The animation PV that was created without sparing budget and time is remarkable! Report on the press conference for the new smartphone game "Ark Knights: Ark of Tomorrow" by Yostar, the company behind "Azuren"!

Yostar Corporation, developer and operator of games such as "Azure Lane," held a press conference on January 8, 2020, regarding its new game "Ark Knights - Tomorrow Ark.

Ark Knights - Tomorrow's Ark" is a new smartphone game developed by HYPER GRYPH Inc. and operated in Japan by Yostar Inc. The game has already become very popular in mainland China, and the Japanese version is now ready for release.

At this press conference, the world view of the game was explained once again, and game play was shown using actual game consoles. In addition, there was an anime PV and information about the anime production company "Yostar Pictures," which produced the PV. The long-awaited service start date was also revealed.

Tomoyo Kurosawa also praised the game, saying, "It's fun! Tomoyo Kurosawa also praised "Ark Knights", saying, "It's fun!

First to appear on stage was Yostary's PR person, Ms. Yokoyama, and voice actress Tomoyo Kurosawa, who plays the heroine, Amiya. While the two talked, they first explained the worldview of "Ark Knights".

This work is set in a world where there exists an ore called "oregenium," which is the source of "ore disease (oolipathy)," a disease that supplies the main energy source for mankind but cannot be cured. Those infected with this "ore disease" are called "infected," and are persecuted around the world. In response to this situation, the infected have formed an organization called the "Reunion Movement. In order to regain their rights and take revenge on the world, they have begun to attack cities.

The player becomes a doctor belonging to "Lodoss Island," an organization specializing in the problem of the infected, and together with Amiya, he or she must stop the invasion of the infected, search for the mastermind, and find a cure for the ore disease.

In addition, there are various forces around the world involved in medical research and transportation, and players will have to navigate between these forces.

When Ms. Kurosawa saw the characters of each force displayed on the screen, she happily commented, "They are all so cute! she said happily. The characters of each force are very individualistic, with their animal ears, horns, and so on. When Yokoyama commented, "I'm sure it will stimulate the fetishism of many people," he added, "Anyone can find a character they like.

The basic game system of "Ark Knights" is a tower defense game. The objective of the game is to place your character on the invasion route to prevent the enemy from invading your territory and to defeat them. It is faster to play the game than to explain it! So, from this point on, Mr. Kurosawa tried out the game on an actual console.

He had only recently purchased a game console and had just started playing the game, but after playing a few times with Yokoyama's lecture, he was able to clear the stage on his own!

It was fun!" said Kurosawa. Clearing a stage takes less than 10 minutes, making it a perfect game to play while commuting to and from work or school.

Next, it was announced that popular cosplayer Moe Iori had been appointed as the official cosplayer for the game.

Iori had been eyeing this title since she tried it out at an event in Shanghai, China in 2018, and said, "I was smitten with the characters (when I saw them in Shanghai) and was waiting for the release. I had originally planned to cosplay it myself," he said. That's why the Amiya costume she is wearing this time was also made by herself. I want to spread the word about the game through cosplay," he said enthusiastically.

The high-quality video is a must-see! Animation production company "Yostar Pictures" also took the stage.

Here, the anime PV of "Ark Knights" was suddenly unveiled for the first time.

The two-minute video, in which characters from various forces appear one after another, centering on Amiya, and engage in intense action, caught the audience's attention.

The PV was produced by Yostar Pictures, an animation production company newly established by Yostar Inc. According to Mr. Hengdal Lee, President of Yostar Corporation, "We wanted to have animated video content to make the content more exciting. However, in today's animation industry, it is difficult to secure a production line, and it is difficult to have the video produced at the timing we want. Therefore, we decided that we had no choice but to do it in-house," he said, explaining the reason for establishing the company. As a result, he appealed, "By properly producing something that can be disseminated in-house, we can show something better and in a better way. The first work to be announced was the animation PV.

As the next work, they are aiming to make a video of the four-frame manga "Bisho Zenshin! which is currently being serialized on the official "Azur Lane" Twitter page. In addition, Mr. Lee expressed his desire to continue working in the animation business, saying, "I would like to send my works out into the world.

Next, Mr. Ryosuke Inagaki and Mr. Kengo Saito, directors of Yostar Pictures, took the stage. Tomoyo Kurosawa and Ms. Yokoyama, who is in charge of PR, talked about the animated PV.

Asked for his impressions after finishing the production, Mr. Inagaki smiled and said, "I'm glad we were able to deliver it safely. Mr. Saito expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "We are receiving more and more offers for new PVs for "Ark Knights," and we will continue to produce more.

Mr. Saito also mentioned that one of the features of the PV production was that there was no storyboard. He said, "The way we made this PV is different from normal TV animation," and that "we first made a manga-like work, and then finished the video according to the flow of the manga. He commented that this style of production is common in foreign films, and that it was only possible because it was made by a small group of creators.

Mr. Inagaki also said that he did not worry about the length of the PV or the budget, but created it as he wished.

The production schedule itself seemed to place more emphasis on quality than deadlines, and although it was originally scheduled to be completed in October, it was revealed that they worked on it until the end of 2019, just prior to the release of the film.

He also commented that because they were able to take their time, they were able to add the sound effects they wanted. The film's creators found Yostar Pictures to be a very rewarding place to work.

He also said that they were able to work in close cooperation with Yostar's staff, and that Yostar sometimes added directional elements that the animation production team did not know about. The collaboration between the two companies was a positive factor in the quality of the film.

Hearing this behind-the-scenes story, Kurosawa commented that he would like to see a longer video, to which Inagaki replied, "Are you going to do it? Mr. Inagaki replied, "Are you going to do it? In response, Yokoyama responded positively, "I hope to deliver a variety of videos and other information. Depending on how the game turns out, there may even be a TV anime at some point, as seen on ......? The expectations for the game are growing.

Finally, it was announced that the Japanese version of "Ark Knights - Tomorrow's Ark" will begin service on January 16, 2020, and information on pre-registration benefits was also released.

Pre-registration benefits include a nomination ticket to select a ★5 operator (your character) and additional items that will give you an advantage in the game, so if you want to get off to a good start, why not register now?