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Luminous Witches is a spin-off anime of the Strike Witches franchise that has spanned anime, light novels, and manga entries for over a decade. The Luminous Witches anime was supposed to premiere in 2021, however, it was delayed until this year.
The Luminous Witches television show will feature a group of witches who refuse to fight; instead they sing to bring joy to those who have been affected by the Neuroi, who gain energy from quite literally swallowing up land and leaving many residents in the world of the Strike Witches franchise homeless. The original Strike Witches franchise was known online for its cute cat girls and over-the-top panty shots, however, it won the Jury Selection in the Animation Division of the 12th Japan Media Arts Festival.
The key visual has been released for Luminous Witches, featuring the main characters flying high in the sky with the infamous Striker Units, unique flying machines that go over the legs of the user. It features the full ensemble for the idol-themed spin-off, and the characters are designed by Humikana Shimada, the same character designer as the original Strike Witches franchise.
The vocal talent for Luminous Witches has also been announced, including many first-time voice actors such as Sayaka Tsuzuki, Rino Yoshikita, Kana Konaka, and Rio Mamesaki. Other voice acting talents include Ami Aimoto (LBX Girls, She Professed Herself Pupil of a Wise Man), Mikako Komatsu (Jujutsu Kaisen, Highschool DxD), Misaki Yuki (Kenmo Michi: Rise Up), Mai Narumi, Ryou Mamiya, and Minako Hosokawa who all voiced minor roles in The Greatest Demon Lord is Reborn as a Typical Nobody.
Many of the production staff aside from Humikune who worked on the Strikes Witches franchise have returned to work on the Luminous Witches television show. Shinya Murakami is returning as literature manager, and Shouji Saeki has returned to reprise his role as series director. However, instead of going with the previous studios who have worked with the Strike Witches for their previous animated installments, studio Shaft (Bakemonogatari, March Comes In Like A Lion, Nisekoi) will be the studio handling Luminous Witches.
The voice acting cast are also the singers for the fictional idol group. They've already released a single titled "Flying Skyhigh" as a physical CD in 2020 and their first concert was held in February. The group has also sung the opening theme "WONDERFUL WORLD" and the ending theme "Watashi to Minna no Uta". The songs with both release as singles on August 24th.
Luminous Witches premiere in Japan on July 3rd, 2022.
Source: Anime News Network