Madhouse Updates on Planned Ninja Scroll Project

Madhouse CEO Hiroyuki Okada posted an update about the anime studio's planned Ninja Scroll project on Friday. Okada announced that director Yoshiaki Kawajiri finished a script in May 2013 for a feature film that includes the Ninja Scroll Burst "3-episode short animation."

Madhouse and Kawajiri agreed on a revised script, and the film project received the tentative title Ninja Scroll Kocho. Kawajiri completed storyboards in December and is currently drawing key animation.

Okada revealed that "there are some candidates for financial supporters but no one in Japan has been found yet." He explained that the reason may be that while Ninja Scroll was popular in the United States, the anime was "not a big hit in Japan."

Part of the scripts and storyboards for Ninja Scroll Kocho will debut at Tokyo's Asagaya Madhouse shop in March. The world premiere of the Ninja Scroll Burst "full-short films" will also be held in the shop.