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New Fullmetal Alchemist Anime's Staff Confirmed

On Saturday, the February issue of Kadokawa Shoten's Newtype magazine published an interview in which Yasuhiro Irie confirmed that he is directing the new Fullmetal Alchemist anime series. The new television adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa's "dark fantasy" manga will premiere in Japan in April. Aniplex producer Ryo Oyama said that the production began on the series around last spring, and Irie added that the script for the 18th episode had been written as of December. Irie said that the project will be the first work by the Bones animation company's new D Studio and that the creators are still casting the voices. (Bones animated the previous 2003-2004 Fullmetal Alchemist anime series.)

Irie had previously directed Kurau: Phantom Memory, opening animation footage for the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime and Soul Eater, and episodes of Alien Nine and RahXephon. Hiroshi Ohnogi (Kekkaishi, Noein, Macross Zero) is supervising the scripts, while Hiroki Kanno (RahXephon, Yu Yu Hakusho The Movie: Poltergeist Report) is designing the characters. Akira Senju (Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, Red Garden, Rampo) is composing the music. Besides Oyama, MBS' Hiro Maruyama, Square Enix's Nobuyuki Kurashige, and Bones' Noritomo Yonai are producing.

The new television anime series was confirmed on the wraparound jacket band of the 20th volume of Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist manga last August. However, a document, which contained with leaked information about animators who worked at BONES, had already mentioned the possibility of "Hagane 2" ("Iron/Fullmetal 2") and Irie's involvement in July. Viz Media published the 17th volume of the manga version in North America last October, while FUNimation Entertainment released both the first television series and its theatrical movie finale.

Image © Hiromu Arakawa/Fullmetal Alchemist Production Committee, MBS