Warner Bros. Japan continues to do some really good stuff in promoting the new series Terra Formars, which was simulcast earlier today by Crunchyroll. With a worldwide reach outside of Asia, there’s definitely a good bit of interest in the show and the new nearly three minute video shows off the premise of the series well and the general tone of it, which is useful since the opening episode is a bit on the slow side. The series, which Viz Media acquired the manga for back in October of 2013, is created by Yu Sasuga and Kenichi TAchibama. The anime adaptation was announced earlier this year which adapts the Annex 1 arc along with an OVA that will adapt the Bugs 2 arc that has gotten the green light. Originally starting publication back in 2011, it has nine volumes released so far.
The series stars Yoshimasa Hosoya as Akari Hizamaru, Hidenobu Kiuchi as Shōkichi Komachi, Shizuka Itou as Michelle, Kaito Ishikawa as Marcos, KENN as Alex, Ai Kayano as Sheila, Daisuke Ono as Keiji Onizuka, Chiaki Takahashi as Kanako Sanjō, Aki Toyosaki as Yaeko Yanasegawa, Tomokazu Sugita as Ichirō Hiruma, Koji Yusa as Adolf Reinhard, Akira Ishida as Joseph, Unshou Ishizuka as Sylvester, Tetsuo Komura as Liu Yiwu, Ayane Sakura as Eva Frost, Kenji Akabane as Ivan Perepelkina, Romi Park as Elena Perepelkina and Toshiyuki Morikawa as Shichisei Hiruma.
The anime adaptation is being produced at LIDEN FILMS with Hiroshi Hamasaki directing based on scripts by Shogo Ysukawa. Character designs are being done by Masanori Shino while Satoshi Kimura is doing secondary character design work.
Plot concept: With the space program attempting to travel to Mars, 21st century scientists were tasked with warming up the planet so that humans could survive on its surface. They came up with an efficient and cost effective plan of sending cockroaches and mold to the surface so that the mold would absorb the sunlight and the insect corpses would serve as a food source for the mold.
It is now the year 2577 and the first manned ship to Mars has landed on the planet and the six crew members are ready for their mission. But what they find are giant mutated humanoid cockroaches with incredible physical strength. The crew members are easily wiped out, but not before sending a transmission back to Earth. Now, humanity will send elite warriors to exterminate the mutated bugs and claim back Mars.