A Project ANIMA release date has been set for 2020 as the collaborative competition crowned its second winner. J.C.STAFF has selected light novel “Mahoutsukai ni Narenakatta Onnanoko no Hanashi” as its next anime project.
Late last year, DeNA, Sotsu, and Nippon Cultural Broadcasting announced “Project ANIMA,” a competition that encouraged professional and amateur writers to pitch their original story ideas for a chance to have established animation teams turn select stories into their next original anime. Submissions were opened two months later and ran from early February to mid-April 2018.
Split into three categories, Mahoutsukai ni Narenakatta Onnanoko no Hanashi slots into the “isekai” or “other world” category of the contest alongside the “sci-fi/robot anime” and recently announced “kids and game” categories.
Mahoutsukai ni Narenakatta Onnanoko no Hanashi, or roughly translated to “A story of a girl that was unable to become a mage,” sadly isn’t an amateur level work that could have catapulted a new and upcoming artist through the industry, but is instead a sequel to author Yuzuki Akasaka’s last series, Isekai datte Salaryman wa Iru, which wrapped up in early February. Alongside the no-doubt exciting news of a Project ANIMA release date, the author has also secured a 1 million yen cash prize as a result.
Taking place during the main character’s first year of high school, the synopsis of the story tells the tale of Kurumi Mirai. Once top of her junior high class at Redrun Magic School, she’s suddenly shot down by the “Mage Training Class” of her chosen high school by flunking the entrance exam. Forced to watch other students take the class she wanted to join, Mahoutsukai ni Narenakatta Onnanoko no Hanashi is a “relaxing” coming of age tale.
Whether the novel will be adapted into a full-length TV anime, web show, or otherwise hasn’t been made clear yet, but what we do know is that we have our first real Project ANIMA release date, with J.C.Staff, known for their work on shows like Toradora, Golden Time, and Flying Witch, plugging for a 2020 release.
Sakugan Labyrinth Marker, the winning entry in the Sci-fi/robot category, will be handled by Macross Delta studio Satelight.
The winner of the final category is expected to be announced in March.
