Anime & Manga News

Key's Mixed Media Project 'Prima Doll' Gets TV Anime for 2022

by Aidan
Jan 27, 2022 5:14 PM | 63 Comments

Visual novel studio Key announced a television anime adaptation of its multimedia franchise Prima Doll on Thursday. The company also opened an official website, revealing the main cast, staff, teaser visual (pictured), and teaser promotional video. The anime is scheduled to premiere in 2022.

Synopsis
Kuronekotei—a cafe located in the imperial capital's fifth ward. Girls who work there are autonomous mechanical dolls, also known as automata. They were originally created as weapons for the great war that ended only a few years ago. Now, they are now looking for new roles in a peaceful world.

Cast
Haizakura: Azumi Waki (Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear)
Karasuba: Tomori Kusunoki (Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai)
Gekka: Miyu Tomita (Sentouin, Hakenshimasu!)
Houkiboshi: Yuki Nakashima (BanG Dream! 2nd Season)
Retzel: Akari Kitou (Machikado Mazoku)

Staff
Director: Tenshou (Azur Lane)
Series Composition, Script: Touya Okano (Kaginado), Kai (Rewrite)
Original Character Design: Na-Ga (Charlotte), Fuzichoco (Kenja no Deshi wo Nanoru Kenja), Yui Hara (Kiniro Mosaic), En Morikura (Neko ga Kureta Marui Shiawase), lack (Yobidasareta Satsurikusha light novel)
Character Design, Chief Animation Director: Akane Yano (Choujin Koukousei-tachi wa Isekai demo Yoyuu de Ikinuku you desu!)
Studio: Bibury Animation Studios

Teaser PV


Official site: https://primadoll.jp/
Official Twitter: @primadoll_pr

Source: Comic Natalie

Prima Doll on MAL

20 of 63 Comments Recent Comments

Would you believe my favorite Key-related anime from the past 10 years was Kaginado?

Feb 13, 2022 7:16 PM by BrewingItRight

I wouldn't get my hopes up. How many times have we been disappointed with Key's anime? The last decent anime from them was Planetarian.

Jan 29, 2022 11:25 PM by grassToucher19

Thai777 said:
RobertBobert said:


Well if nothing will change your mind then why do you keep arguing lol?


Because you are the one who is trying to say that Key is Jun Maeda and without him they are nothing which is not how I view it. I'm not trying to change your view either, I'm just offering you my perspective. Maeda can have enough impact with just his music, there's no need to have him on the script.


Really? I never said anywhere that Kei is nothing without him. It's you who decided for some reason that defending the importance of Maeda means ignoring the contributions of anyone other than him. Anyway, this is starting to turn into a typical "bandleader leaving" thread, so the best solution is to end it right here and now.

Jan 29, 2022 2:17 PM by RobertBobert

RobertBobert said:
Thai777 said:


Because Angel Beats was decent. Not so much for the rest, but angel beat was 11-12 years ago, not that relevant.

You can have your opinion on Charlotte just like with Rewrite, it still won't change my opinion that Maeda has not written anything impressive for over a decade and so I'm more happy with someone else taking the writing mantle in this new Key project.


Well if nothing will change your mind then why do you keep arguing lol?


Because you are the one who is trying to say that Key is Jun Maeda and without him they are nothing which is not how I view it. I'm not trying to change your view either, I'm just offering you my perspective. Maeda can have enough impact with just his music, there's no need to have him on the script.

Jan 29, 2022 2:03 PM by Thai777

Thai777 said:
RobertBobert said:


Why don't you mention the same Angel Beats, which were a masterpiece and were written by him, for example? Also, Charlotte was also pretty good, aside from the idiotic ending. Yes, Jun was not the only author of Kei. But he is more or less the heart of the whole brand. And compared to the old games, Rewrite didn't leave me with any special memories.


Because Angel Beats was decent. Not so much for the rest, but angel beat was 11-12 years ago, not that relevant.

You can have your opinion on Charlotte just like with Rewrite, it still won't change my opinion that Maeda has not written anything impressive for over a decade and so I'm more happy with someone else taking the writing mantle in this new Key project.


