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Fantasy about girl's supernatural power over animals to air in January

The Japanese publisher Kodansha and the public broadcaster NHK have announced on Wednesday that The Beast Player (Kemono no Sōja), a fantasy novel epic by Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit author Nahoko Uehashi, will be animated for television. Kemono no Sōja Erin (The Beast Player Erin) will center around a girl who can control the greatest of beasts as if she was playing a musical instrument. However, she gets embroiled in a war for supremacy between kingdoms. Uehashi wrote two The Beast Player volumes in 2006. The anime will premiere on Japan's NHK-Educational channel on Saturday, January 10 at 6:25 p.m.

The Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell, The Sky Crawlers, Blood+) and Transarts (The Prince of Tennis, Vampiyan Kids) studios will split the animation production duties. Takayuki Hamana (The Prince of Tennis, Library War, Chocolate Underground) will direct off the scripts that will be supervised by Jun'ichi Fujisaku (Blood+, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Real Drive). Takayuki Goto (Hunter X Hunter, Please Save My Earth, Video Girl Ai) will design the characters, and award-winning composer Masayuki Sakamoto (Bleach, Dangaizer 3, Ayaka Hirahara's "Jupiter") will be in charge of the music. Artist Itoe Takemoto will launch a manga adaptation in Kodansha's Monthly Comic Sirius magazine's December issue, which goes on sale on October 25.

Arthur E. Levine/Scholastic Books is publishing the original Moribito novels in North America, while Media Blasters distributes the anime series. The Adult Swim television network has been running the series on early Sunday mornings.

Source: Moon Phase Comments