A Rumiko Takahashi anime series not at Viz Media? It’s the end of an era! Okay, not really, as there have been several of her short form works elsewhere, but it certainly feels unusual. Sentai Filmworks has announced the acquisition of the new spring 2015 series RIN-NE, which is being planned for twenty-six episodes for its run. The show premiered today in Japan and Sentai Filmworks will be bringing it out with additional streaming options in the coming weeks and a home video release down the line.
The show is set to be directed by Seiki Sugawara at Brains Base with the eternally busy Michiko Yokote handling the scripts for the series. The series stars Kaito Ishikawa as Rinne Rokudo, Marina Inoue as Sakura Mamiya, Hitomi Nabatame as Rokumon, Satsuki Yukino as Tamako, Kappei Yamaguchi as Sabato Rokudo, Ryohei Kimura as Tsubasa Jūmonji, Tetsuya Kakihara as Masato, Sora Tokui as Miho, Aya Suzaki as Rika and Tesshô Genda as Narrator.
Rumiko Takahashi’s works have spawned some long running shows over the years, from Urusei Yatsura to Ranma 1/2 as well as Maison Ikkoku and Inu Yasha. Add in a number of OVAs over the years, most of which are long out of print in North America, and it’s easy to see why they’ll animate what she produces once there’s more than enough content to work with. The manga series, which is released in North America by Viz as Rin-ne, began in 2009 and has twenty-two volumes released there to date. Viz Media has released the 17th volume of the series last month in North America.
Plot Concept: As a child Sakura Mamiya mysteriously disappeared in the woods behind her grandma’s home. She returned whole and healthy, but since then she has had the power to see ghosts. Now a teenager, she just wishes the ghosts would leave her alone! At school, the desk next to Sakura’s has been empty since the start of the school year, then one day her always-absent classmate shows up, and he’s far more than what he seems!
