The spring 2018 anime series for Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory is launching this week and it’s finding some additional international distribution. While we know Crunchyroll is streaming it and Funimation is producing a dub, UK distributor Anime Limited has confirmed that they’ve picked up the distribution rights for it there (and directing streaming fans to Crunchyroll). Naturally, it’ll be quite some time before they can delve into the home video side but that’s at least squared away there with this acquisition, as they’re saying:
“When it comes to home video we have no time frame on when this may be available, but at best we would don’t expect to hear anything until midway through 2019 at the earliest.”
Katsuichi Nakayama will be directing the series while the original novel author Shoji Gatoh is handling the series composition and scripts. Osamu Horiuchi (Full Metal Panic!, Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid) is returning as the character designer and chief animation director and Aya Yamamoto (animation director for My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO!) is the sub-character designer.
The Japanese cast includes Tomokazu Seki as Sousuke Sagara, Satsuki Yukino as Chidori Kaname, Ikue Kimura as Kyoko Tokiwa, Tomoyuki Morikawa as Hayashimizu Atsunobu, Natsuki Rio as Eri Kagurazaka, Yukana as Teresa Tesarossa, Miki Shinichiro as Kurz Weber, Mitiko Negoya as Melissa Mao, Akio Otsuka as Andre Kalinin, Tomomichi Nishimura as Richard Madukas, Daisuke Namikawa as Keonard Testarossa, Kazuhiro Yamaji as Kuruma, Tomokazu Sugita as Lee Fowler, Masaki Terasoma as Wilhelm Casper, Marina Inoue as Sabina Rechnio, Aya Uchida as Sachi Shinohara, Minori Chihara as Nami, Kenjiro Tsuda as Michel Lemon, Tessyo Genta as Police Chief in Namsaku, Show Hayami as George Lovelock, and Kappei Yamaguchi as Dragonfly (Falke AI).
Gatoh’s original novel series, illustrated by Doug Shiki, published by Fujimi Shobo (a Kadokawa imprint) ran for twelve volumes between 1998 and 2011. ADV Films and FUNimation previously released the anime material with FUNimation currently holding all the rights for it. FUNimation have since released the original series as well as the Fumoffu series in priced-down format.
Check out the official site and Twitter.
Property concept: Jindai High School was a relatively safe place, right up until Sousuke Sagaka transferred there. A total nut, he wreaks havoc on the school’s student body and gets into a world of trouble with the teachers! But there’s more to Sousuke than meets the eye—not just a hell-raising student, he’s actually a member of an elite military unit, on an undercover mission to protect the beautiful schoolgirl Kaname Chidori from the KGB.
