Last Tuesday, January 23rd, the official Twitter account for the LINE Manga app announced some exciting news – the popular anime series Metallic Rouge will be getting adapted into a full-color webtoon that will be released on the LINE Manga site.
The webtoon adaptation is set to launch on Thursday, March 7th, 2024. Two well-known manga artists, Meika Tokyo and Chita Tsurushima, will be drawing the Metallic Rouge webtoon while veteran anime producer Whomor, known for Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, will be overseeing the production.
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大好評放送中📺
『#メタリックルージュ』がwebtoon化決定✨
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ボンズ×出渕裕が贈るバトルアクション最新作！
人造人間の少女ルジュの戦いを、迫力のフルカラーで描きます。3月7日より #LINEマンガ で連載開始💥
テレビアニメを楽しみながらwebtoon化作品にもご期待ください😉@MetallicRouge pic.twitter.com/9zB5c1e1BF— LINEマンガ (@LINEmanga) January 23, 2024
Few other details are currently available about the upcoming webtoon version of the acclaimed anime series, which first premiered on Japanese TV just a couple of weeks ago on January 10th, 2024. The anime is being produced by the animation studio Bones and directed by renowned director Yutaka Izubuchi.
Crunchyroll has been streaming the “tech noir” sci-fi series weekly outside of Asia as it airs new episodes in Japan. The webtoon promises to bring Metallic Rouge to life in a vibrant new format for fans around the world to enjoy.
Decoding Metallic Rouge
The timing of the Metallic Rouge webtoon’s release in early March 2024 raises some questions about what part of the story it will cover.
Given that the anime series will likely still be in its first season at that point, the webtoon could either adapt the anime’s story from the beginning or potentially explore an entirely new storyline separate from the anime.
There are a few possibilities of how the narratives could be handled across these different mediums. More information is needed to know if the webtoon aims to retell the same story for new readers, serve as a companion piece, or carve out its own narrative path in the Metallic Rouge universe.
What is clear is that the webtoon has an accomplished team behind it. As mentioned before, veteran anime director Yutaka Izubuchi is overseeing the entire Metallic Rouge production across mediums, including writing the scripts for the anime series himself.
Specifically for the anime, Motonobu Hori is serving as the director at the renowned Studio Bones, with Toshizo Nemoto penning the screenplays.
Character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto and high-profile musical composers like Taisei Iwasaki and Yuma Yamaguchi round out the stellar anime team that the webtoon creators will hopefully emulate.
Meet the Talented Japanese Voice Cast of Metallic Rouge
Leading the show is rising star Yume Miyamoto as Rouge Redmaster, the android protagonist, along with popular voice actress Tomoyo Kurosawa as her human partner Naomi Orthmann.
Filling out the rest of the key players in Metallic Rouge’s futuristic world is an ensemble cast of veteran voice talent:
Shunsuke Takeuchi takes on the role of Jean Yunghart, with Yu Shimamura voicing Sara Fitzgerald and Hiroyuki Yoshino as Jaron Fate. Yui Ogura plays Jill Sturgeon, while Kenjiro Tsuda and Kazuyuki Okitsu voice Afdal Bashal and Eden Vallock respectively.
Other notable names include Atsushi Miyauchi as Ash Stahl, Chiaki Kobayashi as Noid 262, and Hiroshi Yanaka in the mysterious role of The Puppeteer. For added flair, singers Mariya Ise and Minami Tsuda will also be contributing their voices as Opera and Ace/Alice Machias.
Rounding out the cast is Hiroki Yasumoto as Graufon Berg, Haruka Shiraishi as Cyan Bluestar, Yōko Hikasa as Eva Cristella, and Yoshimitsu Shimoyama putting his iconic baritone to use as Roy Yunghart.
With Miyamoto’s rising star power and a who’s who ensemble of established voice talent, Metallic Rouge has assembled an impressive Japanese voice cast that matches the ambition of the anime’s production. Fans eagerly await seeing these characters come to life when the series premieres.
A Glimpse into the Tech Noir Universe
Metallic Rouge has been billed as a “tech noir” anime, implying a gritty sci-fi setting that blends advanced technology with darker, hardboiled storytelling. The series takes place in a future where humans and androids live side-by-side in an uneasy coexistence.
Our protagonist is Rouge, an android girl who has been dispatched on a dangerous mission to Mars along with her human partner Naomi.
Their objective is to assassinate the so-called “Immortal Nine” – a group of nine dangerous artificial humans who oppose the established powers that be in this imagined world.
So Rouge and Naomi find themselves entangled in an interplanetary conflict, facing off against enhanced beings that won’t be easy to take down. This premise sets the stage for high-stakes action paired with potential commentary on the ethics of advanced robotics and AI in warfare.
Beyond the core plot, Metallic Rouge holds special meaning for Studio Bones animation studio, as it serves as their 25th Anniversary series that aims to showcase the studio’s talents on a grand sci-fi adventure befitting such a milestone.
With its dystopian cyberpunk setting and super-powered android heroes and villains, Metallic Rouge was conceived as an ambitious passion project to celebrate Bones’ legacy.
