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Granblue Fantasy Anime Season 2's 1st Promo Reveals Revamped MAPPA Staff, Cast, October 4 Debut

The official website and Twitter account for the Granblue Fantasy the Animation television anime series began streaming Season 2's first promotional video on Saturday. The video announces the new season's revamped staff at MAPPA and cast:

Yui Umemoto (Cardfight!! Vanguard G) is directing the new season at MAPPA, instead of the first season's series director Ayako Kurata and director Yuuki Itoh at A-1 Pictures. Kiyoko Yoshimura (Cardfight!! Vanguard G, The Legend of the Legendary Heroes, Garo -Vanishing Line-) is the new writer in charge of the series scripts. Fumihide Sai (Shugo Chara!, Gokujyo. Gokurakuin Joshi Kōryō Monogatari) is the new character designer.

The other new staff members include color key artist Yukie Noguchi, art director Nobuhito Sue, CG director Shunsaku Usui, compositing director of photography Yoshihisa Oyama, editor Keisuke Yanagi, sound director Yui Umemoto, sound effects artist Toshiya Wada, and the sound production studio dugout.

However, Tsutomu Narita and Yasunori Nishiki are returning to compose the music.

The cast members reprising their roles include:

• Yūki Ono as Gran
• Nao Tōyama as Lyria
• Rie Kugimiya as Vyrn
• Miyuki Sawashiro as Katalina
• Hiroaki Hirata as Rackam
• Yukari Tamura as Io
• Rie Tanaka as Rosetta
• Emiri Katō as Sierokarte

Keiji Fujiwara is returning to the role of Eugen, after Kazuhiro Yamaji replaced him in Season 1 during Fujiwara's medical leave.

The series will premiere on October 4, and it will run on the Tokyo MX, Tochigi TV, Gunma TV, BS11, MBS, and AT-X channels. AbemaTV and other services will stream the anime in Japan.

The website and Twitter account also presented the first key visual:

The tagline for the new season reads, "Once again now, to the vast blue skies…" The season will depict the new journey of the boy Gran — who came of age through adventure while heading for Estalucia, Island of Stars — and the girl Lyria who fell from the skies.

The staff introduces the new season's story:

The boy, who looked up to the skies and aimed for the Island of Stars, has linked his fate and life with the mysterious blue-haired girl who fell from the skies. What the boy and girl encountered on their journey were companions they could count on and then an airship heading to their destination.

The two deepened their bonds and came of age while evading the pursuing empire and encountering the Primal Beasts. However, their path to the Island of Stars is but half complete. The boy and girl advance to their next journey with their companions.

The first anime season of Cygames' Granblue Fantasy smartphone game premiered in Japan on April 1, 2017 and ran for 13 episodes. The show's seventh and final Blu-ray Disc and DVD volume included an unaired episode titled "EXTRA 2" when it shipped on October 25, 2017.

Aniplex of America streamed the first season on the services Crunchyroll, Daisuki, and Anime Strike. Aniplex has since released the first anime season in two Blu-ray Disc sets last year.

Aniplex of America describes the story of the first season:

This is a world of the skies, where many islands drift in the sky. A boy named Gran and a talking winged lizard named Vyrn lived in Zinkenstill, an island which yields mysteries. One day, they come across a girl named Lyria. Lyria had escaped from the Erste Empire, a military government that is trying to rule over this world using powerful military prowess. In order to escape from the Empire, Gran and Lyria head out into the vast skies, holding the letter Gran's father left behind - which said, "I will be waiting at Estalucia, Island of Stars".

The Zankutinzeru-Hen (Zinkenstill Arc) anime special debuted on Tokyo MX and the ABEMA TV streaming service in Japan on January 21, 2017, before the main television series. Crunchyroll, Daisuki, and Anime Strike also streamed that special.

Sources: Granblue Fantasy the Animation's website, MoCa