is a Japanese

original net animation An original net animation (ONA), known in Japan as , is an anime that is directly released onto the Internet. ONAs may also have been aired on television if they were first directly released on the Internet. The name mirrors original video animati ...

(ONA)

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series created by

Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including ''Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), ''Angel's Egg'' (1985), ...

. It was animated by

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and produced by Ichigo Animation. The series was directed by Mamoru Oshii and

Junji Nishimura is a Japanese anime director and producer currently residing in Karatsu, Saga. After graduating from Meiji Gakuin University in 1980, Nishimura entered into the anime studio Nishiko Production. Nishimura had his first job as a producer for ''Bald ...

. It was originally scheduled to premiere in October 2020, but it was delayed due to the effects of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The first half of the series was released online in February 2021, while the second half was released online in March 2021. The series is a

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...

comedy centred on a

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

girl and a high school girl.

Characters

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Production and release

The series was created by

, who is also credited as chief director, and was directed by

. The screenplay was written by Oshii and Kei Yamamura featuring character designs by Issei Arakaki, and

Kenji Kawai is a Japanese music composer and arranger. Known as one of the biggest names in the soundtrack world, he has worked on a wide range of mixed media productions, including anime, TV shows, films and video games. Among his credits are Toei's Kame ...

composing the series' music. Oshii announced that the series would focus on five young girls and had no prominent male characters. The series was first announced in May 2019, with further details being revealed in June 2019. The concept and characters originated in the 2013 mobile game ''Chimamire Mai Love''. The series was funded by a single investor, Ichigo Animation, a subsidiary of

Ichigo Inc. is a Japanese sustainable infrastructure company based in Tokyo. It is active in real estate, renewable energy, asset management, boutique hotels, precision agriculture, anime production and other businesses. Ichigo's sustainable infrastructur ...

, a new financing arrangement in Japanese anime that replaces the "sclerotic production committee system" and gives directors like Oshii and Nishimura more freedom, according to ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

''. The opening theme for the "Mai Version" of the series is "

Winds of Transylvania ''Glory, Glory, to the World'' is the third Extended play, EP by Japanese power metal band Lovebites (band), Lovebites. The EP was released in Japan on March 10, 2021, by Victor Entertainment. It was released in the United Kingdom by JPU Records ...

" by Lovebites, chosen by Oshii and Nishimura because they felt the band's members and concept were similar to the series' main character and unconventional themes. Lovebites' members appear in the anime's opening credits, which also features ''Vlad Love''s fictional characters performing the song in a sequence that the animators based on the band's. "Where You Are" performed by

Kanako Takatsuki is a Japanese singer and voice actress from Hyōgo Prefecture. She is currently affiliated with Amuse and her single is released under label Victor Entertainment. About Takatsuki was born in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. She also lived in Kansai for ...

and

Karin Isobe is a Japanese actress, voice actress, and singer from Nara Prefecture. She is currently affiliated with Amuse Inc. About Isobe graduated from Osaka University of Arts' Department of Performing Arts. She was the Nara representative for Miss ...

as part of the vocal and dance unit BlooDye is used for the "Mitsugu Version" of the opening sequence.

alan Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname * Alan (given name), an English given name **List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' *A ...

and Ayasa performed the ending theme for the Japanese version of the series, while Ayasa alone performed the instrumental for the ending of the international versions. A CD including all four theme songs was released at Ichigo Animation's CulZone stores on January 9, 2021. It was scheduled to premiere in April 2020, but it was delayed to October 2020. On May 8, 2020, it was announced that series was delayed again due to the

. The first episode of the series had an advanced streaming debut on December 18, 2020. On December 28, 2020, it was announced the first half of the series would be released online on

AbemaTV Abema (, stylized as ABEMA) is a Japanese live TV streaming website owned by the entertainment company, AbemaTV, Inc. that provides over-the-top media services to customers in Japan. The website primarily acts as an online television network, ...

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Japan, and various other streaming outlets on February 14, 2021 (

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

). It was hoped by series producers that the anime would first broadcast on television, but that plan never came into fruition. The second half was released on March 14, 2021 (

White Day White Day is celebrated annually on March 14, one month after Valentine's Day, when people give reciprocal gifts to those who gave them gifts received on Valentine's Day. It began in Japan in 1978; since then, its observance has spread to seve ...

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...

licensed the series.

Episode list

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Drive 2021 anime ONAs Anime postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic Anime with original screenplays Comedy anime and manga Crunchyroll anime Drive (studio) Vampires in anime and manga