Yutaka Yamamoto, best known for
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and
Wake Up, Girls! has announced plans for his next anime project. It seems Yamamoto will go the crowdfunding route
via Campfire for his next anime feature film,
Hakubo.
Yamamoto describes the project as the last entry in his "
Tōhoku trilogy", which is his personal character study of life in Japan's Tōhoku region. The other two projects in the trilogy are
blossom and
Wake Up, Girls!
For those who back the project, the various levels of rewards include a personal thank you message from Yamamoto, having your name listed in the end credits, invitation to the film's preview screening, dinner with Yamamoto and the film's staff and an opportunity to name a character.
It will be interesting to see how many supporters Yamamoto garners as he has become something of a polarizing figure in the anime community as he often speaks out against otaku culture and the decline of the industry whenever one of his projects under performs. Still, Yamamoto retains his fair share of supporters as many fans hope to see him repeat the same magic he found for
Harui Suzumiya.