Just like Netflix, Amazon, and all the big TV studios, popular anime subscription service Crunchyroll is getting in on the originals game. High Guardian Spice will be the first title to debut under the Crunchyroll Originals banner when it launches next year.
In production at Ellation Studios, a newly formed in-house team, High Guardian Spice will be one of many productions set to release under the Crunchyroll Originals brand in the future.
High Guardian Spice is set to tell the story of “four fierce girls”, namely Rosemary, Sage, Parsley, and Thyme, as they progress through High Guardian Academy in the hopes of becoming the heroes they look up to. As they learn to battle with swords and magic, the four will form “allegiances and comical kinships, uncover legacies and betrayals, and discover their true identities…” It’s a visually familiar cartoon with a high medieval fantasy vibe that aims to combine “anime influence with an untold story and unique perspective.”
And yes, the question of whether High Guardian Spice is an anime or a cartoon as already been brought up. Crunchyroll social media staff fended off the impending unnecessary ugliness by confirming that High Guardian Spice is considered a cartoon. Rather than specifically target kids or comedy, each Crunchyroll Original is set to “elevate animation as a medium for storytelling.”
According to the Crunchyroll Originals official announcement, High Guardian Spice has a refreshing amount of female input at its core, with Margaret Dean of Stoopid Monkey Stoodios and Women in Animation fame jumping over to fulfill the role of Head of Studio. Raye Rodriguez is credited as the creator of the show and has employed an all-female writing room to oversee the production. Even Audu Paden, who directed hit cartoons like Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain, is on-board as a mentor. It’s a diverse show with a diverse cast for a diverse world.
Crunchyroll has helped produce over 50 anime series to date, yet this is the first time the company will be spearheading its very own show.
