You may already know about the next Olympic games that is going to be held in Tokyo, Japan in 2020 but what you might not know is that this important world event will be a deadly disaster. Well, not in reality but that is what is going to happen in this fictional Under the Dog anime that circles around the story of devastating terrorist attack that puts an end to Olympic games in Tokyo. This unique story line is backed with breath taking plots and stunning action sequences that will guarantee you pure addiction. All those who think anime is not a good genre will definitely change their minds after watching the trailer of this proposed series.
Under The Dog: A Unique Anime Project - Plot and News
The Story:
The year is 2025 and Japan is still struggling with the aftermath of terror strike during 202 Olympics. The site is now under the control of UN that has placed it beyond the jurisdiction of Japan. A special unit is run by UN to track and trace the terrorists behind the attack and this unit employs 17 year old students for their mission. Hana Togetsu, a 17 year old high school student is the lead character of the story who goes to a school on Enoshima Island as a transferred student. A boy in her class is the target for her current mission but the story unfolds to a whole new level where US military shows up at the school, looking for a man. This is the overview of the story and there are many mysterious events, plots and lots of bloodshed that unveils new enemy against the mankind. A group of teens secretly held together to fight a deadliest and raging war against the terrorists are the heroes of the story and they have to manage between saving the lives of their own families and protecting the nation.
The Idea behind under the dog anime:
What makes this anime a unique one is also because of the fact that there is no formal production company to back this project. This Japanese science fiction thriller OVA is funded by individual contributors or fans through paypal and is lead by collaborative teams of Creative Intelligence Arts known as ‘CIA’ and Kinema Citrus. Though successfully funded by contributors the Kinema Citrus alone took over full control of the project after a split between the tow companies due to some differences. The projects main idea was to preserve the style and format of earlier days science fiction anime inspired by Akira like movies. With tagline of “Our enemy is the light of humanity” this project aimed to be the Episode 0 of what meant to be a long running series. Episode 0 is basically the introduction of the basis of story, the characters, environment, landscapes, heroes, enemy, targets, etc. This 24 minute anime is actual foundation for future bigger projects under the brand name ‘under the dog’.
What went wrong:
Though the initial plot of the project under the dog anime was successful and also received immense response in terms of funds from paypal backers referred to as kickstarters, it could not survive the demanding cost of production. The actual cost turned out to be far more than what was estimated and the available funds were wisely used in making a good quality anime that it promised. So the team actually underestimated the cost required to accomplish future projects and they could not further the project nor could find source to backup the cost.
Reward for Kickstarters:
People who backed this project with their contribution did receive their fair share as the makers released the episode 0 exclusively for the PayPal backers. They can download original video, posters and whole lot of other stuffs they got exclusive rights to. Their names are all mentioned under the ‘Supported By’ column of the official under the dog anime website. Backers are getting digital downloads as well as DVD and Blu-Ray copies of the first edition of the movie. The quality of the anime is truly amazing and intense that every action movie lover would praise.
Release Date:
This original video animation (OVA) was officially release on the 1st of the August in 2016 with video run time of 30 minutes that covered every aspect of the story. This is available only to the paypal backers for now in addition to the option for others to make the purchase online too. The movie is a grand success and the fans across the world are hoping for the success of future projects.
Cast and Crew:
Original story was written by Jiro Ishii with the support by writers Yukinori Kitajima and Keigo Koyanagi. Producers Koji Morimoto and Yoshiro Kataoka backed the project that was designed in Kinema Citrus studio. The breathtaking music is composed by Kevin Penkin, a music artist from Australia. The main characters of the movie received voice from Asami Seto (voice for Anthea Kallenberg), Rumi Okubo (Hana Togetsu), Koki Uchiyama (Shunichi Nanase), Haruka Takahashi (Sayuri) and Naomi Ohzora (Estella).
The worldwide fame of under the dog has pushed the project so far to the peak of success and fans are looking forward for the future episodes or projects. Fans across the world are showing their support and encouraging the makers to proceed with what has been put to halt due to various reasons and funding issues. Big production companies in Japan are not backing because it does not meet the format of specific viewers in the country who follow anime. Instead, the project was aimed for international viewers and the hope is that the makers get appropriate backup to be able to continue with the journey.
Conclusion
As for the current news, the shipping process of rewards has begun and the backers can expect the same within a month. People who paid for Anthea figurine which could not be completed can expect the refund as the same has been announced too. Backers will get the refund to their paypal accounts, however, any additional fee will also be covered as part of this refund process. So there is no loss to the contributors whatsoever as the initial project was a grand success.
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