The battle for anime supremacy may be heating up, but it looks like one channel has a lot more on their sleeves…
Anime Pilipinas has uncovered the marketing plans of terrestrial network ABS-CBN for advertisers, posted on their sales and marketing portal ABS-CBN 360, which reveals that they may have acquired two (2) more popular sports anime titles, Free! Iwatobi Swim Club and Yowamushi Pedal.
The two new titles follow other sports anime series that was previously acquired by the broadcaster, which includes the basketball-themed Kuroko’s Basketball and the volleyball-themed Haikyuu!!.
The marketing plan says that the titles are for this year, but the network has yet to confirm or make an announcement about the matter.
FREE! Iwatobi Swim Club
Four boys named Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and Rin all participated in a swimming tournament shortly before graduating elementary school and later parted ways. Years later, they reunite when Rin challenges Haruka to a race and wins. Not wanting to be defeated so easily, Haruka gathers Makoto and Nagisa and a new recruit named Rei to form the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club. (Synopsis from Anime News Network)
FREE! Iwatobi Swim Club is an anime series produced by animation studios Animation DO and Kyoto Animation, which was directed by Hiroko Utsumi, who also worked on other popular KyoAni titles, and Masahiro Yokotani, who worked as a scriptwriter for Beelzebub and The Devil is a Part-Timer, handled the series composition.
Yowamushi Pedal
Sakamichi Onada is a wimpy high school freshman who loves anime. He initially wants to enter the anime club, but winds up joining the cycling club after meeting two classmates who are already famous cyclists. He undertakes the grueling training to compete in races, and discovers his own hidden talent in cycling. (Synopsis from Anime News Network)
Yowamushi Pedal is an anime adaptation of a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Wataru Watanabe, which is being published by Akita Shonen’s Weekly Shonen Champion magazine since February 2008. The manga currently has 39 volumes.
The anime adaptation is directed by Osamu Nabeshima, who also directed the popular anime series D.Gray-man, and Bakuman. scriptwriter Reiko Yoshida supervised the scripts, and produced by TMS Entertainment.
