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The Aniplex Anime Fest 2022 took place on Saturday, September 24, and brought with it a plethora of anime news and information. From Bleach: TYBW to the recently announced NieR:Automata, anime household classics, and new hot shows all had their spotlight moments at the online convention.
Also present at Aniplex Anime Fest 2022 was the new Rurouni Kenshin reboot panel, which revealed its cast, staff, and a 2023 reboot in the series’ first trailer. A lot of information regarding the TV formatted rebroadcast of Studio 4॰C’s Berserk: The Golden Age Arc film trilogy was also provided.
Follow along as this article fully breaks down the Aniplex Anime Fest 2022, including the exciting news mentioned above.
Trailers, cast and staff announcements, and more from biggest classics and up-and-comers dominate Aniplex Anime Fest 2022
Bleach: TYBW
Kicking off the list is the upcoming, highly-anticipated Bleach: TYBW series, which presented a new short trailer at Aniplex Anime Fest 2022. The trailer seems mainly composed of shots from previous trailers, with the new additions focusing on Orihime and Sado, with the majority of the dialogues spoken by them.
At Aniplex Anime Fest 2022, the adaptation team also confirmed that the series will premiere on October 10 at 24:00 JST (which is October 11 at 12 AM JST). While Viz Media will be hosting the North American premiere of the series at New York Comic Con on October 8, the event description for said premiere confirms that a simulcast will be available.
Although no official information on where to simulcast the series has been made as of this article’s writing, it seems that Disney did indeed acquire streaming rights. With Crunchyroll’s full Fall 2022 schedule released earlier this week and Bleach: TYBW nowhere in sight, it’s almost certain that Disney+ will be the place to go for Bleach: TYBW.
Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin’s reboot TV anime had a strong presence at Aniplex Anime Fest 2022, where the series revealed its main staff and cast, and a new trailer for the upcoming project. A general release window of 2023 and the series premiere on Fuji TV’s Noitamina programming block were also announced.
The anime will re-adapt the main manga series, which will most likely be an extremely faithful and high-quality adaptation. With the original Rurouni Kenshin series being replete with filler, fans are expecting the upcoming reboot to be purely canonical, especially given the emphasis on re-adaptation of the main manga series.
NieR:Automata Ver1.1a
The NieR:Automata anime adaptation, officially entitled NieR:Automata Ver1.1a, was a huge hit at the Aniplex Anime Fest 2022. The series announced a January 2023 release window, two character videos featuring what appear to be anime scenes, and an eight-minute English-subtitled cast and staff interview.
The two-character videos focus on 2B, played by Yui Ishikawa, and 9S, played by Natsuki Hanae. A key visual for each of the aforementioned two were also revealed during the panel. Assuming the anime adaptation follows the same basic narrative structure as the games, fans can expect these two featured characters to be their protagonists for the majority of the series.
Ayakashi Triangle
At Aniplex Anime Fest 2022, the Ayakashi Triangle anime announced its cast as well as released its second teaser visual. The series also announced a January 2023 release window, as well as revealed the staff and studio for the upcoming series.
The anime is an adaptation of Kentaro Yabuki’s original manga of the same name, focusing on ninja exorcist Kazamaki Matsuri who finds himself transformed into a girl by a cat ayakashi. Now, he must continue fighting evil spirits while going to school and balancing teenage life, all while in a new feminine body and looking for a way to turn back.
Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence
The Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence TV anime released a promo video at the Aniplex Anime Fest 2022. The video reveals a general premiere window of April 2023, as well as the series' main cast members and a new key visual.
Hime Sawada has been cast as Cecilia, with Kaito Ishikawa as the titular Pastor Lawrence. The series takes a slice-of-life approach, with Pastor Lawrence doing his best to support Saint Cecilia in her endeavors while remaining true to her wisdom-sharing, benevolent ways.
Mashle: Magic and Muscles
At Aniplex Anime Fest 2022, the anime adaptation of the manga series Mashle: Magic and Muscles debuted a new promotional video. The promo video revealed that Chiaki Kobayashi will play protagonist Mash Burnadead, as well as the anime’s 2023 premiere window as a "complete" anime adaptation.
The series is set in a magical world where magic power means everything, with protagonist Mash Burnadead unable to use it. Instead, he spends his time strength training, becoming one of the strongest people in the series. Now, he’s set to enroll in a magical school, relying on nothing but his muscles to provide a better life for him and his father.
