- Mutsumi Urushibara: MIE SONOZAKI / JENNIFER CAMERON
About KIZNAIVER:
The story is set in Sugomori-city, built in a reclaimed land, which was once prosperous as a futuristic city.
Katsuhira Agata, a high school boy who is living in the city, has a strange body which can feel no pain at all and he doesn’t know why. Before summer vacation, by the guidance of a mysterious girl named Noriko Sonozaki, he is chosen as a member of “Kiznaiver,” a group of people who share pain. Then he finds his classmates who are also connected as “Kiznaiver,” however, they originally belong to different groups that never got along.
Sonozaki says, “This is an experiment to guide the world filled with wars to peace.” Following her words, they have to face various trials.
One summer story of boys and girls who have to share each other’s wounds begins.
For more details on KIZNAIVER, please visit: www.kiznaiver.jp/en
Featured Image Credit: Aniplex Of America/Sony