Often times, physical manga and anime releases are handled without issue by major publishers. Companies like Funimation or Sentai Filmworks are able to put out extended Blu-ray runs of recently aired anime and high-profile classics with ease. Likewise, manga publishing powerhouses like Shonen Jump and Viz Media are able to produce physical copies of the latest manga or limited edition reprints of old-school hits for distribution across the globe. Sometimes, though, small-time publishers strive to release a piece of media that none of the big companies plan to touch. In those times, a little extra effort is needed in order to make the release a reality, and that extra effort often comes in the form of a crowdfunding campaign. The latest manga-related crowdfunding campaign to make waves is EigoMANGA’s Kickstarter campaign to fund the physical English release of Enka Sugihara’s First Squad – The Moment Of Truth manga.
Launched on July 3rd, the Kickstart campaign from EigoMANGA strived to raise $3,000 in order to fund the publishing and printing of an English version of the First Squad – The Moment Of Truth manga. Specifically, the campaign was meant to cover the cost of printing and shipping the graphic novel to retailers for distribution. Thankfully, with just a few days left to go, the campaign managed to reach its goal, raising $3,043 from 51 backers as of the time of writing.
Additional funds earned during the campaign will help fund future publications and print-runs of the book, so it’s not too late to support First Squad – The Moment Of Truth. You can nab physical editions of the individual chapters or the full graphic novel by contributing to the campaign. There are even a bunch of other Kickstarter-exclusive rewards like a commemorative coin, a poster, stickers, bookmarks, and even a chance to get your name into the credits of the release.
EigoMANGA plans to ship First Squad – The Moment Of Truth in October 2020. Retailers have already purchased orders of the book and early copies are beginning to ship, so with the funds from this campaign the rest of the release can be printed and fulfilled in a timely manner. It’s been a long time coming, as the company initially announced the English release back in March of 2019, originally planning to release it that Fall. The company describes the manga as follows:
The story is set in the opening days of World War II on the Eastern Front and centers around a Soviet teenager who possesses supernatural abilities to commune with the dead. Nadya has been recruited by the Red Army to fight the invading German army and is tasked to journey into the spiritual realm of the dead.
There Nadya must recruit her fallen comrades and form the First Squad in order to oppose the evil Baron Von Wolff, who is raised from the dead by the Nazis, and his occult army of 12th century Crusaders. The First Squad and Crusaders engage in a spiritual battle known as the “Moment of Truth.” Whomever wins the supernatural battles within the spiritual realm dictate the outcome of physical battles waged between the Red Army and the Germans.
While Sugihara drew the First Squad – The Moment Of Truth manga in 2012, it was actually inspired by a 2009 anime project of the same name. Produced by Studio 4°C, the animation was inspired by a story from Russian artists Misha Spirits and Aljosha Klimov. It was directed by Yoshiharu Ashino, who previously worked on D.Gray-man Hallow, Cross Ange: Tenshi to Ryuu no Rondo, and Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya. The art director was Masanobu Nomura, an artist who has also worked on BNA: Brand New Animal, Blue Drop: Tenshi-tachi no Gikyoku, and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt. The project was produced by Eiko Tanaka, who has also produced anime projects like Halo Legends, Mind Game, The Animatrix, and Majo no Takkyuubin.
Source: Anime News Network
