There are projects that are born as graduation
work and end up in Annecy. Mahoseka, the "Living in a
World Without Magic" music video created by
illustrator Akiwashi in collaboration with Euluca Lab., has
just confirmed that it is being developed as a long-form anime film.
The original video, which since its release on July 1, 2022 has accumulated
more than 6.39 million views, served as a starting point for what
now aims to become a project with international reach.
What makes Mahoseka's origin special is that
Akiwashi took on virtually every role in the original video: directing,
scripting, character design, animation, backgrounds, 3D CG, and compositing.
Vocals were contributed by Natsuki Hanae and philo.
A work of that scale done by a single person, which was also conceived as a
graduation project, and which ended up generating millions of views, is the
kind of story that the independent anime industry needs to tell.
The film is already moving forward with an
international structure. Singaporean studio Kasagi Labo is in
charge of overseas plans, including a support campaign on English-language
platform AnimeOshi that allows fans to contribute to the
film's release in exchange for club benefits. That campaign will be active
until July 8. The project will also have a presence at the Annecy
International Animation Festival on June 24, with a panel that will
feature Masao Maruyama, co-founder of Madhouse and MAPPA, and Tony
S. Izumi of Kasagi Labo. In addition, the team will be present at the Anime
Expo from July 2 to 5.
For now there is no information about the cast
of the film or the complete details of the production team; These data are
expected in the coming months as development progresses.
About Mahoseka
Mahoseka is a story created by Akiwashi that
takes place in the village of Urgalz, where witches live with
ordinary people. The narrative follows Haru, a lost boy who on a
rainy night is greeted by Sara, a mysterious one-eyed witch who
lives on a floating island above the town. Through small gestures, such as
sharing a hot meal, the two build a bond that replaces silence with something
warmer. However, Sara holds a secret tied to the witches' forgotten past, one
that will eventually drag Haru into a deeper understanding of her world. The
story was also adapted into a novel by Mamoru Iwasa, published
by Kadokawa.
