Today, seen outside of the AnimeJapan 2022 convention, was a poster announcing RWBY: Ice Queendom, an alt-universe anime adaptation of RWBY as part of the Team RWBY Project.
The project is to be spearheaded as a collaboration between Rooster Teeth Productions, responsible for the American production of RWBY, and SHAFT, the Japanese studio best known for their productions of Madoka Magica and the Monogatari series.
The text on the poster translates to, “A new animation of RWBY made in Japan,” suggesting that all the animation and production of the series will be done in Japan. The staff also happens to reflect this, with some exceptionally star-studded names among the lineup.
The RWBY: Ice Queendom OP (opening) theme song music “Beyond Selves” will be performed by Void_Chords featuring L. The ED theme “Awake” is being performed by Saori Hayami.
The Japanese cast from the original RWBY dub will return:
- Ruby Rose: Saori Hayami
- Weiss Schnee: Yoko Hikasa
- Blake Belladonna: Yu Shimamura
- Yang Xiao Long: Ami Koshimizu
You can take a look at the tweet found regarding the poster below:
Some shocking names were found on the staff list, though, including a few SHAFT veterans and notable character designers.
Who is set to work on the original project?
SHAFT is a well-regarded anime studio for its work on projects such as Madoka Magica and the Monogatari series. Huke the character designer is best known for his work in designing the characters for Steins;Gate and Black Rock Shooter, will be designing the RWBY: Ice Queendom characters for the show.
As for the animation concept, Gen Urobuchi, writer and concept designer for both Aldnoah Zero and Madoka Magica, will be covering that. Tow Ubakata, best known for his work writing Mardock Scramble as well as covering series composition on Psycho-Pass 2 and Ghost in the Shell: Arise, will be in charge of series composition and scriptwriting.
The director of the project, Toshimasa Suzuki, is a SHAFT veteran known for his work on shows such as Owarimonogatari, his work directing the animation for Hanamonogatari, and a long, long history of storyboards for the studio.
Overall, this is quite the all-star set of staff going into it — it seems as if Rooster Teeth’s putting their all into RWBY: Ice Queendom!
When will RWBY: Ice Queendom release?
The RWBY: Ice Queendom release date is set for 2022. While the exact date set for the release of the production is as of yet unannounced, the show is set to premiere later this year.
This is most certainly an exciting prospect for RWBY fans. Considering how RWBY is a bit of a cult hit in Japan and the known talent of the staff, it’s expected that the staff behind the anime is to be incredibly passionate about the project. Hopefully, the show ends up revitalizing the series as it goes into its tenth season later this year!