Wit Studio's highly anticipated new anime Moonrise is now available on Netflix. If you haven't heard of the new series -- and judging by Netflix's lack of marketing, that may be a lot of you -- it's a collaboration between popular writer Tou Ubukata and character designer Hiromu Arakawa.
An adaptation of the novel by Tou Ubukata (author of “Tenchi Meisatsu” and series composition/scriptwriter for Fafner in the Azure and Psycho-Pass), the series explores the question: "What happens when Earth's peaceful existence clashes with the Moon's fight for independence?"
In a not-too-distant future, humanity has established a loosely organized world government with everything managed by an international AI network called Sapientia. People live peaceful lives by loyally obeying its rational decisions. However, Sapientia’s lunar development project, which sends criminals and pollutants to the Moon to maintain Earth’s peace, creates disparity and poverty on the Moon, sparking a catalyst for war. Jacob "Jack" Shadow gets caught up in this conflict after losing his family to a terrorist bombing by the Moon's rebel army. Vowing revenge, Jack joins the Earth army as a scout on the Moon, only to discover an unexpected leader among the resistance forces.
Moonrise is directed by Masashi Koizuka (Attack on Titan Seasons 2 and 3) and produced by Wit Studio (Spy x Family, Attack on Titan Seasons 1-3). Character concepts were designed by manga artist Hiromu Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist, Silver Spoon).
Despite the big names attached to Moonrise, Netflix hasn't really had a ton of marketing for the blockbuster series. This ultimately led to Attack on Titan Season 3 producer Ryoma Kawamura issuing a public plead to Netflix to promote the anime.
“Please do your best to promote it. I can't do it on my own. Seriously please!! It's still buried deep," Kawamura wrote on social media. "Red N Company!! It's time to show the world your power!”
"Red N Company," of course, refers to the streaming giant that is home to Moonrise. The series was first announced back in 2018, and hasn't received a ton of marketing from Netflix. Aside from a brief appearance during Netflix's Geeked Week in 2022, the series has only really received a trailer and a few social media posts just a few weeks prior to its release.
"This may be WIT Studio's first space opera. It is our team's first original work produced with Netflix," Moonrise director Masashi Koizuka said back in March. "There was a real sense of excitement and a sort of madness as we were making it, and I believe that's visible throughout the series. I've looked over the completed footage many times, and it's clear that the voice actors infused their performances with passion, and the staff elevated the production far beyond what we'd envisioned. I hope everyone will enjoy the results of that synergy."
For those who have been following the project since it was first announced back in 2018, today has been a long time coming. All 18 episodes of Moonrise are now streaming on Netflix. They are available with English subs and dubs.