The TV anime adaptation of Katarina’s Shangri-La Frontier adventure web novels has unveiled its first trailer and key visual. The anime will debut in October 2023. The key visual features Sunraku, Rakurō’s avatar, at the center, surrounded by his party, Arthur Pencilgon, Oicazzo, Saiga 0, and Emul.
The first trailer features the protagonist Rakurō, played by Yūma Uchida, and the rest of the main characters, who have distinctively peculiar personalities. The series has also confirmed a game adaptation, but the platform and details are yet to be revealed.
The key visual and the trailer will be displayed in Shibuya Tsutaya in Tokyo until April 6. The anime will also participate in the upcoming AnimeJapan 2023 with a large-scale announcement for the anime on March 25 and 26.
The story of follows Rakurō Hizutome, a gamer who loves playing trash games (Kusoges). He stumbles upon the VR “Shangri-La Frontier”, which is known as a divine game with a total of 30 million players, he then sets out on an adventure, trying to conquer this godly title. The anime adaptation is directed by Toshiyuki Kubooka, with animation production by studio C2C.
▍Shangri-La Frontier Anime PV 1
▍About Shangri-La Frontier
Katarina began serializing Shangri-La Frontier on the novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō on May 19, 2017. A manga adaptation with illustrations by Ryosuke Fuji has been serialized in Kodansha’s Shūkan Shōnen Magazine since July 15, 2020. The manga has been published digitally in English as Shangri-La Frontier by Kodansha USA since December 8, 2020, and in print since September 6, 2022.
The story is set in the near future where the latest VR technology is used to create immersive games, while games using old-fashioned display screens are considered retro. However, there are still a large number of trash games that are rushed, full of bugs, and have outdated visuals.
Rakurō Hizutome, known by his nickname Sunraku, is a trash-game hunter who specializes in beating these games. After overcoming a massive game and experiencing burnout, he purchases the best-selling VR game, Shangri-La Frontier, which has 30 million registered players. In the game, he assumes the character of Sunraku, where his skills as a trash-game hunter come in handy as he progresses through the game. As he meets new friends and enemies, Rakurō’s journey in-game is set to change the fate of all players.
▍Shangri-La Frontier Anime Staff & Production
Original Work: Shangri-La Frontier: Kusoge Hunter, Kamige ni Idoman to su Written by Katarina and Illustrated by Ryosuke Fuji (Serialized by Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine)
Director: Toshiyuki Kubooka
Series Composition/Screenplay: Kazuyuki Fudeyasu
Assistant Director: Hiroki Ikeshita
Character Design/Chief Animation Director: Ayumi Kurashima
Action and Effects Director: Tomofumi Sakai
Color Design: Masato Takagi
Art: Inspired Inc.
2D Works: Azusa Tamura
Director of Photography: Hikaru Yamamoto
Editing: Tsuyoshi Sadamatsu
Sound Director: Akiko Fujita
Music: Monaca
Animation Production: C2C
▍Shangri-La Frontier Anime Cast
■ Sunraku / Rakurō Hizutome – CV: Yūma Uchida
■ Saiga 0 / Rei Saiga – CV: Azumi Waki
■ Arthur Pencilgon / Towa Amane – CV: Yōko Hikasa
■ Oicazzo / Kei Uomi – CV: Makoto Koichi
■ Emul – CV: Rina Hidaka
■ Viceash – CV: Akio Ohtsuka