GMA Network has announced through television advertisements this week the morning animation block Astig Authority’s program line-up throughout the next year.
The line-up is lead by the return of sci-fi adventure anime Time Quest and the premiere of the popular fantasy adventure anime Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic.
Time Quest
たいむとらぶる トンデケマン！
Hayato and Yumi are two high school students from present Japan. When they accidentally activated Tondekeman, a kettle-shaped, talking time machine, they were transported back to ancient Baghdad. They meet Abdullah who is hell bent on acquiring the future gadget. They also meet Aladdin, Prince Dandarn and Princess Shalala. Time travel is indeed troublesome. (Synopsis from Anime News Network)
Time Quest, also known as “Time Trouble Tondekeman!”, is an anime series written by Junki Takegami, who also worked on the Spooky Kitaro series, and directed by Akira Shigino and Kunihiko Yuyama. It was produced by both Ashi Productions and Tatsunoko Production.
Time Quest first premiered in the Philippines on IBC-13 during sometime in 1994, but its airing has been unfinished. The anime was then picked up by ABC-5, now known as TV5, sometime 2003.
Magi
マギ
In a fantastic middle-age world where slavery is very common, there are mysterious tall towers named “Dungeon” which mysteriously appeared out of nowhere fourteen years before the story line. Someone who conquers a Dungeon becomes very powerful and wealthy. Our hero Ali Baba is a teenager who works for merchants to support himself. He dreams for conquering a lot of Dungeons and becoming a very rich person. One day, he comes across with a strange young boy named Aladdin who carries a mystical flute with supernatural powers in it. Ali Baba and Aladdin agree to travel their first Dungeon together. (Synopsis from Anime News Network)
Magi is an anime adpatation of a Japanese manga series, written & illustrated by Shinobu Ohtaka. The manga is currently serialized Shogakukan’s Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine since June 2009, and it currently has 23 compiled volumes.
The first anime adaptation, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, was aired on Japanese television in October 2012, while the second adaptation, Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, was aired in October 2013.
Both anime adaptation were directed by Koji Masunari, who also created the manga Kamichu! Teenage Goddess, and written by Hiroyuki Yoshino, who worked on popular titles like Black Butler, My-HiME, and Accel World. Character designs were made by Toshifumi Akai, and were produced on A-1 Pictures.
The Japanese voice cast lead by Kaori Ishihara (Suzuna Ayuzawa, Kaicho wa Maid-sama!) as Aladdin, Yuuki Kaji (Konekomaru Miwa, Blue Exorcist) as Alibaba Saluja, and Haruka Tomatsu (Mileina Vashti, Mobile Suit Gundam 00) as Morgiana.
Other anime titles that is set to premiere on the anime block are Ring ni Kakero, Chou Soku Henkei Gyrozetter, Hayate the Combat Butler: Can’t Take My Eyes on You, Hayate the Combat Butler: Cuties, and Cross Fight B-Daman.
Hajime no Ippo: The Rising, and several Detective Conan movies are also set to premiere within the year.
The channel is also set to premiere new seasons of Fairy Tail, Bleach, Pokemon, and Toriko.
Other animation titles set to air within the year are the French animation Martin Mystery, which was first aired on the defunct Qtv Channel 11 in 2008, Pac-man and the Ghostly Adventures, and Angry Bird Toons.
UPDATE: We have updated this article to state that Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic’s character designer was Toshifumi Akai, not “Haruka Tomatsu”. We apologise for the error.
