'Soukyuu no Fafner' Spin-off Anime 'Behind the Line' Announced

by Vindstot
Dec 27, 2021 11:12 PM | 12 Comments

The first day of the Soukyuu no Fafner (Fafner of the Blue Sky) Final Fes in Pacifico Yokohama event—Soushi Minashiro Seitan-sai (Soushi Minashiro Birthday Festival)—announced a spin-off anime on Monday. The anime, titled Soukyuu no Fafner: Behind the Line (Fafner of the Blue Sky: Behind the Line), will be a one-shot episode.

The production of the spin-off was originally promised to the audience at the Soushi Minashiro Seitan-sai 2017 (Soushi Minashiro Birthday Festival 2017) event, which took place at the Shinjuku Piccadilly Cinema in Tokyo in December 2017. The episode is being dubbed as a "peaceful spin-off."

The 25-episode first television anime in the original mecha franchise by animation studio Xebec aired in Summer 2004, followed by the Right of Left - Single Program prequel television special in December 2005. The Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor - Heaven and Earth (Fafner of the Blue Sky: Dead Aggressor - Heaven and Earth) anime film opened in December 2010.

The second season, Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor - Exodus (Fafner of the Blue Sky: Dead Aggressor - Exodus), aired in split cours in Winter and Fall in 2015, with each cours running for 13 episodes.

Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor - The Beyond (Fafner of the Blue Sky: Dead Aggressor - The Beyond), the theatrical original video anime series, premiered in four installments between May 2019 and November 2021. Each installment comprised of three episodes (pictured right).

Geneon Entertainment USA originally licensed the first television anime in North America and released it in seven DVD volumes in 2005–2006 and a complete collection including the prequel special in 2007. Funimation reacquired the anime series and the Heaven and Earth film in 2011 and released both on Blu-ray the following year. Crunchyroll simulcast the second season as it aired in Japan.

Tow Ubukata (Mardock Scramble, Le Chevalier d'Eon) penned a light novel adaptation under the Dengeki Bunko imprint in January 2005, which was later revised to include the prequel special scenarios by Hayakawa Bunko in February 2013. Digital Manga Publishing released the original novel in English in July 2008.

Dengeki Daioh ran a manga adaptation by Mikami Akitsu that spanned two volumes in 2005–2006. Digital Manga Publishing published both volumes in English in October 2010 and June 2011.

Tomomi Matsushita serialized a second manga adaptation in Monthly Shounen Sirius from September 2014 to February 2018. The manga transferred to Kodansha and Pixiv's Palcy manga app the following month and ended on July 28. The manga, supervised by Ubukata, served a comprehensive edition that adapted the anime series, light novel, drama CDs, and stage play adaptations.

Official site: http://fafner-beyond.jp/
Official Twitter: @fafnerproject

Source: Moca News

Soukyuu no Fafner: Behind the Line on MAL

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12 Comments Recent Comments

I agree that Fafner suffered a lot from having the same design as SEED, especially since Destiny was...well...rather uneven, overall.

I actually think that Fafner is enhanced when watched back to back with Evangelion as it actually builds on a lot of the same concepts, except delivered in a different way. But there is an existential thread throughout the whole "Are you there?" running line.

The score is also absurdly good. Every single OP and ED are brilliant with some of the saddest and poignant lyrics I ever encountered in anime. In particular, when a certain character dies early on in the original series, the ED is a piano version of the already profoundly melancholy "Separation" that can make the very stones weep.

That's another thing Fafner does very well, it makes us care for the cast which is why I am always thrilled when the franchise gets another entry also scared because I know it will be painful. This whole "peaceful" talk does not convince it either.

"Right of Left" is criminally underrated, too.

Jan 4, 2022 4:16 AM by Nocturnal

Glad that there is more.

Tho I would like something that fill in the gap between Exodus and The Beyond, that start is too abrupt and I have the feeling that the last part of Beyond will do nothing to fill in that gap.

Jan 2, 2022 3:01 PM by copperfield

kuroicho said:

RobertBobert said:
Well, I'm not talking specifically about MAL, for some reason, personally, it always seemed to me that this is something like another LN with a magic school.

I think you got this confused with Juuou Mujin no Fafnir.