Solo Leveling
The Solo Leveling panel at Aniplex Anime Fest 2022 was the perfect definition of short and sweet. While much of the information covered, as well as the video shown, was already known from the adaptation's initial announcement, the hosts did present two concept sketches for protagonist Sung Jin-Woo.
The first shows Jin-Woo as an E-rank hunter before his demise early on in the series, with the second showing Jin-Woo after his demise in a transformed state. While both designs appear to be sticking to the original manhwa version, the official colors are unknown as of this article’s writing, meaning some differences between the two mediums may still appear.
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai sequel anime
The Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai anime series announced an upcoming, currently untitled sequel anime at Aniplex Anime Fest 2022. The sequel anime will adapt the 8th and 9th light novels in the series, entitled Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out and Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid, respectively.
Along with the announcement, a short trailer was released, as well as some staff and cast announcements. No release window is currently available for the upcoming sequel series as of this article’s writing.
Fate/strange Fake -Whispers of Dawn-
The Fate/strange Fake spinoff story from Ryohgo Narita was announced as having a TV anime special. Fate/strange Fake -Whispers of Dawn- is set to premiere on December 31, airing as part of the annual Fate Project New Year’s TV Special. The special will be released simultaneously with English subtitles, with Aniplex of America in charge of dubbing.
Staff and cast information for the series was also announced in a short teaser preview for the special. The story will follow a new Holy Grail War waged between Mages and Heroes at Snowfield, a city in the western United States.
ATRI: My Dear Moments
One of the more intriguing announcements from Aniplex Anime Fest 2022 was that the ATRI: My Dear Moments game will be getting a television anime adaptation at TROYCA studios. A short preview of the film was also released alongside the announcement, mainly showing off the show’s setting as well as revealing staff information.
The all-ages game was also announced as receiving a manga adaptation, set to premiere in the November issue of Kadokawa’s Comptiq magazine on October 7. The series follows Ikaruga Natsuki and ATRI, with the two meeting due to extraordinary circumstances having to do with Ikaruga’s grandmother and what she left behind.
My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999
My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 announced its TV anime adaptation at Aniplex Anime Fest 2022. The panel also revealed its main cast members, Inori Minase as Akane and Kouki Uchiyama as Yamada, as well as key staff members for the adaptation.
The series focuses on the recently-dumped Amane, who meets Yamada right before quitting the RPG she and her ex-boyfriend used to play. While Yamada in real life turns out to be incredibly impressive, his only interest seems to be in the game. The series follows Akane's developing feelings as they clash with Yamada's tunnel-vision focus on the game.
Tomo-chan is a Girl
At Aniplex Anime Fest 2022, the Tomo-chan is a Girl anime series revealed a new video as well as new cast members for the upcoming adaptation. The panel also reconfirmed the series’ January 2023 release window, as well as previous staff and cast information while announcing the latest staff additions.
The series follows tomboy Tomo Aizawa, who finally musters the courage to tell childhood friend Jun of her crush on him. However, the confession goes right over his head, as it’s revealed that he didn’t even realize Tomo was a girl until middle school, still thinking of her "as a bro" now. The series follows Tomo-chan as she tries to convince him otherwise, winning his heart as a result.
The Misfit of Demon King Academy II
Aniplex Anime Fest 2022 saw The Misfit of Demon King Academy II reveal both a new key visual and a new promotional video for the upcoming sequel season. Also revealed alongside these two promotional pieces was a January, 2023 release window for the series.
The season will also be airing in split cours, meaning the string of releases beginning in January will only cover the first segment of the sequel season. Beyond this information, one of the more interesting announcements for the series was the announcement that Tatsuhisa Suzuki would be replacing Yuichiro Umehara as the voice of lead character Anos.
Raven of the Inner Palace
While no new trailer or additional cast or staff information was released at Aniplex Anime Fest 2022, Raven of the Inner Palace did still find a way to make a splash. Fans were treated to a sneak peek at the first episode of the series, which was shown exclusively at the fest.
The series revolves around a Chinese imperial concubine who is free of the typical night-time duties one would expect of her position. Instead, she uses her mysterious powers at night, which she conceals behind a veil of elegance and beauty during the day.
