The director of Spider-Man will make two anime
Japanese studio Gonzo K.K., famous for iconic productions such as "Afro Samurai" and "Hellsing," has announced a new partnership with Oscar-winning director Peter Ramsey (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) and U.S. studio N Lite Animation to develop two groundbreaking anime productions. These projects, titled "Ripper" and "Hotaru," seek to break barriers in the anime industry and engage global audiences through stories that explore universal themes of love, loss, and cultural conflicts.
The first of these projects, "Ripper," is a noir thriller set in post-war Japan and will be a combination of live-action and anime-style animation. The story will follow two detectives in search of a serial killer who took the lives of the women they both loved, thus exploring the cultural tensions and shared experiences between the African-American and Japanese communities during World War II. Ramsey will not only serve as executive producer, but also as co-writer of the project, which is being developed by Samantha Inoue Harte, head of production at N Lite Animation, along with writers Paul Alvarado-Dykstra and Rafael Antonio Ruiz. Viola Davis and Julius Tennon's JuVee Productions is also involved in the production, adding even more weight to this high-profile international project.
Ramsey, who will also collaborate as an executive producer on "Hotaru," expressed his excitement about the collaboration, highlighting the importance of showing on screen the historical and cultural intersection between African Americans and Japanese in the post-war context: "It's an incredible time for anime in general, and as a true lover of the medium, I'm eager to create something never seen before," Said.
The second production, "Hotaru", will be a series of science fiction adventures that will tell the story of two warriors possessed of magical powers, united by love and sadness. Created by the N Lite team, led by Inoue Harte, Alvarado-Dykstra and the company's CEO, Christiano Terry, this series seeks to capture the attention of anime fans with its mix of fantasy and science fiction.
Christiano Terry, CEO of N Lite Animation, stressed that his company, a Tokyo-based studio, is on a mission to build cultural bridges and collaborate with industry legends such as Gonzo. "It is an honor that Ishikawa-san of Gonzo has decided to join us. Afro Samurai and many of Gonzo's classic titles are an inspiration for the work we are creating today," Terry said, highlighting his studio's commitment to connecting fans around the world with anime productions that fuse Afro culture with Japanese style.
Gonzo K.K., known for creating the first anime with an African-American protagonist in Afro Samurai, has found in this collaboration with N Lite and Peter Ramsey an opportunity to continue developing inclusive projects with an international reach. According to Shinichiro Ishikawa, CEO of Gonzo, these projects "were conceived as inclusive international co-productions for diverse audiences," and he was pleased with the alliance, assuring that the projects "demonstrate our commitment to an innovative narrative."
With this ambitious collaboration, Gonzo K.K., Peter Ramsey, and N Lite Animation aspire to revolutionize anime by offering a narrative that combines noir, science fiction, and historical context, providing a unique experience that will capture the interest of both anime fans and film and animation lovers globally.
Source: Variety
