The idea of more Riding Bean anime is something that a segment of Western fandom has long wanted, just in a back of the mind kind of way, but we’re inching a little closer to it maybe becoming a reality. Kenichi Sonoda kicked off his crowdfunding campaign on Campfire this weekend with plans for an Episode Zero project. They’re not looking to go big here as it’s just a 5 million yen project, which is under $50k, but they’re detailing it well. Sonoda is set to write it and serve as the chief director and chief animation director with Yu Aoki as the hands-on director. Keizo Shimizu is serving as the character design for it.
The Japanese cast includes:
- Hidenori Takahashi as Bean Bandit
- Ayaka Asai as Rally Vincent
- Hiromi Igarashi as Minnie May
- Eri Kitamura as Becky
Original Concept: Bean Bandit and his partner Rally Vincent are couriers for hire – transporting clients and delivering goods in his custom sports car “Roadbuster” for a hefty price. But when they are hired to escort a kidnapped girl named Chelsea to her home, they don’t realize they’re being framed for kidnapping as their former clients Semmerling and Carrie plan their escape with Chelsea’s father and the ransom money.
[Source: ANN]