The official website for Sae Okamoto’s Mecha-Ude project has unveiled exciting details about the upcoming anime series. Set to debut in 2024; the anime will feature a talented main staff and cast, as shown in the first promotional video.
The project’s production team initially released a pilot anime video in May 2019, followed by an English dub. The Mecha-Ude project gained substantial support through a Kickstarter campaign, raising an impressive US$67,918 from October to November 2016.
Additionally, a Japanese Campfire crowdfunding campaign exceeded its goal, raising 4,849,500 Yen (around US$44,000) before concluding in March 2018. The anticipation for the anime series grew when Pony Canyon announced its production in September 2022. And if all that wasn’t enough, Anime Expo held the world premiere of the anime’s first episode on July 2, 2023.
The power of friendship, the weak main character who becomes overpowered after the training arc, and the antagonist who wants to take over the world. What comes to your mind? Shonen, right? Now, take all these elements and add mecha to it, and you get Mecha-Ude. A new mecha shounen anime is coming your way. Are you ready for it?
Mecha-Ude Releases in 2024
Mecha-Ude is a Japanese manga series that combines elements of mecha and shounen genres. Created by anime director Sae Okamoto, the manga was serialized from 2017 to 2019 and has gained an impressive following for its unique premise and dynamic artwork.
Okamoto will also be directing the anime at the Fukuoka-based TriF Studio. Yasuhiro Nakanishi is in charge of the script-writing, Terumi Nishi and Yoko Uchida are designing the characters. The concept artist and designer for Mecha-Ude is Nurikabe. The music for the anime is composed by DAIKI from AWSM, Hiroyuki Sawano and Kohta Yamamoto.
The cast of the anime includes Toshiyuki Toyonaga voicing Hikaru, Tomokazu Sugita voicing Alma, Yu Shimamura voicing Aki, Romi Park voicing Kagami, and finally Yūichi Nakamura voicing Fist.
The Plot of Mecha-Ude
Welcome to Kitakagami City, an ordinary town with a not-so-ordinary secret. In Kitakagami, a select few have gained possession of Mecha-Ude, powerful mechanical beings that attach themselves to their hosts’ limbs. Enter Hikaru, a weak and powerless middle school student. Little does Hikaru know that his life is about to take a turn when he encounters a robotic limb known as Alma, a mysterious Mecha-Ude with no recollection of its past.
As an unlikely bond forms between Hikaru and Alma, they find themselves pursued by shady organizations and deadly assassins, all desperate to claim Alma for themselves. Together, Hikaru and Alma must uncover the truth behind Alma’s past and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
However, Mecha-Ude is not mainly focused on explosive action. It talks of the ups and downs of Hikaru’s character, exploring his growth as an individual and his journey toward self-discovery. Through the challenges he faces and the friends he makes along the way, Hikaru learns valuable life lessons and uncovers truths about himself. Where have I heard this before?
Mecha-Ude, the debut work from the new studio TriF, takes us back to the days of experimental OVAs and specials that anime fans used to love. It makes me feel as if I’m watching Gainax’s heyday or the creativity found in young animator training projects.
With a team consisting mostly of new talents who bring a fresh twist to familiar concepts, this anime proves to be one of the more successful projects born out of a crowdfunding campaign. This anime looks very promising, from the animation to the premise and characters; I think the anime community is in for the most fun they’ve had in a while.
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