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XFLAG, Tatsunoko Make Monster Strike/Genie Family Crossover Anime Pandora to Akubi
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
XFLAG and Tatsunoko Production announced on Tuesday that they are collaborating on a new anime project titled Pandora to Akubi (Pandora and Yawn) that will debut this spring.
The character Akubi (the character on the left in the image above) originates from the 1969 Hakushon Daimaō (The Genie Family) anime, where the Akubi-chan ("Ya-ahn" in Tatsunoko's official English descriptions) character appears as the daughter of the titular genie character Hakushon ("Hasshoo"). Meanwhile, Pandora (character on the right) is a "girl of wishes" from the Monster Strike smartphone game.
XFLAG and Tatsunoko Production describe the anime as "battle entertainment for girls." The band Shiggy Jr. will perform both the anime's opening theme song "D.A.Y.S." and the ending theme song "B.U.R.N."
Hiroshi Sasagawa directed the Hakushon Daimaō anime from 1969-1970, and the anime will mark its 50th anniversary in October. The anime inspired a spinoff series titled Yobarete Tobidete Akubi-chan in 2001, and this show in turn had a sequel in 2001. The anime also inspired a live-action special in 2013.
Social networking service mixi released the Monster Strike game on iOS and Android devices in Japan in 2013. XFLAG released the English version in North America in 2014, but that version shut down in August 2017.
The first 52-episode Monster Strike net anime series premiered in October 2015, and Crunchyroll streamed the series with English subtitles. The first part of the show's second season premiered in April 2017, and ran until September. The second part of the second season, titled Monster Strike the Anime: The Fading Cosmos, premiered in October 2017, and ran for 13 episodes. Crunchyroll also streamed both parts of the second season. A new net anime debuted last July.
The Monster Strike The Movie anime film opened in Japan in December 2016. Crunchyroll began streaming the film in May 2017. The Monster Strike The Movie: Sora no Kanata (Beyond the Sky) 3DCG anime film debuted last October.
Sources: XFLAG, Comic Natalie
