Out of all the events streaming online as part of this year’s Jump Anime Festa, the Boukyaku Battery OVA was probably the least anticipated. Even though it is an entirely new anime based on Eko Mikawa’s Jump Plus series, both the concept and the form factor seemed limiting. Lord knows we’ve been burned by Jump sports series in the past, and a single OVA hardly seems like something worth getting excited for. Even so, the Boukyaku Battery OVA is shaping up to be quite the must watch.
The first thing that piqued my interest about the Boukyaku Battery OVA was the casting. Announced on October 5, it was confirmed that such veteran voice actors as Mamoru Miyano and Yoshimasa Hosoya would be playing the roles of Kei Kaname and Haruka Kiyomine respectively.
You may know these two as the voices of Okabe Rintaro and Doppo Kunikida respectively, but that’s not all. Also announced on October 5 was the fact that Studio MAPPA would be producing the OVA, although this hasn’t been posted elsewhere. Maybe the studio wasn’t supposed to spill the beans? Who knows.
Studio MAPPA is, of course, picking up the pieces of the anime industry right now with such projects as Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack on Titan: The Final Season. Their involvement, alongside such legendary voice actors as Miyano and Hosoya, is enough to show that the Boukyaku Battery OVA has a seriously talented team behind it.
What’s more, Shueisha has used the Jump Anime Festa before to ‘test out’ certain properties in animated form before a full length series. The first example that comes to mind is Assassination Classroom, which recieved a half hour OVA in 2013 before Studio Lerche’s adaptation proper in 2015.
With this in mind, could the Boukyaku Battery OVA be the prelude to a full length series? Who knows.
Whatever happens, it is quite clear that the Boukyaku Battery OVA is shaping up to be a must watch for any fans of Shonen Jump. You can catch it as it airs as part of the Jump Anime Festa on October 11.