The wait is over! The OP of Touhou Mystia's Izakaya: The Animation is finally here!
The opening has actually been screened at various events starting from May, but those were incomplete versions, not the final version.
This version you're seeing now is the completed version. This OP will give you a rough idea for the quality and style of the rest of the animation, so you can decide whether or not it's something you want to follow.
But I'm sure everyone is looking forward to the animation, right? Right?
Below is a detailed look at the current progress of the animation, the status of production, and the answers to frequently asked questions/concerns. Please bear with me as I go through them one by one:
A. Animation Progress
While some parts of the animation are done, there's simply no way we're meeting the deadline we announced this summer, and we're very sorry for any disappointment! We simply have too much love for this anime, so we weren't able to control the impulse to fit in all the ideas we thought were cool, which added a boatload of work onto the work that already needed to be done. The trade-off is that everyone will be able to enjoy a richer and more complete anime filled with love. That's a promise!
B. Status of Production
Making an animation costs A LOT of money. According to the person in charge of overseeing production, making the opening you see before you has already burned just shy of 3.5k USD. If we want to make the rest of the animation, it could very well take a budget of up to 7k USD. Personally, I'd rather not have everyone working on passion alone, since some of our artists live in Japan and have a lot of expenses to take care of themselves, so it's only right that I take some of that burden off them. This will also ensure that the animation is high-quality. Therefore, we plan to release a small clip of the animation at the end of the month, allowing everyone to get a good grasp on the quality of the animation while also allowing us to begin selling CD keys and/or some merch. As crowdfunding has been banned, this is the only way we can reimburse the animation team right now. If you think the animation quality is satisfactory and you're willing to put your faith in us, this is how you can support us.
C. Frequently Asked Questions/Frequent Concerns
1. Buying the Animation
According to our previous research, selling the animation on Steam as a DLC is preferable for a majority of players, so that's the method we're going with. The animation will sold as DLC on Steam that players can buy and watch directly. We'll also set up a new Steam page for the animation for those who don't own the base game but wish to purchase the animation. Naturally, there'll be special discounts for players who purchase it as DLC.
2. Animation Storyline
Contrary to what many have speculated, the anime is NOT focused on retelling the game's story. Rather, it will focus on the parts of the story that weren't clearly shown or explained within the game. The bond between Mystia and her partners, parts that you didn't get to see due to development or being stuck in Mystia's point of view, and even some memes that have spawned within the community. All these will be animated in ordinary, slice-of-life style episodes. It's best to see it as more as a supplement to the main game!
3. Animation Length/Update Schedule
In line with most Japanese anime series, each episode will be around 20 minutes long, excluding the OP and ED. Ideally, we would like to release an episode every 6-12 months, until we've finished telling the story we wish to tell. Of course, there's the very real possibility that sales will stagnate and we'll have no choice but to stop production, but we'll put all our effort into making every episode the best it can be, so we hope that everyone will give us their support in this endeavor. I've already written the script for a very touching episode later in the series and it'd really be a shame if we had to stop production before it comes out!
4. Anti-Piracy Measures
Honestly, there's no way to stop piracy. The day the animation comes out, someone will have uploaded to various websites in half an hour, give or take. All I can say is, if you like our work, please support the official release. If you don't have the money to or can't afford to support us monetarily, you can watch a pirated version, just remember the people behind it. We'll still be very grateful if you ever decide to buy the official version one day! As for those who do decide to support us through official channels, we'll be leveraging the strength of "games" as a medium and adding interactive achievements into the animation! In other words, these achievements can only be completed by players who buy the anime legitimately, which will distinguish official supporters and pirates. This is the most we can do at this stage.
That's all we have to say about the animation for now. If you have any other inquiries or concerns, or would just like to send us words of encouragement, feel free to leave them in the comment section below! I'll be reading all of them!