TMS Entertainment announced a new production back in March 2022 that’s based on a concept/original work by Homura Kawamoto and Hikaru Muno. High Card saw a January 9th, 2023 debut and now the folks at Kadokawa are setting the home video release plans. The twelve-episode series was done as a four-volume release that begins on April 26th, 2023. The DVDs are priced at 8,000 yen each while the Blu-rays are priced at 9,000 yen each.
Now, the second season is underway and they’ve opted to continue with the volume number and largely replicated everything else from the first season with it set to release on March 27th, 2024.
The project has Junichi Wada as the director working from scripts by Kenichi Yamashita, Kazuhiko Inukai, and Shingo Nagai. Nozomi Kawano is on board with the character designs adapting Ebimo’s original work while Studi0 Hibaro handling the animation production.
The Japanese cast includes Gen Sato as Finn Oldman, Toshiki Masuda as Chris Redgrave, Shun Horie as Leo Constantine Pinochle, Haruka Shiraishi as Wendy Satō, Yuichiro Umehara as Vijay Kumar Singh, Kazuhiro Yamaji as Bernard Symons, Daisuke Ono as Theodore Constantine Pinochle, Nobunaga Shimazaki as Owen Alldays, Toshihiko Seki as Norman Kingstadt, Shunsuke Takeuchi as Brist Blitz Broadhurst, Mie Sonozaki as Brandy Blumenthal, Tomokazu Seki as Ban Klondike, Toshiyuki Toyonaga as Tilt, Chiharu Sawashiro as Bobby Ball, Toshiyuki Morikawa as Greg Young, and Rie Takahashi as Sugar Pease.
The opening theme song is “Trickster” by FIVE NEW OLD.
The Manga Up! service that Square Enix runs has The High Card -♢9 No Mercy manga. It’s being worked on by Ebimo who worked on the original designs for the anime.
Check out the official site and Twitter.
Plot Concept: After discovering that his orphanage was on the brink of closing due to financial stress, Finn, who was living freely on the streets, set out for a casino with the aim of making a fortune. However, nothing could have prepared Finn for the nightmare that was awaiting him. Once there, Finn encountered a car chase and bloody shootout caused by a man’s “lucky” card.
Finn will eventually learn what the shootout was about. The world order can be controlled by a set of 52 X-Playing cards with the power to bestow different superhuman powers and abilities to the ones that possess them. With these cards, people can access the hidden power of the “buddy” that can be found within themselves.
There is a secret group of players called High Card, who have been directly ordered by the king of Fourland to collect the cards that have been scattered throughout the kingdom, while moonlighting as employees of the luxury carmaker Pinochle. Scouted to become the group’s fifth member, Finn soon joins the players on a dangerous mission to find these cards.
“All you need in life are manners, dignity, and the will to bet on your own life.”
However, Who’s Who, the rival car maker obsessed with defeating Pinochle, and the Klondikes, the infamous Mafia family, stand in the way of the gang.
A frenzied battle amongst these card-obsessed players, fueled by justice, desire, and revenge, is about to begin!
Are you ready?
It’s Showdown!!
| Volume | Date | Extras |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 04/26/23 | Booklet, Drama CD, Clean Opening |
| 2 | 05/24/23 | Booklet, Drama CD, Clean Closing |
| 3 | 06/28/23 | Booklet, Radio CD, Promos |
| 4 | 07/26/23 | Booklet, Radio CD, Promos, Commercials |
| 5 | 03/27/24 | Booklet, Drama CD, Clean Opening |
| 6 | 04/24/24 | Booklet, Drama CD, Clean Closing |
| 7 | 05/29/24 | Booklet, Radio CD, Promos |
| 8 | 06/26/24 | Booklet, Radio CD, Promos, Commercials |
[Source: High Card]
