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Crunchyroll to Stream Kaiju No. 8, Spice and Wolf, The Unwanted Undead Adventurer, 7th Time Loop, Sengoku Youko, More Anime

ANN's coverage of New York Comic Con 2023 sponsored by Ize Press!

Crunchyroll announced during its New York Comic Con panel on Friday that it will exclusively stream the Kaiju No. 8 anime in Japanese with English subtitles and with an English dub in spring 2024. The company unveiled the world premiere trailer for the Bye Bye, Earth anime. Crunchyroll also revealed that it will stream the Spice and Wolf: merchant meets the wise wolf, The Unwanted Undead Adventurer, 7th Time Loop : The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!, Sengoku Youko, and The Foolish Angel Dances with the Devil, Classroom of the Elite Season 3 anime, as well as the My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! Movie.

The anime of Naoya Matsumoto's Kaiju No. 8 manga will premiere in April 2024. Crunchyroll unveiled a trailer:

Viz Media licensed the manga. The company releases chapters digitally and physically. Shueisha publishes the manga on its Manga Plus service under the title Monster #8, and it describes the story:

A man working a job far removed from his childhood dreams gets wrapped up in an unexpected situation…! Becoming a monster, he aims once again to fulfill his lifelong dream…!

Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell) is handling animation production, and Studio Khara (Rebuild of Evangelion) is in charge of kaiju designs and artworks.

The anime adaptation of Tow Ubukata's Bye Bye, Earth novel will run on the WOWOW subscription television channel in Japan, and will stream on Crunchyroll "in more than 200 countries and territories." Crunchyroll streamed the first-look world premiere trailer:

Crunchyroll describes the story:

In a world of anthropomorphic animals, Belle Lablac was born as the only human being. Having no fangs, fur, or scales, she was called "Faceless," and she lived a lonely life with no one else she could identify with. "I want to be part of the world..." With such longing in her heart, she decides to set out on a journey to find her roots, carrying the Runding, a great sword as tall as she is. She doesn't know how many adversities await her along the way… This masterpiece by the remarkable Tow Ubukata is considered to be his origin, and many have deemed it impossible to animate. But at long last, it will be adapted into anime form by the top creators that represent Japan!

Ubukata's Bye-Bye, Earth fantasy novel first shipped in two volumes in December 2000 with art by Yoshitaka Amano. The work then received a new four-volume edition from 2007 to 2008 with illustrations by Hyung-tae Kim.

Spice and Wolf: merchant meets the wise wolf (Ōkami to Kōshinryō: merchant meets the wise wolf), the new anime based on Isuna Hasekura's Spice & Wolf light novel series, will premiere in 2024.

Yen Press publishes the novels in English, and it describes the series:

The life of a traveling merchant is a lonely one, a fact with which Kraft Lawrence is well acquainted. Wandering from town to town with just his horse, cart, and whatever wares have come his way, the peddler has pretty well settled into his routine—that is, until the night Lawrence finds a wolf goddess asleep in his cart. Taking the form of a fetching girl with wolf ears and a tail, Holo has wearied of tending to harvests in the countryside and strikes up a bargain with the merchant to lend him the cunning of “Holo the Wisewolf” to increase his profits in exchange for taking her along on his travels. What kind of businessman could turn down such an offer? Lawrence soon learns, though, that having an ancient goddess as a traveling companion can be a bit of a mixed blessing. Will this wolf girl turn out to be too wild to tame?

Takeo Takahashi is returning to the franchise, this time as chief director. Hijiri Sanpei (Spice and Wolf II episode director) is directing the anime at studio Passione. Kevin Penkin (Made in Abyss, Tower of God, The Rising of the Shield Hero) is composing the music. ENISHIYA is producing the series.

The television anime adaptation of Yū Okano's The Unwanted Undead Adventurer (Nozomanu Fushi no Bōkensha) light novel series will debut in 2024.

J-Novel Club is publishing both the light novel series and the manga adaptation in English, and it describes the dark fantasy story:

Rentt Faina, a twenty-five-year-old adventurer, has been hacking away at monsters for a decade. However, without much talent for the job, Rentt finds himself stuck hunting Slimes and Goblins for meager amounts of coin every day. Little does he know, all this is about to change when he comes across a seemingly undiscovered path in the Labyrinth of the Moon's Reflection.

What awaits him at the end of the path, however, is neither treasure nor riches, but a legendary dragon that wastes no time swallowing him whole! Waking up a short time later, Rentt finds himself not quite dead, but not very alive either— He is nothing more than a pile of bones! Armed with nothing but his trusty sword, tool belt, and ghoulish new looks, Rentt sets off on his quest as a newly reborn Skeleton to achieve Existential Evolution, hoping to one day return to civilization with a more human form.

Will Rentt succeed, or will the labyrinth consume him for the rest of his un-death...?

