One truly legendary Isekai anime franchise has announced it’s going to be making a surprise comeback 20 long years after its original debut. Isekai anime are some of the most prevalent releases these days with not only several major blockbusters a few seasons into their respective runs, but even more debuts hitting each seasonal schedule. But many of the franchises as we know wouldn’t look the way they do without a few key releases over the years that have helped cement many of the tropes and ideas we still continue to see in play after all this time.
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Noboru Yamaguchi and Eiji Usatsuka’s The Familiar of Zero is one such Isekai franchise. It might not have been the first Isekai ever released when it made its anime adaptation debut back in July 2006, but it’s certainly one anime series that helped to define the way Isekai of the 2000s and 2010s would identify themselves in the decades to come. Now it has announced it’s returning for a special event to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of its original premiere, and you can check out the special visual below.
The Familiar of Zero Returns With New Project for 20th Anniversary
The Familiar of Zero has been announced to return for a special celebration of its 20th anniversary with lots of events coming to Japan. The biggest of which is a new exhibition hitting the region later this August. This exhibition will have all sorts of art from the franchise on display as the official website for it touts over 100 different illustrations highlighting memorable character designs, moments, and much more for those who are able to see it in person. It’s even going to get a bump from returning members of the voice cast too.
Those attending the exhibition will also be treated to a special audio guide featuring the voices behind the main duo Rie Kugimiya (who voices Louise) and Satoshi Hino (who voices Saito). There will also be all sorts of exclusive goods and merchandise at the exhibition that unfortunately won’t be available for fans elsewhere. There are no international plans set for The Familiar of Zero‘s 20th anniversary celebration, and it might be tough for fans to go back and check out the original too because it’s not readily available.
What Happened to The Familiar of Zero?
The Familiar of Zero was a massive success during its original run as it ran for four full seasons of the TV anime, and was able to bring its full story to an end as of the final episodes too. It sees a young boy named Saito mistakingly summoned to a magical world by a young witch named Louise, who’s so bad with magic that this boy ends up becoming her familiar (much to the ridicule of everyone else around her). It’s the kind of premise we’d see many franchises use to varied levels of success later.
But after it ended, it kind of quietly retired into the memories of those fans who were able to catch it when it aired. We’ve gotten a mountain of other Isekai releases in the decade plus since the end of its final episode, and they’ve buried this one deep. Also not helping is the fact you can’t really watch it all either as while you can find the final season streaming with HIDIVE, the first three seasons have been wiped from platforms.
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