News

Sentai Filmworks Adds Schoolgirl/Tank Anime Girls und Panzer

North American anime licensing company Sentai Filmworks announced on Sunday that it acquired ACTAS and Tsutomu Mizushima's Girls und Panzer television anime series. The anime will be available soon through select digital outlets with a home video release to follow in 2013.

The story follows Miho, a girl who just transfered into the Ōrai Girls' Academy in Ibaraki Prefecture. She finds herself alone at first, but then joins the "senshadō" (tank combat) course — in this school, the girls drive real-life tanks the way girls in other schools take archery or kendō sword fighting. Miho's Ankō (Angler Fish) Team competes with the other teams.

Mizushima (Squid Girl, Another, Blood-C, xxxHOLiC) is directing the anime at Moetan's studio ACTAS (with 3D CGI by Strike Witches' Graphinica) with Reiko Yoshida (K-ON!, Romeo × Juliet, Saint Seiya Omega) in charge of scripts. Humikane Shimada (Strike Witches, Sky Girls) is in charge of original character designs with assistance by Takeshi Nogami (Strike Witches: The Witches of Andorra, Panzer fräulein ALTESEISEN, Sailor-fuku to Jūsensha). Isao Sugimoto (Seikon no Qwaser II, Kemeko Deluxe!, Moonlight Mile) is adapting Shimada's designs for anime and serving as chief animation director. The main cast includes:

• Mai Fuchigami as Miho Nishizumi
• Ai Kayano as Saori Takebe
• Mami Ozaki as Hana Isuzu
• Ikumi Nakagami as Yukari Akiyama
• Yuka Iguchi as Mako Reizei

Singer ChouCho is performing the opening theme song "DreamRiser," and Miho, Saori, Hana, Yukari, and Mako (as voiced by their respective actresses) are performing the ending theme song "Enter Enter Mission."

The series debuts in Japan on October 8.