Even though current anime projects are being put on hold and delayed right now due to the ongoing concerns over the spread of COVID-19, animation and production studios all across Japan are still hard at work on upcoming projects and fresh new series. We may be just a few weeks into the current television anime season, but we’ve already got an idea of some new shows we can look forward to later this year and well into 2021. We already know about late 2020 premieres like the Funimation-produced series By the Grace of the Gods, as well as shows arriving in early 2021 like the highly anticipated anime adaptation of Cells at Work! Code Black. Now, we can add another show to the lineup of promising upcoming series, as charming workplace comedy manga Heaven’s Design Team (Tenchi Sōzō Design-bu) is getting a television anime adaptation.
A trailer for the anime adaptation of Heaven’s Design Team, which is a manga by Hebi-Zou, Tsuta Suzuki, and TARAKO, was recently shared by Avex Pictures on YouTube. The trailer gives us a brief glimpse at the main cast of the series in motion, as well as some of the charming animals they design as members of Heaven’s Animal Design Department. Kodansha Comics, who publishes the manga in English, describes the series as follows:
In Heaven’s Animal Design Department, designers create a variety of new animals daily while contending with the unreasonable requests of their client: God. Funny, interesting, and full of useful information, this series answers questions such as, “Why can’t unicorns exist?”, “What makes an animal taste delicious?”, “What’s the most powerful creature in the ocean?”, and, “Bird versus snake: who would win?” You won’t believe it’s a manga series when you read up on the featured animals in the included encyclopedia entries. Heaven’s Design Team will make your next trip to the zoo or aquarium 100 times more fun!
To celebrate the announcement of the Heaven’s Design Team anime adaptation, manga artist TARAKO drew some celebratory illustrations and shared them on Twitter.
🎉「#天地創造デザイン部」TVアニメ化決定‼🎉
原作コミックス作画担当の #たら子 先生より描き下ろしお祝いイラスト到着‼💐
沢山の生き物たちがアニメ化を喜んでいる様子が素敵です💗
“生みたてほやほや“の先行アニメ映像公開中🎶
▶https://t.co/QgUDbziILa続報をお楽しみに💫#天デ部 pic.twitter.com/FbLwE5a5af
— TVアニメ「天地創造デザイン部」公式 (@tendebu_PR) April 21, 2020
【お知らせ】「天地創造デザイン部」アニメ化が決定しました！！大変な時ですが、たくさんの方が出来る中でがんばってくださっています。どうぞ続報をお楽しみに！！そう言う私もめちゃくちゃ楽しみです～！やったー！！#天デ部#天地創造デザイン部 pic.twitter.com/kB42INeFzV
— 『天デ部』8巻発売中!!@たら子 (@tarako73p) April 21, 2020
The original story co-creator and storyboarder of the series, Suzuki, got in on the Twitter drawing fun as well.
天地創造デザイン部、アニメ化します〜！🎉🎉🎉 やったー！！
いつも描いてる彼らでお祝い絵描きました！(※私はネーム担当です)
時期や時間帯などは追って発表されると思います、よろしくお願いしますー！！#天地創造デザイン部#天デ部 pic.twitter.com/9H3gcuny9Y
— 鈴木ツタ⛈️ (@suzukitsuta) April 21, 2020
The Heaven’s Design Team manga originally launched in Kodansha’s Morning Two magazine back in 2017, with Kodansha also publishing the series in compiled volumes. They shipped the fifth volume of the series this week, and Kodansha Comics published the fourth volume in English this past December.
Source: Anime News Network
