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Zoids Model Toys Inspire Zoids Wild Summer Anime, April Manga, Switch Game

Takara Tomy announced on Tuesday that it is launching a new entry in the Zoids franchise titled Zoids Wild. The rollout includes a new television anime that will premiere on MBS this summer, a new manga that will launch in Shogakukan's Coro Coro Comic magazine in April, a new model kit line that will launch with the 3,000-yen (about $30) "ZW01 Wild Liger" and "ZW02 Gil Raptor" model kits in June, and a Nintendo Switch game. Takara Tomy is also streaming a video for the franchise.

The video reveals that Norihiko Sudo (Kenyū Densetsu Yaiba, ToHeart2, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl) is directing the anime at Oriental Light and Magic. Mitsutaka Hirota (Sweetness & Lightning, The Prince of Tennis II, Anime-Gataris) is in charge of the series scripts.

The Zoids Wild franchise will also have an exclusive smartphone app that can be used to take pictures or footage of Zoids model kits, edit them, and then upload them to social media sites and video sites.

Tomy launched the Zoids science-fiction mecha franchise as a model toy kit line in 1983. Michiro Ueyama drew a 14-volume manga series for the franchise in 1999-2001 that Viz Media released in English under the title Zoids Chaotic century in 2002-2003. The manga inspired the ZOIDS: Chaotic Century TV anime series that aired in 1999-2000 and Viz Media released on home video. Three more anime series followed: Zoids/ZERO in 2001, Zoids: Fuzors in 2003-2004, and Zoids Genesis in 2005-2006. Cartoon Network aired Zoids Chaotic century, Zoids/ZERO, and part of Zoids: Fuzors.

The franchise has also inspired a line of video game series for consoles, handheld consoles, PC, arcades, and mobile phones. Eighting recently launched the Zoids Field of Rebellion game for smartphones last April.

Thanks to Liam for the news tip

Thanks to pKjd for the embedded video.

Sources: The Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web, Inside for All Gamers (Suenaga)