Well if nothing will change your mind then why do you keep arguing lol?

Jan 29, 2022 1:56 PM by RobertBobert

RobertBobert said:
Thai777 said:


Key doesn't have to be defined by Jun Maeda writing. We can still have him composing music and have new fresh writer take over. Why shackle yourself with him when he himself said he was done with writing? I often feel he continues to write only because of the fan's pressure.

Summer pockets and Rewrite did fine without his writing. I'd rather have new stuff and fail than have another Charlotte or The day I became god.


Why don't you mention the same Angel Beats, which were a masterpiece and were written by him, for example? Also, Charlotte was also pretty good, aside from the idiotic ending. Yes, Jun was not the only author of Kei. But he is more or less the heart of the whole brand. And compared to the old games, Rewrite didn't leave me with any special memories.


Because Angel Beats was decent. Not so much for the rest, but angel beat was 11-12 years ago, not that relevant.

You can have your opinion on Charlotte just like with Rewrite, it still won't change my opinion that Maeda has not written anything impressive for over a decade and so I'm more happy with someone else taking the writing mantle in this new Key project.

Jan 29, 2022 1:55 PM by Thai777

Thai777 said:
RobertBobert said:


In that case, Key just isn't for you. It's like calling yourself a Children of Bodom fan and constantly whining that Laiho is a shitty composer.


Key doesn't have to be defined by Jun Maeda writing. We can still have him composing music and have new fresh writer take over. Why shackle yourself with him when he himself said he was done with writing? I often feel he continues to write only because of the fan's pressure.

Summer pockets and Rewrite did fine without his writing. I'd rather have new stuff and fail than have another Charlotte or The day I became god.


Why don't you mention the same Angel Beats, which were a masterpiece and were written by him, for example? Also, Charlotte was also pretty good, aside from the idiotic ending. Yes, Jun was not the only author of Kei. But he is more or less the heart of the whole brand. And compared to the old games, Rewrite didn't leave me with any special memories.

Jan 29, 2022 12:51 PM by RobertBobert

RobertBobert said:
Thai777 said:


I'd rather just have the bread if the sausage is sure to be rotten. It avoid me the trouble of taking it out myself.


In that case, Key just isn't for you. It's like calling yourself a Children of Bodom fan and constantly whining that Laiho is a shitty composer.


Key doesn't have to be defined by Jun Maeda writing. We can still have him composing music and have new fresh writer take over. Why shackle yourself with him when he himself said he was done with writing? I often feel he continues to write only because of the fan's pressure.

Summer pockets and Rewrite did fine without his writing. I'd rather have new stuff and fail than have another Charlotte or The day I became god.

Jan 28, 2022 11:02 PM by Thai777

Thai777 said:
RobertBobert said:


People rejoicing at the absence of Jun in Key is like rejoicing that they didn’t put sausage in your hot dog


I'd rather just have the bread if the sausage is sure to be rotten. It avoid me the trouble of taking it out myself.


In that case, Key just isn't for you. It's like calling yourself a Children of Bodom fan and constantly whining that Laiho is a shitty composer.

Manpig said:
Just4FunAcc said:

Did they confirm that?


Not officially, but they said they were going to announce a new work "at the usual time"
Key often announces things in Spring for April Fools, if not a few days afterwards


Hope it will be better than Rewrite. The SoL part was a masterpiece, but then everything turned into some kind of lazy version of Higurashi.

Jan 28, 2022 3:05 PM by RobertBobert

RobertBobert said:
Thai777 said:
Script -> no Jun Maeda

Good.

Hopefully the anime will have a decent pacing for once. I'm cautiously optimistic.


People rejoicing at the absence of Jun in Key is like rejoicing that they didn’t put sausage in your hot dog


I'd rather just have the bread if the sausage is sure to be rotten. It avoid me the trouble of taking it out myself.

Jan 28, 2022 1:18 PM by Thai777

Just4FunAcc said:
Manpig said:
[and are planning to announce their next full-length visual novel this Spring.