Noriaki Akitaya (Bakuman. all three seasons, Slow Loop) is directing the anime at CONNECT. Yukie Sugawara (Overlord all four seasons) is overseeing the series scripts, and Takao Sano (The Honor Student at Magic High School, Restaurant to Another World) is designing the characters.

The television anime adaptation of Tо̄ko Amekawa and Wan Hachipisu's 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! (Loop 7-kaime no Akuyaku Reijō wa, Moto Tekikoku de Jiyū Kimamana Hanayome Seikatsu o Mankitsu Suru) light novel series will premiere in 2024.

Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed both the light novels and the manga adaptations. Seven Seas Entertainment describes the novels:

Being reborn once may sound impressive, but Rishe is already on her seventh time around! She has had all kinds of excitement in her previous lives, from peddling goods as a merchant to locking blades as a knight, so now she's determined to kick back and enjoy. But to savor the high life, she first has to marry the handsome prince…the same one who happens to be her murderer! It will take six-plus lifetimes of experience and skills for Rishe to break the time loop and make her extravagant dreams come true!

Kazuya Iwata (Yōjo Shachō R) is directing the anime at Studio KAI and Hornets. Touko Machida (Smile Down the Runway, Harukana Receive) is in charge of series composition. Kenichi Ōnuki (Golden Kamuy, AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline) is designing the characters, with Wakako Yoshida, Minoru Tanaka, and Chisa Shibata as sub-character designers. Hideki Inoue and Tōru Imanishi are the main animators. Satoshi Hōno and Ryūnosuke Kasai are composing the music.

The television anime adaptation of Satoshi Mizukami's Sengoku Youko manga will premiere in January 2024 on the TOKYO MX, ABC TV, Mētele, and BS Asahi channels. The anime will have two arcs — the "Yo Naoshi Kyōdai-hen" (World Reform Siblings Arc) and "Sen Ma Konton-hen" (Thousand Demons Chaos Arc) — and will run for three cours (quarter of a year) for a "complete" adaptation.

Tokyopop licensed the manga, and it describes the manga's story:

The world is divided into two factions: humans and monsters called katawara. Despite being a katawara, Tama loves humans and vows to protect them from evil, even if it means fighting her own kind. Her brother Jinka, however, hates humans, despite mostly being one. The siblings are joined by a cowardly swordsman named Shinsuke, who wants to learn how to become strong.

Masahiro Aizawa (Hakyū Hōshin Engi) is directing the anime at WHITE FOX. Jukki Hanada (Steins;Gate) writing and overseeing the series scripts, Yousuke Okuda (In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki) is designing the characters, and Evan Call (Violet Evergarden) is in charge of music.

The television anime of Sawayoshi Azuma's The Foolish Angel Dances with the Devil) (Oroka na Tenshi wa Akuma to Odoru) manga will premiere in 2024.

Crunchyroll describes the story:

Masatora Akutsu, a demon on a recruitment mission in a human high school, is drafting allies for Hell against the heavenly angels. But when seated beside the captivating Lily Amane, he's in for a devilishly hilarious celestial surprise!

Itsuro Kawasaki (Cardfight!! Vanguard G NEXT, The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting) is in charge of series scripts and is directing the anime at Children's Playground Entertainment (in collaboration with GAINA). Yūko Yahiro (Diabolik Lovers, Kaguya-sama: Love is War) is designing the characters, Takurō Iga (Oshi no Ko, Fuuka) is composing the music, and ANLA is in charge of music production.

The movie of Satoru Yamaguchi and Nami Hidaka's My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! (Otome Game no Hametsu Flag Shika Nai Akuyaku Reijō ni Tensei Shiteshimatta...) light novels will open in Japan on December 8.

Original light novel author Satoru Yamaguchi is writing the original story for the film. Returning staff members include director Keisuke Inoue, writers Megumi Shimizu and Megumu Sasano, character designer Miwa Oshima, and animation studio SILVER LINK.

The third season of the Classroom of the Elite anime was delayed from its slated 2023 premiere due to "various circumstances" and will now premiere in January 2024.

Crunchyroll describes the first season:

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji has just enrolled at Tokyo Koudo Ikusei Senior High School, where it's said that 100% of students go on to college or find employment. But he ends up in Class 1-D, which is full of all the school's problem children. What's more, every month, the school awards students points with a cash value of 100,000 yen, and the classes employ a laissez-faire policy in which talking, sleeping, and even sabotage are permitted during class. One month later, Ayanokoji, Horikita, and the students of Class D learn the truth of the system in place within their school…

The second season premiered in July 2022. Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired under the title Classroom of the Elite II.

The first season premiered in July 2017. Crunchyroll streamed the series, and Funimation streamed an English dub. The second and third seasons will adapt the original story's complete first-year-student arc.

Update: Bye Bye, Earth film's trailer link corrected. Thanks, DamianSalazar

Source: Email correspondence