Soukyuu no Fafner has been pretty popular within Japan for as long as it's been going on. Some of the VAs on the cast don't do much but Fafner either. I remember when EXODUS was announced, people were surprised it kept going, but both EXODUS seasons are just really great tbh.

I personally prefer Fafner over EVA and SEED, but each to their own, of course.

Well, I know that in Japan for some reason there are several franchises with the Scandinavian wolf in the title, but if it's not popular in the west and I haven't watched it myself, then usually I don't know much about it.

Jan 2, 2022 11:40 AM by RobertBobert

RobertBobert said:
Well, I'm not talking specifically about MAL, for some reason, personally, it always seemed to me that this is something like another LN with a magic school.

Jan 2, 2022 11:02 AM by kuroicho

VanishingKira said:

RobertBobert said:
Is this franchise so popular? I constantly see announcements of new additions, but I hardly see anyone discussing it.

The OG Fafner series kind of fell in obscurity in the West for a few reasons. Most evidently cause the first half of the OG series is very cryptic and confusing so many first time viewers likely drop it early on. It seems like an Eva Clone at first but the series comes to it's own in it's second half where the main script writer for the series changed and the series gets substantially better after that point. Also it had the misfortune of airing inbetween both seasons of Gundam Seed, which was immensely popular and revitalized interest in Gundam in the early 2000s. Coincidentally both series have the same character designers to make things worse. Fafner's cast almost always being confused for Seed's since people who don't know about the series.

Part of the series success does come from fujoshis since the show has alot of attractive male characters and some undertones. I like the series cause it one of the few ongoing mecha franchise outside of Gundam that still has that gritty grand scale war feel that older mecha anime had. The series is constantly building upon itself narrative wise since it's had time to build up it's world and characters. If I had to make a comparison it'd be similar to what Muv-Luv Alternative is especially from Exodus onwards.

So, is this a franchise that looks like Seed and Eva at the same time, so it loses attention due to the popularity of both?

Dec 28, 2021 9:09 PM by RobertBobert

anime-prime said:
The whole Fafner series needs to be brought over internationally one of these days. Such a good show as this deserves at least that much.

MaceChan said:

VanishingKira said:
a "peaceful spin-off."

We'll see I guess.

Hehe, my thoughts exactly. Although I am not so sure If it‘s a good thing that we are getting more Fafner. Xebec and the creative force behind it are no more, so It obviously feels more like a cash-in than the passion project Fafner always has been.

RobertBobert said:
Is this franchise so popular? I constantly see announcements of new additions, but I hardly see anyone discussing it.

It‘s popular among the japanese Fujoshis since it has pretty boys, but Fafner is legit an amazing series.

DaCraziGuy said:

RobertBobert said:
Is this franchise so popular? I constantly see announcements of new additions, but I hardly see anyone discussing it.

I don't get why is so unpopular on MAL, but my recommendation is never use MAL as a rule to measure popularity (at least not where it matters). Japan is what matters and their taste is different compared to the west (most of the people on MAL).

In case you wonder, this show it's one of those so called "NGE clones" along with rahxephon (I like this one a bit more).

This show is like a less psychological NGE with a plot that is easier to follow... more straightforward. Basically NGE with more of the cool shit and less of the deep shit (still have both of them).

I used a lot of "()", lol.

Well, I'm not talking specifically about MAL, for some reason, personally, it always seemed to me that this is something like another LN with a magic school.

Dec 28, 2021 9:57 AM by RobertBobert

The whole Fafner series needs to be brought over internationally one of these days. Such a good show as this deserves at least that much.

Dec 28, 2021 8:23 AM by anime-prime

VanishingKira said:
a "peaceful spin-off."

We'll see I guess.

RobertBobert said:
Is this franchise so popular? I constantly see announcements of new additions, but I hardly see anyone discussing it.

It‘s popular among the japanese Fujoshis since it has pretty boys, but Fafner is legit an amazing series.

Dec 28, 2021 8:12 AM by MaceChan

a "peaceful spin-off."

We'll see I guess.

Dec 28, 2021 7:57 AM by Varendant

RobertBobert said:
Is this franchise so popular? I constantly see announcements of new additions, but I hardly see anyone discussing it.

Dec 28, 2021 6:35 AM by DaCraziGuy

This is a really popular franchise with its own fan base