Did they confirm that?


Not officially, but they said they were going to announce a new work "at the usual time"
Key often announces things in Spring for April Fools, if not a few days afterwards

Jan 28, 2022 12:47 PM by Manpig

Manpig said:
[and are planning to announce their next full-length visual novel this Spring.

Did they confirm that?

Jan 28, 2022 10:31 AM by Just4FunAcc

Totoshinoz said:
Manpig said:


Kai did not write the Rewrite anime, the rewrite anime was written by Romeo Tanaka, the original writer of the Rewrite VN, and the reason that had to change was because the Rewrite VN in itself is difficult to adapt.

I think Kud Wafter's anime isn't that bad, it's just a completely different project from the original game. I do agree the liberties were strange though, I attribute it to maybe Kud Wafter's less-than-positive reputation for not having any real drama in the original story.


Kai wrote the anime alongside Tanaka. It's listed on the Rewrite anime production staff articles and he's credited for it. He also did interviews with Tanaka, Hinoue and I think Tensho about the anime production and what to expect from it, so he was very much involved.

I know the anime went a separate path because of how the visual novel routes clash with each other, but the anime still ended up being very messy to the point where they would've been better off adapting a heroine route instead of that original route which was just a collage of all the routes. I get that episode-count was a problem because Aniplex is always stingy with Key, but Tensho and the writers didn't plan accordingly to what they had to work with and it's upsetting because we at the very least could've had 1 proper heroine route adaption if nothing else. Even if they wanted to go with the "original 6th route" as they called it, it should've been written as an actual route rather than a collage.

And yeah, it's not like I was expecting the Kud Wafter anime to be a masterpiece since I heard that the original visual novel barely had a story and I personally don't think Kud's original route from Little Busters was all that strong to begin with compared to the other Little Busters heroine routes, so I wasn't expecting her spin-off to be ideal either, but the anime was still rushed. How do you rush a story when there's not really any story to begin with?

I just don't feel like the Prima Doll staff have anything backing them up for any anime projects they're on. But if Kai did an original anime for Key? That'd be worth checking out.


That's actually quite interesting about Kai since they had nothing to do with Rewrite otherwise, but fair enough.

I don't really agree with the original route being a collage, I felt outside of Kotori, all characters evolved in very different ways compared to the original VN, I do think its its own thing, whether or not people like it.

Kud Wafter is a weird case, I think the main issue is that they were planning on making an accurate adaptation (the original PV even had Ui who got cut out entirely), but halfway through the production they might've decided it wouldn't be right since anime onlies would be confused as to where the rest of the busters are, and because it didn't link with the original story at all.

Either way the concerns are valid, no way on checking how it'd happen other than seeing the anime itself once it airs.

Jan 28, 2022 9:48 AM by Manpig

Summer pockets now this, hopefully it’s good

Jan 28, 2022 9:43 AM by naosthighs

Manpig said:
Totoshinoz said:


Let's also not mention that the writers only have writing credits on Kaginado, the Rewrite anime. and the Kud Wafter anime. It's not looking too bright. Yes, I know Kai is an actual visual novel writer that works with Key a lot, but in terms of his anime work, the Rewrite and Kud Wafter anime were a disaster. The anime really doesn't seem like it has anything going for it aside from the already-established merchandising.

Key's done for if they're planning on using the same staff for the Summer Pockets anime because that has actual potential for people to take them seriously again in the anime community and even industry.


Kai did not write the Rewrite anime, the rewrite anime was written by Romeo Tanaka, the original writer of the Rewrite VN, and the reason that had to change was because the Rewrite VN in itself is difficult to adapt.

I think Kud Wafter's anime isn't that bad, it's just a completely different project from the original game. I do agree the liberties were strange though, I attribute it to maybe Kud Wafter's less-than-positive reputation for not having any real drama in the original story.


Kai wrote the anime alongside Tanaka. It's listed on the Rewrite anime production staff articles and he's credited for it. He also did interviews with Tanaka, Hinoue and I think Tensho about the anime production and what to expect from it, so he was very much involved.

