In what is possibly one of the main highlights this year, UEHASHI Nahoko's popular Moribito series--a grand epic fantasy with an Asian touch--is now a TV-animation series to be aired on NHK-BS2 from April 2007.
Balsa, a female bodyguard who uses a short spear for her weapon, is visiting the Yogo Emire when she saves the life of a young boy, Chagumu. It turns out that Chagumu is the second prince of the Empire. But more significantly, the the egg of the Water Spirit resides in him and thus making the young prince the Guardian of the Sacred Spirit--an event that occurs only once every century.
The Emperor doesn't welcome the situation. Suspecting that he plans to have his son murdered, the Empress entrusts the boy's life to Balsa and pleads her to take the prince away to a safe place.
However, even as Balsa and Chagumu try to evade their pursuers from the Imperial Court, they soon learn that entities from another dimension, called Nayugu, are also after Chagumu to devour the sacred egg in the young prince's body....
The TV series will be based on the first two volumes of the Moribito series: Guardian of the Sacred Spirit and Guardian of Darkness. The animation is produced by Production I.G; KAMIYAMA Kenji (Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C.) directs the series while KAWAI Kenji provides the music. An enthused Uehashi, an avid anime lover (and a fan of the S.A.C. series), has lent her full support to the series. The opening theme, Shine, is performed by Japanese group L`arc~en~Ciel.
In seperate developments, Geneon USA announced they have licensed Seirei no Moribito for distribution in the States. Meanwhile Scholastic (which publishes children's fiction such as the Harry Potter and Clifford series) has also secured the rights to an English edition of Uehashi's series, due out in 2008; Uehashi's novel was first published in Japan ten years ago.
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