The inner jacket of the Blu-ray Disc (BD) box " Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato Blu-ray MEMORIAL BOX (Special Limited Edition)" commemorating the 35th anniversary of the broadcast of the popular anime " Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato " has been revealed. Nobuyoshi Habara has drawn the inner jacket for discs 4 to 7.
Habara commented, " Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato was my first time working with Director Nishikubo (Mizuho), so I was nervous at first, but she was very kind to me, so I enjoyed it and learned a lot from it. Aside from being the animation director for the eyecatches in the first half of the series and episode 16, I also participated in some parts as an uncredited animation director. Apart from that, I was in charge of the Shakti designs for the animation of the Juuga Trio, so they are characters I have a particularly strong attachment to. It's been a while since I last drew them, and it felt like I was meeting them again."
Discs 1 to 3 were newly illustrated by Yoshida Toru, who said: "With these rights, I tried not to destroy the world of Shurato, but it ended up being full of Yoshida's touch (lol). But I'm happy and grateful to have had the opportunity to draw Shurato. Lastly, congratulations on the release of the BD."
Drama CDs 1 and 2 were illustrated by Takami Akio, who commented, "Shurato was my first time as animation director. At the time the schedule was tight and there was no one who was willing to take on the role, so the request came to me, a young person. There was really no time, and I wasn't able to include animation supervision for even half the series before it was aired... (laughs). I remember how envious I was that Habara-san and Kikuchi (Michitaka)-san were already active there, I was really young at the time. Thank you, Tatsunoko Productions, for the illustrations! I'm grateful I was able to participate!"
This will be the first time the series has been made into a Blu-ray disc, and it will be released on February 26, 2025. In addition to the 38 episodes of the TV series and two compilation episodes, it will include all six episodes of the OVA (original video animation) series "Tenkuukai Memorials" and all six episodes of "The Dark Struggle for Genesis." The images will be beautifully rendered with high-definition remastering from film scans. Bonus audio features include newly recorded audio commentary by the main cast, and the drama part from the drama CD released at the time of broadcast. The price is 39,600 yen.
It was also revealed that all six episodes of the OVA "The Struggle for Genesis" will be available for unlimited streaming on d Anime Store, Hulu, DMM TV and other platforms starting January 10, 2025.
"Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato" is a story about high school students Akito Hidaka and Gai Kuroki who are suddenly reincarnated into another world ruled by gods called "Heaven" during a martial arts tournament. The TV anime aired from April 1989 to January 1990.
