Among Anime Expo’s many honored guests was legendary Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano. But Amano, a well-known artist for the seminal anime films Angel’s Egg and Vampire Hunter D, wasn’t at Anime Expo to reminisce about the past. Amano was in Los Angeles to debut the world premiere of the trailer for his upcoming anime from his newly minted U.S.-based production company, Yoshitaka Amano Inc.
Based on his 2010 art book Deva ZAN (which Dark Horse Manga announced is getting a second edition in March/April 2027), ZAN is a dark fantasy epic set during Japan’s Sengoku (or “Warring States”) period. It follows its eponymous warrior as he engages in a fierce battle at Azuchi Castle. With the help of the mysterious voice of a young girl named Uzume, ZAN crosses beyond space and time into a realm where they battle powerful beasts, known as Tropes, and their ruler, RIKKA. Along his journey, ZAN wrestles with his sense of justice as he and Uzume trek with his mechanical familiar, Panther.
The anime itself wastes no time signposting that the journey ahead of ZAN and company will be brought to life entirely through hand-drawn animation, “line by line, by human hands.” Living up to ZAN‘s producer note that “the studio does not create the animation. Creators DO,” Amano assembled a team of equally laudable anime titans to bring ZAN to life.
Among ZAN‘s staff are directors of animation Masashi Ikeda (Inuyasha/Gundam Wing) and Tōru Yoshida (Armored Trooper VOTOMS/Gundam SEED); principal animator Moriyasu Taniguchi (VOTOMS/Samurai Champloo); series compositioner Ryosuke Takahashi (The Fable); writer Yūya Takashima (The Fable/Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury); and art directors Kunio Okawara (Time Bokan/Mobile Suit Gundam) and Minoru Nishida (Kill Bill/Doraemon: Nobita’s Dinosaur).
Given that Yoshitaka Amano Inc.’s existence was spurred by Amano’s own desire to see ZAN realized in animation, io9 spoke with Amano and Hiroaki Ikegami, CEO of Yoshitaka Amano Inc., about how ZAN and its lineup of legendary artists came to be.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Isaiah Colbert, io9: Obviously, this isn’t the first time art you’ve made coincided with a work receiving an adaptation, with works like Angel’s Egg and Vampire Hunter D forever etched in the annals of anime history. What is ZAN bringing to the table in your latest anime work that you haven’t explored in years past, and what has you most excited to reveal to a new generation of anime fans, as well as folks who grew up lauding your works?
Amano: First of all, this ZAN project is very special because I was spontaneously willing to do this project. I did not make Angel’s Egg or Vampire Hunter D. The original work is not my own. It comes from the outside. ZAN is from me. That’s the big difference.
Time has changed compared to 10 years ago. It’s been changing a lot. I wanted to convey that ZAN has changed as well since 10 years ago.
io9: In what ways have you discovered that the message has changed from when ZAN was originally released to having an anime project?
Amano: The spirit hasn’t really been changed. The techniques and tools have changed over those 10 years. But for me, this is a newly fresh start. I came from an animation background. So while I’ve joined, I’m not changing too. I just wanted to deliver the spirit of ZAN.
io9: You’ve assembled quite a murderers’ row of who’s who in anime to bring ZAN to life. What were your qualifications for deciding who’d help realize ZAN as an anime, and how did you go about reaching out to them?
Ikegami: The other creators—the animators—joined Amano-sensei because they wanted to create Amano-sensei’s animation. Every single animator is a big fan of Amano-sensei. They wanted to be a part of it. Takahashi-san and Taniguchi-san have other students who work together with them, so they have connections throughout the whole animation industry. Takashi-san and Taniguchi-san are like the top of the tree, and then, downstream, there are so many students and animators—over 30-40 people.
Amano: (Laughs) What’s interesting is that back in the day, when I was in the anime industry, they were at other studios working on other animations. Now they’re getting together to make an animation. They became legends.
io9: Getting the band back together kind of vibe.
Ikegami: They became legends, but they have never worked with Amano-sensei because their studio was dedicated to other animations. So, after these 20-30 years, they came back together and want to work with Amano-sensei.
ZAN is currently in production.
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