Hong Kong-based content distributor Medialink Entertainment Limited has started streaming the new Sorcerous Stabber Orphen anime series to their Ani-One streaming platform.
The first episode was made available on January 8, and subsequent episodes will be streamed every Wednesdays at 01:00am PHT, within a few hours after its initial Japanese telecast.
All episodes will be streamed on their YouTube channel, which will be available in English and Chinese subtitles.
Sorcerous Stabber Orphen will be the streaming platform’s second simulcast anime title for the Winter 2020 season, which followed the same-day streaming of ROOM CAMP that started on Monday.
Sorcerous Stabber Orphen is a reboot of the 1998 anime series, which is based on a Japanese fantasy adventure manga series, written by Yoshinobu Akita and illustrated by Yuuya Kusaka.
The manga series was serialized in Fujimi Shobo’s Dragon Magazine from May 1994 to September 2013, with a total of 20 tankubon volumes.
Aside from the anime adaptation, the manga has also inspired several light novel and manga adaptations, as well as a video game for the PlayStation 2 console. The 2020 anime adaptation commemorates the 25th anniversary of the series.
North American anime licensor Funimation described the anime series:
Orphen is a powerful sorcerer who is notoriously lazy. Everything changes when he finds a way to save his sis, who was turned into a dragon during their days at magic academy. Betrayed by friends who refused to help, Orphen will stop at nothing to track her down, even if he has to go it alone.
Takayuki Hamana, who previously worked on the popular sports anime The Prince of Tennis, directed the anime reboot, while Violet Evergarden scriptwriter Reiko Yoshida handled series composition.
Takahiko Yoshida, who previously worked on several anime shows like Yowamushi Pedal, Big Windup! and Cells at Work!, handled the new show’s character designs, which is being produced by Studio DEEN.
Showtaro Morikubo, who played the lead character “Orphen” in the 1998 anime adaptation and its sequel, returns to play his role in the reboot.
Sorcerous Stabber Orphen’s 1998 anime series was aired in the Philippines in Tagalog dubbing through terrestrial broadcaster GMA-7 in May 2005, but was abruptly removed a couple of days later due to the channel’s reprogramming.
The program was eventually aired in complete form a year later on the broadcaster’s defunct sister channel Qtv Channel 11, as well as on the defunct anime channel HEROtv.
Medialink Entertainment is a distributor of Japanese anime content and other intellectual properties in Asia since 2000, based in Hong Kong. They have provided content for free-to-air and pay-TV providers, as well as streaming platforms.
In 2016, the company launched their own streaming platform Ani-One, which featured simulcast anime titles and content from their programming library, mostly in Chinese subtitles.
