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Chainsaw Man Anime, Oni: Thunder Gods Tale Animated Series Compete at Annecy

This year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival announced on Thursday that the television anime of Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man manga is competing in the TV Films category. Specifically, the first episode is screening in competition. California-based studio Tonko House's Oni: Thunder God's Tale CGI animated series is also competing in the same category with the episode "The Demon Moon Rises."

Also from Japan, Liv&Bell and Mech Cadets are competing in the TV Films category. "Tongue" is competing in the Short Films category.

This year's Annecy will take place from June 11-17 in the French town of the same name.

Established in 1960, Annecy is the world's oldest and largest animation film festival.

The Chainsaw Man anime premiered on TV Tokyo and five other affiliated channels, as well as on Amazon Prime Video on October 11. Crunchyroll streamed the anime in over 200 countries and territories around the world. Crunchyroll screened the U.S. premiere at New York Comic Con on October 7. The company debuted the English dub at the event ahead of the subtitled release. Crunchyroll began streaming the anime's English dub on October 25. The anime's 12th and final episode aired on December 28.

Crunchyroll describes the story:

Denji is a teenage boy living with a Chainsaw Devil named Pochita. Due to the debt his father left behind, he has been living a rock-bottom life while repaying his debt by harvesting devil corpses with Pochita.

One day, Denji is betrayed and killed. As his consciousness fades, he makes a contract with Pochita and gets revived as "Chainsaw Man"--a man with a devil's heart.

Ryū Nakayama (Black Clover, Jujutsu Kaisen episode director) directed the anime at MAPPA, and Hiroshi Seko (Ajin, Attack on Titan The Final Season) wrote the scripts. Kazutaka Sugiyama (Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation) designed the characters, and Tatsuya Yoshihara (Black Clover, Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girls) directed the action. Makoto Nakazono (DARLING in the FRANXX, Little Witch Academia) served as chief technical director. Kiyotaka Oshiyama (DEVILMAN crybaby, Space Dandy) designed the devils, and Yūsuke Takeda (Eden of the East, Vinland Saga) directed the art. Naomi Nakano was the color key artist, and Yohei Miyahara is designing the screens. Kensuke Ushio (DEVILMAN crybaby, Liz and the Blue Bird, A Silent Voice) composed the music.

The Oni: Thunder God's Tale four-episode series debuted on October 21. The Animation Is Film Festival hosted the theatrical world premiere of the series on October 22.

Oni: Thunder God's Tale's English cast stars: Momona Tamada, Archie Yates, Craig Robinson, Tantoo Cardinal, Brittany Ishibashi, Omar Miller, Anna Akana, Charlet Takahashi Chung, Miyuki Sawashiro, Yuki Matsuzaki, Seth Carr, Robert Kondo, and George Takei.

Netflix describes the series:

In a world filled with the oddball gods and monsters of Japanese mythology, one of the creature's free-spirited daughters, Onari, is determined to follow in the footsteps of the mighty heroes of lore, but her unique powers are yet to be revealed. Does she have what it takes to fight to protect her peaceful village from the encroaching threat of the gods' mysterious enemies, the “Oni”?

Mari Okada (Toradora!, A Lull in the Sea, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, Kiznaiver, Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan) wrote the series.

Daisuke "Dice" Tsutsumi (Hayao Miyazaki's nephew-in-law) was the project's creator and showrunnner. Robert Kondo was an executive producer alongside Kane Lee and Tsutsumi. Sara K. Sampson was also a producer on the series, and was also a co-executive producer alongside Megan Bartel.

Tonko House produced the series with Japanese visual effects studio Megalis VFX as well as CG studios Marza and Anima.

Sources: Email correspondence, Annecy