I know the anime went a separate path because of how the visual novel routes clash with each other, but the anime still ended up being very messy to the point where they would've been better off adapting a heroine route instead of that original route which was just a collage of all the routes. I get that episode-count was a problem because Aniplex is always stingy with Key, but Tensho and the writers didn't plan accordingly to what they had to work with and it's upsetting because we at the very least could've had 1 proper heroine route adaption if nothing else. Even if they wanted to go with the "original 6th route" as they called it, it should've been written as an actual route rather than a collage.

And yeah, it's not like I was expecting the Kud Wafter anime to be a masterpiece since I heard that the original visual novel barely had a story and I personally don't think Kud's original route from Little Busters was all that strong to begin with compared to the other Little Busters heroine routes, so I wasn't expecting her spin-off to be ideal either, but the anime was still rushed. How do you rush a story when there's not really any story to begin with?

I just don't feel like the Prima Doll staff have anything backing them up for any anime projects they're on. But if Kai did an original anime for Key? That'd be worth checking out.

Jan 28, 2022 9:32 AM by Totoshinoz

Totoshinoz said:
shiroha said:

Good? Look at the Director


Let's also not mention that the writers only have writing credits on Kaginado, the Rewrite anime. and the Kud Wafter anime. It's not looking too bright. Yes, I know Kai is an actual visual novel writer that works with Key a lot, but in terms of his anime work, the Rewrite and Kud Wafter anime were a disaster. The anime really doesn't seem like it has anything going for it aside from the already-established merchandising.

Key's done for if they're planning on using the same staff for the Summer Pockets anime because that has actual potential for people to take them seriously again in the anime community and even industry.


Kai did not write the Rewrite anime, the rewrite anime was written by Romeo Tanaka, the original writer of the Rewrite VN, and the reason that had to change was because the Rewrite VN in itself is difficult to adapt.

I think Kud Wafter's anime isn't that bad, it's just a completely different project from the original game. I do agree the liberties were strange though, I attribute it to maybe Kud Wafter's less-than-positive reputation for not having any real drama in the original story.

Jan 28, 2022 8:35 AM by Manpig

shiroha said:
Thai777 said:
Script -> no Jun Maeda

Good.

Hopefully the anime will have a decent pacing for once. I'm cautiously optimistic.

Good? Look at the Director


Let's also not mention that the writers only have writing credits on Kaginado, the Rewrite anime. and the Kud Wafter anime. It's not looking too bright. Yes, I know Kai is an actual visual novel writer that works with Key a lot, but in terms of his anime work, the Rewrite and Kud Wafter anime were a disaster. The anime really doesn't seem like it has anything going for it aside from the already-established merchandising.

Key's done for if they're planning on using the same staff for the Summer Pockets anime because that has actual potential for people to take them seriously again in the anime community and even industry.

Jan 28, 2022 8:30 AM by Totoshinoz

In general, I think it would be good if we refer to Light Novell (the main reference of this anime).
Also in other works.
Of course, you have to see the adaptation as well.🤔😊

Jan 28, 2022 8:23 AM by Dr_Hayoula

It's nice that this isn't a gacha because the girls are so cute.

Manpig said:
RedChrome said:
I think I'm gonna like this one, it kinda reminds me of GochiUsa


If you like Gochiusa, you'll like this for sure.

This story is basically a combination of Gochiusa and Violet Evergarden. With most of it being SOL, with occasional flashbacks into the characters' pasts, and how the war affected them.


So basically Gochiusa with 10x the feels? It shouldn't be bad at all.

Jan 28, 2022 7:52 AM by Hoppy

Manpig said:
RedChrome said:
I think I'm gonna like this one, it kinda reminds me of GochiUsa


If you like Gochiusa, you'll like this for sure.

This story is basically a combination of Gochiusa and Violet Evergarden. With most of it being SOL, with occasional flashbacks into the characters' pasts, and how the war affected them.


Oh then I'm gonna like this for sure and with a the war past that willl make it more interesting

Thx for the info

Jan 28, 2022 7:01 AM by RedChrome

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