#When They Cry & Grisaia Phantom Trigger Collab Illustration

A new collaboration illustration has been released for the anime series Higurashi: When They Cry – Sotsu and Grisaia Phantom Trigger, spotlighting heroines Rika Furude and Thanatos. The latter series is expected to premiere in Japan on January 2, 2025 after an initial delay. 

The illustration was drawn by Grisaia Phantom Trigger character designer and chief animation director Akio Watanabe. The artwork shows Thanatos and Rika dressed in each other’s outfits and holding their signature items in hand. 

In addition, the previous three theatrical OVAs will be available to watch for free on YouTube on December 25, 2024. The OVA covers the story from the original game’s first three volumes, while the TV anime will adapt the fourth volume onwards. The first OVA episodes were included in 2019’s Grisaia Phantom Trigger The Animation, while the third OVA was released under the title Grisaia Phantom Trigger The Animation Stargazer. 

The OVAs will only be released in Japanese with no subtitles and are available in several regions, except for certain areas in Asia. More details will be posted on the anime’s official Twitter account. A 2-minute video summarizing the OVA was also released to help viewers catch up ahead of the TV anime’s broadcast. 

Kosuke Murayama (Grisaia Phantom Trigger The Animation: Stargazer) is directing the anime adaptation, with Akio Watanabe (Grisaia Phantom Trigger game, Grisaia Phantom Trigger The Animation, Monogatari Series) as character designer and chief animation director. Elements Garden’s Hitoshi Fujima (Grisaia Phantom Trigger The Animation) and Yusuke Takeda (Technoroid Overmind co-composer) and Fuminori Matsumoto (Grisaia Phantom Trigger The Animation) are composing the music. Bibury Animation Studios is in charge of the animation production. 

Meanwhile, the main voice cast of Grisaia Phantom Trigger, who reprise their roles from the OVAs, stars: 

• • Atsumi Tanezaki as Murasaki Ikoma
• • Maaya Uchida as Rena Fukami
• • Ayane Sakura as Toka Shishigaya 
• • Kaori Nazuka as Sakurako Christina “Chris” Kujirase 
• • Yoshino Nanjo as Maki Inohara
• • Mikako Izawa as Shiori Arisaka 

The anime is based on the multi-part visual novel by Frontwing, which is one of the entries in The Fruit of Grisaia series. The first TV anime series from Eight Bit were released between 2014 to 2015. 

Crunchyroll will stream Grisaia Phantom Trigger and describes the main synopsis as: 

What was once “Mihama Academy,” a sanctuary for young girls, has now been transformed into a SORD (Special Organization for Research & Development) training school dedicated to fostering talent for national defense. Rena and Maki specialize in firearms, Tohka and Gumi excel at sniping, Chris handles explosives and data processing, and Murasaki is a skilled ninja for intelligence operations. Together, they take on cases too complex for the police or Self-Defense Forces, repeatedly facing dangerous missions. This is the story of these young girls, painted in blood and gunpowder.

Source: Grisaia Phantom Trigger Official Twitter, press release