Netflix has just debuted WIT Studio’s original anime, Moonrise, by director Masashi Koizuka. He has also directed Seasons 2 and 3 of Attack on Titan and is working on the One Piece remake. After its unexpected delay, shifting the release date from 2024 to 2025, 18 episodes of this epic and visually stunning sci-fi anime started streaming on April 10th. It’s written by Tou Ubukata, also known for his work on Tenchi Meisatsu and as a series composition/scriptwriter for Fafner in the Azure and Psycho-Pass. The story is set in a not-so-distant future where Earth and the Moon are in deep political and military conflict. A loosely organized world government managed by an international AI network called Sapientia promotes a “Moon Development Project.”
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It sends pollutants and criminals to the moon, where they are forced to live in poverty. However, after an unfortunate incident, the protagonist, Jacob Shadow, is entangled in a terrorist bombing and loses everything he holds dear. After his family is captured, he enlists in the army to combat rebels on the Moon, only to stand against someone he held dear from his past. Since the anime has only just been released, it’s unclear if the studio is planning to release a second season or not. During a conversation about a new anime, WIT Studio’s president, George Wada, brought up Star Wars, one of the most iconic sci-fi franchises of all time.
WIT Studio’s President Brought Up Star Wars When Discussing an Original Project
Moonrise is a large-scale project with 18 episodes that took six years to develop, with production beginning in 2021. Every scene is visually stunning as it takes us to another world.
In an interview with Animeanime, director Masashi Koizuka shared how the project came about: “Wada, the president of WIT STUDIO, often asks people in the company what kind of work they want to make. So when I mentioned the Star Wars series, which was released at the time, and said that it was interesting, Wada came to me later and said, ‘Do you want to try making a space opera?’”
Koizuka further added, “Wada had worked with Ubukata-sensei on PSYCHO-PASS and Le Chevalier D’Eon, so he introduced me to him, and the project got underway. I think that was around the time he was directing the second season of Attack on Titan. It’s been a long time since the idea started.”
While there are no direct references or inspiration from Star Wars, the original idea about Moonrise only came out after its mention. Star Wars is a nearly 50-year-old franchise, admired by fans worldwide to this date, with several spin-offs and series being released even now. In fact, the concept of this anime is to present a soap opera in the shonen demographic, unlike seinen classics such as Ghost in the Shell and PSYCHO-PASS.
In the interview, Koizuka shared a lot of interesting information about his new series that’s worth checking out in greater detail. He also confirmed that it was difficult to make Moonrise a TV anime, so Netflix raised its hand to collaborate with them. This investment is typical of their patterns of taking big risks while expanding their international programming, such as the case of Squid Game.
H/T: Animeanime
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
