Hong Kong-based content distributor MediaLink Entertainment Limited has announced four anime titles streaming on a simulcast basis on their Ani-One platform this Spring 2020.
The company has announced that they are simulcasting the new Sakura Wars the Animation, Sing “Yesterday” For Me, GLEIPNIR and The Millionaire Detective Balance: UNLIMITED next season.
All anime titles will be available initially in Chinese subtitles, while English subtitles are added within 24 hours after making each episodes online.
Sakura Wars the Animation
新サクラ大戦 the Animation
Ten years after the demon war, the new Imperial Combat Revue’s Flower Division is assigned a new captain, Seijuro Kamiyama. Now, Sakura and the rest of the troupe must adjust to the change, face a demon invasion, and prepare for an upcoming tournament. They’ll have to juggle all this while keeping up with their training and continuing to put on shows at their home, the Imperial Theater. (Synopsis from Funimation)
Sakura Wars the Animation is an upcoming anime series based on the 2019 Sakura Wars video game, which was developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation 4 console. The anime will be set a year after the video game’s story.
The anime series will be directed by Manabu Ono, who previously directed on Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere anime series, while he reunites with scriptwriter Tatsuhiko Urahata to handle series composition.
The team of Masashi Kudo, Takuya Chanohara and Tatsuya Fukushima will handle the upcoming show’s character designs, which will be produced by SANZIGEN.
The main cast from the video game will reprise their roles, including Ayane Sakura (as Sakura Amamiya), Maaya Uchida (as Hatsuho Shinonome) and Ayaka Fukuhara (as Anastasia Palma).
Sakura Wars the Animation will start on April 3, streaming every Friday nights at 10:00pm PHT, an hour after its initial Japanese telecast.
Sing “Yesterday” For Me
イエスタデイをうたって
Rikuo has graduated from college, but has zero ambition or direction and works in a convenience store. A strange high-school dropout, Haru, keeps coming around with her pet crow. Rikuo still has a crush on his senior Shinako, who is beginning a teaching career, and who shows up in the store one day. Rikuo’s relationships with the girls, and his feelings about his life, keep changing as the story evolves, bringing in other important characters—Rikuo’s co-worker, the coworker’s sister, and a childhood friend of Shinako’s, etc. (Synopsis from Anime News Network)
Sing “Yesterday” For Me is an upcoming anime adaptation of a Japanese Japanese manga series by Kei Toume, which was serialized from December 1997 to June 2015 in Shueisha magazines and has a total of 11 volumes.
The anime series will be directed by Yoshiyuki Fujiwara, who previously worked on the slice-of-life comedy anime New Game!, while Anne-Happy scriptwriter Jin Tanaka will handle the series composition.
Junichiro Taniguchi, who previously worked on Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Tada Never Falls in Love, will work on character designs, which will be produced by Dogo Kobo.
The Japanese voice cast will be lead by Chikahiro Kobayashi (“Saichi Sugimoto”, Golden Kamui) as “Rikuo Uozumi”, Yume Miyamoto (“Rikka Takarada”, SSSS.Gridman) as “Haru Nonaka” and Kana Hanazawa (“Mayumi Saegusa”, The irregular at magic high school) as “Shinako Morinome”.
Sing “Yesterday” For Me will start on April 5, streaming every Sunday late nights at 02:00am PHT, within two hours after its initial Japanese telecast.
GLEIPNIR
グレイプニル
Shuichi Kagaya is an ordinary student until he learns he can transform into a monstrous dog with a revolver and a zipper down his back. Unsure where his powers have come from and whom to trust, he risks it all to save a beautiful classmate named Claire. He learns he’s not the only one with a secret; she wants to use his monster’s powers—no matter how brutal the violence or bloody the action. (Synopsis from Funimation)
GLEIPNIR is an upcoming anime adaptation of a Japanese romantic-comedy manga by Sun Takeda, which is running in Kodansha’s Young Magazine the 3rd magazine since October 2015 and currently has seven (7) volumes.
The anime series will be directed by Kazuhiro Yoneda, who previously directed the second and third season of Hozuki’s Coolheadedness, while Sket Dance scriptwriter Shinichi Inotsume will handle the series composition.
Takahiro Kishida, who previously worked in anime shows like Baccano! and Durarara!!, will handle character designs, which will be produced by PINE JAM.
The Japanese voice cast will be lead by Natsuki Hanae, who previously voiced “Ken Kaneki” in the popular anime series Tokyo Ghoul, as “Shuichi Kagaya” and Nao Toyama, who previously voiced “Yui Yuigahama” in the popular anime series My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU!, as “Clair Aoki”.
GLEIPNIR will start on April 5, streaming every Sunday nights at 10:30pm PHT, within an hour after its initial Japanese telecast.
The Millionaire Detective Balance: UNLIMITED
富豪刑事 Balance：UNLIMITED
Daisuke Kambe, the heir to one of the wealthiest families in Japan, works as a detective in the Modern Crime Prevention Task Force (MCPTF), where officers who caused problems in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department are sent as punishment. Haru Kato, a kindhearted detective, is selected to be Daisuke’s partner. Daisuke judges everything by its monetary value, even human lives.
Kato, who believes that there is more to life than money, is disgusted by this behavior. See how these two disparate personalities come together and bring their unconventional methods to bear, tackling seemingly perfect crimes and unsolvable mysteries! (Synopsis from Aniplex of America)
The Millionaire Detective Balance: UNLIMITED is an upcoming anime series based on the 1978 mystery novel series “Fugou Keiji” by Yasutaka Tsutsui, creator of the popular series The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Paprika.
The anime series will be directed by Tomohiko Ito, who directed the popular anime series Sword Art Online, while Haikyuu!! scriptwriter Taku Kishimoto handles the series composition.
Keigo Sasaki, who previously worked in Blue Exorcist and ERASED, will handle character deisgns, which will be produced by CloverWorks.
The Japanese voice cast will be lead by Mamoru Miyano, who voiced “Osamu Dazai” in the popular anime Bungo Stray Dogs, portraying the role of “Kato” and Yusuke Onuki, in his voice acting debut, portraying the role of “Daisuke Kanbe”.
The Millionaire Detective Balance: UNLIMITED will start on Friday, April 10, at 01:10am PHT, within two hours after its initial Japanese telecast. Subsequent episodes will be streamed every Friday at 12:25am PHT.
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.
