During Anime Expo, the world got its first look at the hotly anticipated preview of the Kagurabachi anime. We had the chance to sit in with the fans at the Kagurabachi Anime World Tour screening to finally see what the hype was all about.
On Friday, fans lined up at JW Marriott Ballroom well before the start time, hoping to catch a seat. We made it and found a seat in a sea of excited fans. Before long, the lights dimmed and we were greeted with a short clip to put away our phones and prohibiting any filming or photography in the venue.
An instruction from the screen prompted the entire crowd to seal their smartphones into a black bag in an effort to prevent any leaking of the 20 minute preview of the first episode. Once that was done a quick introduction to the crowd as the voice of Chihiro, Taihi Kimura, took to the stage to greet the fans quickly before the lights dimmed for the next 20 or so minutes.
Fans of CyPic (formerly known as Cygames Pictures) know the quality bar the studio has established for itself in the last 10 years with hits like The Summer Hikaru Died, Apocalypse Hotel, Cinderella Grey, and Umamusume: Beginning of a New Era. While the studio has mostly produced works from its own catalog of IPs, this marks the first time the studio will adapt a popular Shonen Jump property. Already they’re enlisted the the help of some major creatives that include Tetsuya Takeuchi as director, whose vast body of work includes the action-packed Lycoris Recoil, Sword Art Online, NARUTO, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Heavenly Delusion. Adding to that mix is Keigo Sasaki as character designer. (Blue Exorcist, Seven Deadly Sins, Umamusume: Cinderella Gray)
Without going into the details of the episode, it’s clear that the staff have painstakingly brought to life the look and feel of Hokazono’s world. And once the action starts, it’s a frenzy of incredible one take sequences and kinetic character movements that clear influences from the likes of HK action setpieces and western films. During the Q&A portion, producer Koichi Yasuda mentioned the action sequences were by far the most difficult and time-consuming to do but in the spirit of living up to the fan and Hokazono’s expectations they continue forward with passion. Having seen the previews, I can safely say that this bloody revenge tale is in good hands.
Kagurabachi is set to air next year in 2027 on Crunchyroll
About Kagurabachi
Official Website: https://kagurabachi.jp/
Official X (manga): https://x.com/kagurabachi_x
Official X (anime): https://x.com/kb_anime_jp
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