RIYADH: MBC’s Shahid, the world’s leading Arabic streaming platform, announced on Tuesday that the remake of the original anime series “Grendizer” is set to premiere worldwide in July 2024.
The new series was created in collaboration with Manga Productions, a subsidiary of the Mohammed Bin Salman Foundation, Misk, and brings back the popular characters Duke Fleed and Kouji Kabuto.
Manga Productions has revealed a third promo video for “Grendizer U” as well as a new key visual for the new anime series.
Dr. Essam Bukhary, CEO of Manga Productions, commented: “We are delighted to announce the continuation of our partnership with Shahid and confirm that this partnership is an extension of our previous successful collaboration.
“It is worth noting that there have been several partnerships between Manga Productions and Shahid, presenting outstanding works such as the film ‘The Journey’ and the series ‘Future’s Folktales’ and ‘Captain Tsubasa’. It is noteworthy that ‘The Journey’ made it into the top five anime films on the Shahid platform.”
Tareq Al-Ibrahim, Director of Content at Shahid and Director of MBC1 and MBC Drama, said: “Our strategic partnership with Manga Productions offers significant value to our audiences and appeals to a wide range of viewer categories and age groups.
“What sets Manga Productions apart in its industry is its commitment to high production and artistic standards, coupled with creative content that conveys valuable social messages and stories.”
He added: “This type of content and its messages are in line with the region’s cultural values and resonate with audiences across the region, offering Arab families a sophisticated, enjoyable and entertaining television experience.”
In 2022, a strategic partnership was announced between Dynamic Planning and Manga Productions to license “UFO Robo Grendizer” – better known as “Grendizer” – and use it in products and characters for cities and entertainment events worldwide, excluding Japan.
The new series is based on Go Nagai’s “UFO Robo Grendizer”. The general director of “Grendizer U” is Mitsuo Fukuda, series composition and screenplay are by Ichiro Okouchi, while Tatsuhito Higuchi also wrote the screenplay.
Character design is by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, while Mari Araki is in charge of supporting character design. Mechanical design is by Wataru Inata, AF_KURO, and Junichi Akutsu (Astrays), with design work by Pinakes, Tomoyuki Aoki, Zenseava, and Masato Yoshinaga.
The main animators include Hiroyuki Taiga, Takashi Hashimoto, Masahiro Yamane, and Toru Yoshida. Art direction is by Hiroshi Kato and Hirofumi Sakagami (Totonyan), while Tomoe Yoshimura is in charge of color design and Atsushi Usuta (Nexus) is in charge of cinematography.
Yukio Nagasaki is the sound director, the sound effects are by Toshiya Wada and Maki Takuma (Swara Pro). The music is composed by Kohei Tanaka, the music production is by Pony Canyon. Gaina is in charge of the animation production.