Kadokawa has officially announced that Reki Kawahara's novel series, Demons’ Crest, will be adapted to anime television. This announcement was a major highlight for fans, given Kawahara's track record as the writer behind the franchise. Sword Art Online.
The Creator Behind Project Demons’ Crest
The Demons’ Crest anime project is backed by two big names in the industry. The writer of the story is Reki Kawahara, who is globally recognized through his novel Sword Art Online. Kawahara started the SAO series in 2001 and has developed it into a large franchise with various story arcs such as “Alicization” and “Unital Ring”, as well as the "Unital Ring" series. spin-off Sword Art Online: Progressive. In addition, he is also the writer behind the series Accel World and The Isolator: Realization of Absolute Solitude.
On the visual side, the illustrations for the original novel were done by Yukiko Horiguchi. Her name is widely known among anime fans as a character designer for various titles from Kyoto Animation, including K-ON!, Lucky Star, and Tamako Love Story. To celebrate the announcement of this anime adaptation, Horiguchi has released special illustrations featuring the characters from Demons’ Crest.
Death Games in the VRMMORPG World
Yen Press, which holds the novel's license for English release, describes the story as follows. The latest VRMMORPG game, “Actual Magic”, has sealed a group of sixth graders in a terrifying game of life or death.
The protagonist of the story, eleven-year-old Yuuma, and his friends must face various dangers. One of their classmates has turned into a monster, and giant beasts lurk around every corner. Their only hope is a demon named Valac, who has possessed Yuuma's twin brother. Following Valac's lead, Yuuma and his group embark on a journey to rescue their lost friend Nagi, but unexpected encounters await them.
About Demons’ Crest
Currently, Kadokawa has not provided any further information regarding the Demons’ Crest anime production. Details such as the animation studio in charge, the list of voice actors (seiyuu), and the release schedule has yet to be announced.
The novel Demons’ Crest was first launched by Kawahara in November 2022. Kadokawa is scheduled to release the fourth volume in Japan on December 10. Meanwhile, Yen Press will release the third volume of the novel in English on December 30.
In addition to novels, manga adaptations in the format of vertical-scrolling has also been running. The manga was launched in November 2022 on Wit Studio's HykeComic service, with Tomoe in charge of drawing and Koroku Takano as scriptwriter. The first compilation volume of the manga was released by Kadokawa in June 2024.
Fans are now eagerly awaiting more information regarding the production details and release date of this highly anticipated anime adaptation.
Sources: PR Times
