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Knights of Sidonia Anime's 1st English-Subbed Promo Streamed

The official website for the anime adaptation of Tsutomu Nihei's Knights of Sidonia manga opened in Japanese and English on Friday and began streaming the first promotional video. The anime marks the 30th anniversary of Polygon Pictures, a studio that has earned Daytime Emmy Awards (Transformers Prime, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and an Annie Award (Tron: Uprising).

The website also lists the main staff:

• Original: Tsutomu Nihei (Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon)
• Director: Kobun Shizuno (G.I. Joe: Sigma 6, Detective Conan movie)
• Co-Director: Hiroyuki Seshita (Street Fighter x Tekken, Final Fantasy)
• Series Script Supervisor, Script: Sadayuki Murai (Steam Boy, Millennium Actress)
• Production Designer: Naoya Tanaka (Princess Mononoke, Tron: Rising)
• Art Director: Mitsunori Kataama (Howl's Moving Castle, Tron: Rising)
• CG Supervisor: Masayuki Uemoto (Transformers: Prime, CASSHERN)
• Battle Animatiques: Eiji Ogushi (The Sky Crawlers, Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror)
• Character Design: Yūki Moriyama (Street Fighter x Tekken, Dino Dominion)
• Animation Production: Polygon Pictures Inc. (Transformers: Prime, Tron: Rising, Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
• Production: KOS Product Committee

The manga's story takes place after humans flee Earth due to the devastating invasion of alien creatures called Gauna. Humans travel through space in giant ships while the Gauna continue to pursue them. As a new human culture develops, people fight the Gauna with Morito (Guardian) robotic mecha. A young man named Nagate Tanikaze trains as a Morito pilot aboard the spaceship Sidonia and defends its people from Gauna attacks.

Nihei launched the manga in Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon magazine in 2009, and Kodansha published the 10th volume in Japan in May.

Vertical is releasing the manga series in North America, and the company published the third volume last month.