The Devils' Crest anime is heading past the published light novels, with original author Reki Kawahara writing the plots himself. The official site has published a special conversation between Kawahara and chief director Shinji Ushiro, and the anime's account confirmed on Tuesday that the series runs for 2 consecutive cours on Prime Video. Check out the official post down below:
The post announces the special interview, teases a behind-the-scenes story about Kawahara writing the plots for the anime scripts, and confirms the 2 consecutive cour run. It lists the topics covered: a story born from the contrast between a closed reality and a vast virtual world, where Kawahara's story ends up and the production setup that brings it to the screen, and the strength and immaturity children show under extreme conditions.
Reki Kawahara Wrote The Road To The Ending
Kawahara confirmed that the anime will eventually cover events beyond the novels released so far. He first wrote a rough long plot that runs all the way to the story's endpoint, then wrote plots for each episode in what he described as a "0th draft" form, which the scriptwriter turns into finished scripts.
He joked that he has fallen so far behind that the anime production is starting to catch up with him, and promised to work a bit harder. He added that long-span projects like this are rare these days, that he gets to write everything he wanted to, and that he expects to be deeply moved himself if the series reaches its final episode.
Kawahara also said the webtoon adaptation has added so many original elements that it has 2 to 3 times as many story events as the novels. The anime is mainly based on the novels while pulling in webtoon elements he wanted to include, taking what he called the best parts of both.
Why Devils' Crest Is Different From SAO And Accel World
Kawahara explained that Sword Art Online mostly showed life inside a virtual space and was a very large story in both time and space, while Accel World centered on the real world, with students playing a secret fighting game. After those series, he wanted to write something more condensed and solid. That became a survival story set in Altea, a closed facility the children cannot escape. To keep it from feeling too oppressive, he added the vast virtual world of Actual Magic as a second stage.
Ushiro said that while the series can feel like horror, he sees it as much more of a mystery and suspense story, with the 2 worlds steadily eating into each other. On the visual side, he wanted to make the most of the 3-stage chanting system for magic. Kawahara revealed that the chant words are not fully invented. They are adapted from real languages, so viewers patient enough to research them can work out what each spell means.
Ushiro designed Altea to feel cramped and enclosed while Actual Magic feels expansive, and even changed the textures of the 3D monsters between worlds. In the game, defeated monsters vanish with game-style effects, but in Altea the creatures look slick and alive, and the children bleed when they are hurt.
A Brake And A Full Throttle
Kawahara admitted that seeing Sword Art Online released around the world taught him which elements overseas audiences accept and which they do not. Knowing early that Devils' Crest would stream worldwide, he said he may have been inclined to hit the brakes. Ushiro laughed that he went in at full throttle, preferring to present the biggest version of an idea first and then discuss how far to take it. Kawahara said he did not hold back on the drama or the visuals, and that the emotional clashes between the children were what he enjoyed writing most.
Kawahara described lead character Yuma as the engine of the story and the toughest, most stable of the 41 classmates. He said his twin sister Sawa handles the stylish fighting, Konken lightens the mood, and Nagi holds the 4 friends together. Ushiro credited Konken's voice actor Yuya Hirose with keeping the recording sessions bright.
Where To Watch Devils' Crest
Devils' Crest is produced by Production I.G and streams exclusively on Prime Video worldwide, with new episodes every Friday at 21:00 JST, which is 5:00 AM MST. Episode 3, "Awakening," arrives on Friday, November 13. Ushiro said episodes 3 and later reveal more of how the worlds work and how the changes reach Yuma and his friends, while Kawahara pointed to the survival elements, such as securing a safe place, food and beds, coming to the front from episode 3.
Kenichiro Komaya directs, with series composition by Eiji Umehara, character designs by Yukiko Horiguchi and music by Yuki Hayashi and Naoyuki Chikatani. Ado performs the opening theme "Shinka," and CBMTrollsa performs the ending theme "ReaL." The cast includes Haruka Shiraishi as Yuma and Konomi Inagaki as Sawa. The anime's first announcement was covered in DEVILS' CREST Anime Announces It Will Be Arriving In 2026 With First Teaser Trailer.
The original light novel, illustrated by Horiguchi, launched under Dengeki Bunko on November 10, 2022, and Yen Press publishes it in English.
Are you glad Kawahara is writing the anime's path past the novels, or would you rather it stopped where the books do?
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