At Japan Expo in France this weekend, Crunchyroll gave fans a sneak peek at some of their Fall 2024 streaming plans. Demon Lord 2099, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles Season 2, Mechanical Arms, I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History will all stream in Crunchyroll as part of the Fall lineup.
Demon lord is a Japanese light novel series written by Daigo Murasaki and illustrated by Kureta. Yen Press has licensed the series in English, and describes the synopsis:
The cyberpunk metropolis Shinjuku—a massive city-state bedecked with neon signs, towering skyscrapers, and the latest cutting-edge technology. It is here, in year 2099 of the Fused Era, where the legendary Demon Lord Veltol has his second coming five centuries in the making. But this landscape is nothing like the one he conquered all those years ago, for the fusion of magic and engineering has elevated civilization to dazzling, unprecedented heights. Veltol may have been reduced to a historical footnote, but make no mistake…this brave new world will be his for the taking!
The anime television series adaptation is produced by J.C. Staff (One-Punch Man Season 2 & 3). The series has a Fall 2024 release window and will stream on Crunchyroll in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East and CIS.
Meanwhile, I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History, Mechanical Arms, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles Season 2 will debut on Crunchyroll in October 2024.
I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History is a light novel series written by Izumi Okido and illustrated by Jyun Hayase. It began as a web novel on the user-generated publishing site Shōsetsuka ni Narō and was acquired by Enterbrain who began publishing it as a light novel in August 2019. A manga adaptation was illustrated by Akari Hoshi in Enterbrain's B's Log Comic manga website.
The television series adaptation is produced by Maho Film. The manga, which is licensed in North America by Yen Press, is described:
Me, the same girl who hates all those prim and proper heroines, got reincarnated as the villain in the world of my favorite fantasy dating sim! It’s my dream come true, so I’m going to leave my mark on history by becoming the world’s greatest villain! But to do that, I’ll need to get a lot stronger, and smarter. Just one problem—the harder I try to be evil, the harder the prince falls for me! At this rate, will I ever get to earn my place in history!?
Created and directed by Sae Okamoto, Mechanical Arms actually began as a Kickstarter-backed project back in October 2016. After reaching its stretch goal of $60,000, a 25-minute pilot was released on YouTube in May 2019. An English dub version was released on Reina Scully's YouTube channel.
A full-fledged anime project was launched by Pony Canyon in September 2022 with much of the staff and cast returning to reprise their roles. Crunchyroll, who has licensed the project, describes Mechanical Arms:
Hikaru’s ordinary middle school life takes a thrilling turn when he encounters Alma, an alien entity resembling a mechanized limb called Mecha-Ude. Alma, a member of a rare species, is fleeing from a sinister group hunting their kind down in search of one possessing unparalleled power. Tasked by the resistance group ARMS, this unlikely duo will embark on a perilous journey to save the Mecha-Ude.
Lastly, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles is an anime adaptation of the Japanese light novel series written by Yuri Kitayama and illustrated by Riv. Produced by TMS Entertainment, the anime series aired from July to September 2021. The synopsis reads:
Rio is a seven-year-old boy growing up as an orphan in the slums after losing his mother. One day, the memories of Haruto Amakawa, a Japanese college student who died in an unforeseen accident, awaken within him, and he gains tremendous magical power. After experiencing many new encounters as well as partings, Rio finds himself in his parents' hometown and swears revenge on his mother's killer. When he returns to the Strahl region after journeying for a few years, Rio rescues his mentor, Celia, from a political marriage that she didn't want. Immediately afterward, however, a pillar of light suddenly appears and seems to lead him to a shocking reunion with Haruto Amakawa's first love, Ayase Miharu, in his own world…
The first season of Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles is available to stream on Crunchyroll. All 12 episodes are available to watch with subs and dubs. Season 2 will premiere in October 2024.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the highly anticipated Fall anime season. More announcements will likely come over the next couple of weeks and months. One series many are hoping for this Fall is Season 3 of One-Punch Man. No release date has been announced yet, but it's expected to premiere later his year.