Sentai announced today that it had acquired the rights to two comedic anime projects: Wit Studios’ Onipan! and Kenda Master Ken.
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Onipan! is a modern comedy series that will premiere exclusively on the streaming service HiDive during the Spring 2022 anime season. The series tells the story of three demon children that attempt to improve their relations with humans through various acts.
“Over the centuries, oni (AKA demons of Japanese folklore) got a pretty bad reputation,” says the official synopsis for Onipan! “Now it’s up to three plucky oni kids — sunny Tsutsuji, cool Tsuyukusa, and boisterous Himawari — to improve human-oni relations through love, friendship, and superpowered underpants!”
Meanwhile, Kenda Master Ken is based on the movie of the same name and will be available to audiences worldwide, excluding Japan, at a later date. The series follows the adventures of Ken Tamaki, who is a practitioner of the Japanese toy kendama. Following its availability on HiDive, Kenda Master Ken will receive a home video release as well. The original version of the anime series starred Takeshi Maeda (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX) as Ken Tamaki, Nekomata Yui (Go! Mouseman) as Mitsurugi, Maya Okamoto (Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam) as Saori, and Misato (Date A Live) as Tamako.
“Kendama is no mere toy,” says the official synopsis of Kenda Master Ken. “Ken battles rivals, defeats corrupt organizations, and even finds love through his favorite pastime. The stakes are high indeed and Ken will have to face his own inner demons if he wants to live to play kendama (or perhaps become a kendama-man!) another day.”
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Onipan! is a production of Wit Studio, the same company behind some of the biggest names in anime today, including Vinland Saga, Attack on Titan, and Ranking of Kings. The original creator of Onpian! includes Norihiro Naganuma (Ancient Magus Bride). As for Kenda Master Ken, the series is directed by Maki Ito and Studio Kingyoiro.