Mecha-Ude Anime Project Gets New Series

The Mecha-Ude (Mechanical Arms) anime project, which began crowdfunding in 2016 for a pilot episode that was released in 2019, is inspiring a new “full-scale” series. A visual for the new anime has been released.

Like its pilot, which was crowdfunded on Kickstarter and Campfire, the Mecha-Ude series will follow middle schooler Hikaru and his Mecha-Ude companion Alma. The Mecha-Ude are mechanical life forms from a different dimension who “compressed their bodies into ‘arms’ in order to endure the dimensional crossing, and came to Earth in search of our abundant arbitrium supplies.”

The visual also shows the return of Mecha-Ude Wielder Aki and the green-haired Jun. Director and creator Okamoto says that the new production will feature “new characters including other Mecha-Ude and Mecha-Ude users.”

In advance of the new anime’s release, a Mecha-Ude manga is beginning serialization today and will be available on LINE Manga and ebookjapan. The anime’s Fukuoka-based production studio TriF is responsible for the story, while Aria the Scarlet Ammo‘s Yoshino Koyoka is the artist. The first three chapters of the manga are being released for free; the fourth will require a purchase initially, but will become free later.

A studio introduction video was also released.

The Mecha-Ude pilot featured Toshiyuki Toyonaga as Hikaru and Tomokazu Sugita as Alma. EVE performed its opening theme song, while AZLiGHTZ performed the ending song. CyberConnect2 was involved in a supervisory role. 

The pilot is described as:

The resistance organization ARMS fights against the Kagami Group. The Mecha-Ude Wielders who belong to ARMS are being targeted, and their Mecha-Ude are being stolen. If the stolen Mecha-Ude cannot be retrieved, their human owners will die.

Alma is one of the Mecha-Ude targeted by the Kagami Group, and he is being protected by the Mecha-Ude Wielder Aki. Aki believes that a former rival of hers, another Mecha-Ude Wielder, may be involved in this case. To find the truth, she ignores her supervisor’s warnings and sets out to do her own investigation. Hikaru and Alma are dragged along with her.

Subtlety is not one of Aki’s specialties, and she decides to start interrogating every Mecha-Ude Wielder in the city. Tonight she’s about to head out to do more interrogations, and a very annoyed Alma and Hikaru will be going with her…

Source: Press release