Nitroplus, a prominent developer of visual novels, has decided to collaborate with Sochiku, a Japanese film and Kabuki play production company, in order to produce the original anime Revenger. The first promotional video and teaser visuals have been released, but a release date has not been yet decided.
An official Youtube channel and Twitter account are also now available.
The first promotional video shows a scene in which the main character, apparently hiding in the darkness, draws and slashes at his opponent with a composed yet beautiful expression. The setting of the anime appears to be the Edo Period (1603-1868), as we can observe from the opponent’s yukata (浴衣) garments.
In the teaser visual, the ivy that is entwined around the man’s arm and sword evokes a sense of deep darkness and karma. The trailer’s tag line also reflects the sense of struggle and resistance, saying: “I kill people with my blade, to resist this cruel fate”.
Nitroplus usually develops vIsual novels with dark themes that rely heavily on sexual assault and murder, and it might tread as well into mecha and psychological horror territories. Their last released work, Full Metal Daemon: Muramasa, has involved all these elements and more, in addition to portraying some really elaborate and detailed sword fights and techniques.
As for Shochiku, it is one of the “Big Four” film studios in Japan, one that is responsible for producing many films from famous directors such as Yasujirō Ozu, Akira Kurosawa, and Takashi Miike. Their most famous Edo/samurai-inspired films include Harikiri and 47 Ronin, and as for anime, they have also directed classics such as Sword of the Stranger and Akira.
It is still unclear what kind of structure Nitroplus and Sochiku will use to produce this new anime, as the animation studio has not yet been announced, nor have the characters and cast that will appear in the work. It is very likely thought that Nitroplus itself will be involved in the script and story drafting, while Shochiku will handle production and distribution.
Nitroplus currently has Tokyo Necro slated for release soon on the Jast USA store, the same store that handles the sales for many of their works, including Muramasa. It is a futuristic visual novel that happens in a world where the living dead exist thanks to necromancers, and is characterized for having high production values and eye-catching fights.
