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TV Tokyo Launches New Sunday Night Anime Programming Block Starting With Blue Archive The Animation on April 7

TV Tokyo announced on Monday that it will launch a new Sunday night anime programming block, and the first anime that will air on the new block is Blue Archive The Animation, the television anime adaptation of Yostar and Nexon Games' Blue Archive smartphone role-playing game. The anime will premiere on TV Tokyo's new anime programming block, and on its affiliates on April 7 at 11:45 p.m. JST. The new programming block aims to create a "new anime strategy frame that will be seen by more people."

The anime will then air on BS11 on April 8 at 24:00 JST (effectively, April 9 at 12 midnight JST). The anime will also stream in Japan on the d Anime Store, U-NEXT, Amazon Prime Video, and on other Japanese streaming sites.

The anime's X (formerly Twitter) account announced its April 7 premiere date on Monday, along with a version of the main visual with its premiere date.

The anime's staff also started streaming a character promotional video for Haruka Igusa, voiced by Erika Ishitobi, on Sunday:

The anime will adapt the "Countermeasures Committee" arc. The anime will also have a presence at the AnimeJapan 2024 event on March 23-24.

The anime stars:

• Konomi Kohara as Arona
• Yui Ogura as Shiroko Sunaōkami
• Yumiri Hanamori as Hishino Takanashi
• Ayaka Ōhashi as Serika Kuromi
• Chiyuki Miura as Nonomi Izayoi
• Sayaka Harada as Ayane Okusora
• Reina Kondo as Aru Rikuhachima
• Yukiyo Fujii as Kayoko Onikata
• Erika Ishitobi as Haruka Igusa
• Rumi Okubo as Mutsuki Asagi

Daigo Yamagishi (YuruYuri, 2019 OVA, Show By Rock!! Stars!!) is directing the anime at Yostar Pictures and Candy Box. Shunji Maki is the assistant director, Hiroshi Ohnogi and Yamagishi are overseeing the series scripts, and Hiromitsu Hagiwara is the character designer and chief animation director.

Other staff members include:

• Art Director: Kazuhiro Arai
• Color Design: Koji Hamaoka
• Director of Photography: Haruka Gotō
• Editing: Ayumu Takahashi
• Sound Director: Ryousuke Naya
• Sound Production: Studio Mausu

Yostar Pictures already animates the trailers for the game's various limited time events, and also animated Blue Archive: 1.5th Anniversary Short Animation in July 2022, and Blue Archive Short Animation beautiful day dreamer in November 2022. Candy Box worked with Yostar Pictures on Azur Lane: Slow Ahead!, as well as the second and fifth episodes of Arknights: Prelude to Dawn.

Nexon describes the original game's story:

The city's academies are divided into their own districts and are considered mostly independent.

The General Student Council acts as governing board to manage the academies as a whole. However, the group's ability to govern has come to halt since the mysterious disappearance of the General Student Council president. Countless issues have begun to surface throughout Kivotos in the absence of the president's leadership.

To avoid disaster, the General Student Council requests assistance from the Federal Investigation Club, otherwise known as Schale. In fact, Schale is the city's newest club and the last to be approved before the president's disappearance.

To accomplish its task, Schale relies on the guidance of a Sensei who can help them resolve the incidents around Kivotos.

(Students are required to carry personal weapons and smart phones! Get a taste of the military action, love, and friendship the Academy City has to offer!)

The Korean game studio and Nexon subsidiary NAT Games (now known as Nexon Games) developed Blue Archive, and Yostar Japan first launched the game in Japan on February 4, 2021. Nexon published the global version on November 8, 2021. The game is free to play with optional randomized in-app purchases.

Sources: Blue Archive The Animation's X/Twitter account and website, Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web, Gamer