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Basilisk Sequel Anime Reveals 1st Video, More Cast, January 8 Premiere (Updated)

The official website for Basilisk ~Ōka Ninpōchō~ – the television anime adaptation of Masaki Yamada's Ōka Ninpōchō Basilisk Shinshō (Ōka Ninja Scrolls Basilisk New Chapter) novels – revealed the first promotional video, more cast members, and the January 8 premiere date for the series on Friday.

The new cast members are:

Katsuhiro Tokuishi as Saizō Ishi

Fukushi Ochiai as Shikibu Kōra

Mitsuhiro Ichiki as Shichigen Higurashi

Shinichiro Miki as Gorone Negoro

Saori Hayami as Hachisu

Reina Ueda as Rui

Ayane Sakura as Utsutsu

Kaori Nazuka as Namenba

Other new cast members include: (Note: name spellings not confirmed for the following characters)

• Toshiyuki Toyonaga as Taku Kujaku
• Hiroshi Tsuchida as Magoroku Rinne
• Umeji Sasaki as Teiō Netsuri
• Yui Horie as Tōru Yasha
• Takaya Hashi as Jōjin

The 24-episode series will premiere on Tokyo MX, TVK, Sun TV, KBS Kyoto, BS11, and AT-X on January 8. An advance screening event for the anime's first two episodes will be held at Tokyo's Shinjuku Wald 9 theater on December 29. Voice actors Tasuku Hatanaka and Inori Minase will also have a talk show at the event.

The cast also stars:

Tasuku Hatanaka as Hachirō Kōga

Inori Minase as Hibiki Iga

Takuya Kirimoto as Kazuma Kusanagi

Ryū Yamaguchi as Kasō Himonji

Chō as Geiin Shichito

Shōhei Tō as Tenshin Yusa

Kosuke Sakaki as Kareha Shogyō

Chafurin as Hōetsu Tsuta

Yuji Murai as Itsuma Irootoroe

Tooru Sakurai as Shūgetsu Suiren

Junji Nishimura (Vivid Strike!, Bakuon!!, Glasslip) is directing the anime at Seven Arcs Pictures. Shinsuke Onishi (New Getter Robo, Innocent Venus, 009-1) is in charge of series composition. Takao Maki (Laughing Under the Clouds) is adapting Masaki Segawa's original character designs for animation, and is also credited as chief animation director. Kazuhisa Kosuge is credited for sub-character design, while Goichi Iwahata is credited for prop design. Tadashi Kitaoka (Basilisk, White Album, Vivid Strike!) is credited as director of photography. Go Sakabe (Date A Live, Wolf Girl & Black Prince, Digimon Adventure tri.) is composing the music.

The other staff members include:

• Art Design: Kazusuke Yoshihara
• Art Director: Ritsuko Umizu
• Color Design: Fusako Nakao
• 3D: Tetra
• Special Effects: Naomasa Fukuda
• Editing: Kazuhiko Seki
• Sound Director: Chikako Yokota
• Sound Production: Glovision
• Music Production: King Records

Onmyouza and Nana Mizuki, who performed the opening and ending theme songs for the first Basilisk anime, are returning to once again perform the opening and ending theme songs, respectively.

The Basilisk ~Ōka Ninpōchō~ novel is a sequel to Futaroh Yamada's original Kōga Ninpōchō (The Kouga Ninja Scrolls) novel. The story is set 10 years after Kōga Ninpōchō in 1626. Tatsuya Shihira (Q, Robotics;Notes Revival Legacy) also launched a manga adaptation in Kodansha's Young Magazine on July 24.

Futaroh Yamada debuted Kōga Ninpōchō in 1959, and Kodansha published Masaki Yamada's Ōka Ninpōchō Basilisk Shinshō sequel in 2015. Masaki Yamada's Shinkun Genpōchō novel debuted in 2009. Haruo Koyama also released a manga adaptation of Futaroh Yamada's original novel in 1963, and Torao Asada launched the Kōga Ninpōchō: Aratame manga in 2003.

Futaroh Yamada's Kōga Ninpōchō novel inspired Masaki Segawa's manga adaptation in 2003. Del Rey and Kodansha Comics released the five-volume series in North America. Kodansha Comics describes the story:

The Iga clan and the Kouga clan have been sworn enemies for more than four hundred years. Only the Hanzo Hattori truce has kept the two families from all-out war. Now, under the order of Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, the truce has finally been dissolved. Ten ninja from each clan must fight to the death in order to determine who will be the next Tokugawa Shogun. The surviving clan will rule for the next thousand years. But not all the clan members are in agreement. Oboro of the Iga clan and Gennosuke of the Kouga clan have fallen deeply in love. Now these star-crossed lovers have been pitted against each other. Can their romance conquer a centuries-old rivalry? Or is their love destined to end in death?

Segawa's manga inspired the Basilisk television anime (seen above right) in 2005. Funimation released the series on home video in North America. The live-action SHINOBI - Heart Under Blade film premiered in 2005, and Funimation also released it on home video.

Update: Added five more cast members.

Source: MoCa News