Level 5 Takes Firm Stand with Ni no Kuni Anime Announcement Posted Feb 19, 2019
They might be one of Japan’s ten largest video game companies but Level 5 are getting ready to send a clear message of intent and move up the gaming pantheon in 2019.
With a number of new games in the making, the Fukuoka-based company prepares to release an anime movie built around one of their most popular games of all times. Not Professor Layton or Inazuma Eleven but Ni no Kuni.
First unveiled in 2010, Ni no Kuni features a series of titles which follow the adventures of young Oliver who travels to another world in a bid to save his mother.
The most recent sequel revolved around a boy king Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum and his efforts to reclaim the usurped throne – called Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom. Ni no Kuni titles have built a glowing reputation thanks to the gameplay revolving around magical elements and all sorts of creatures presented in a visually appealing design and a pleasing soundtrack.
The total of five different Ni no Kuni titles have been built until 2018 and in order to provide a further homage to its flagship title, Level 5 has decided to take a step out of their comfort zone and transit into the anime world.
There will hardly be a better tribute to the Japanese pop culture than an Anime and fans are getting pretty excited about the announcement.
Transitions within different verticals of the entertainment industries have long become a common practice as they allow all elements – in this case game creators and movie producers – to tap into a new lucrative landscape.
Online gaming has been the best example of the fusion between different worlds where neutral elements have been used to create popular slot titles. Japan and the Eastern cultures in general have not been exempt in that process. Sakura Fortune is the most recent example as a title which combines Sakura cherry tree blossoms and a Japanese warrior spirit in a game which can be played for free on BestCasinos and for a potential profit at various online casinos. Japanese culture, tradition, art and lifestyle as elements of inspiration in general have far exceeded the boundaries of literature or art and online gaming is a natural step in the technology-induced progression.
Movies indeed remain the most widely accepted transitional platform intended to spread the message and increase brand awareness which is why Level 5’s decision to delve into the world of anime only makes it a natural step forward.
Ni no Kuni movie will be directed by Yoshiyuki Momose who has already worked on several short films and commercials for Studio Ghilbi. The famed Japanese animation company which has already worked with Level 5, providing animation sequences and character design for the first Ni no Kuni game will not be in charge of the movie, however, which has been trusted to Warner Bros. Japan.
Yoshiyuki Momose will be in charge of character design, whereas the composer Joe Hisaishi will be handling the music for the movie. The two have already worked on Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch from 2013 and the latest 2018 title and it comes natural to see them join forces for the movie as well. Level 5 chief executive Akihiro Hino wrote the screenplay and will be signed as the executive producer.
The movie will involve a hero, Yuu, who will be voiced by Kento Yamazaki and who will – much to the similarity of the first game – travel between the real world and ‘another’ with a friend, Haru, following an incident which involved their childhood friend Kotona, Haru’s girlfriend.
The movie is due out this summer in Japan but the exact date has yet to be revealed.