We’ve already talked about one video game turned anime in the recent past, so let’s talk about another! Set to premiere on April 9th, a brand new promotional video has been released for the upcoming adaptation of the Square Enix game, The World Ends With You. The music used in the video is titled “Teenage City Riot feat. R-Shitei” by ALI and will be used as the anime’s opening theme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVHSuUg3jHY
The animation is being jointly produced by Square Enix, DOMERICA, and Shin-Ei Animation with Kazuya Ichikawa directing. They will work off a script (which is being adapted from the game) by Midori Gotou. Tetsuya Nomura and Gen Kobayashi will provide the anime’s character designs, while Takeharu Ishimoto will compose the background music.
The story for the game is described as:
Neku awakens in the middle of Shibuya’s bustling Scramble Crossing with no memory of how he got there. Little does he know he’s been transported to an alternate plane of existence known as the Underground (UG). Now an unwilling participant in the mysterious “Reapers’ Game,” Neku must partner up with a girl named Shiki in order to survive. Together, they complete missions and defeat monsters known as “Noise” as they gradually uncover the true nature of this twisted Game.
“There’s only one way to stay alive in Shibuya: trust your partner.”
Will they survive the Reapers’ Game?
The game has a lasting legacy and has been viewed as successful by fans and critics around the world. Having won multiple awards and, at the time of its release, sold thousands of copies within weeks. The game has been so successful in fact that a sequel will be released for the Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4 by the end of 2021 which will feature a brand new cast of characters being forced to play the “Reapers’ Game”.
This is an interesting adaptation because the original source material is almost fifteen years old (the game was originally released for the Nintendo DS back in 2007). Apparently, there has always been an interest in turning the game into an anime series, but the time and budget haven’t been available until now.
While I have never played the urban fantasy game, the animation style certainly catches my attention and makes me curious enough to want to check out the anime adaptation. While no one can guarantee that the anime will see the same levels of success as the video game, it would be nice to see it do at least half as well.
Sources: Esuteru, Crunchyroll News
