Campaign for new anime launched on Tuesday, will run until February 15

The Campfire crowdfunding campaign for the original video anime (OVA) project marking the 10th anniversary of Namori's Yuruyuri manga launched on Tuesday and has already earned 57,724,787 yen (about U$521,000) as of press time. It has exceeded its base goal of 10 million yen (about US$90,000) more than five times over.

Several blogs following the campaign reported that the project was quick to reach its goal on Tuesday. About three hours after the campaign launched, the Otakomu blog posted a screenshot of the campaign page with over 44 million yen.

The new project is titled "Yuruyuri," — pronounced "Yuruyuri ten." The "," or "ten" is a wordplay on the English word "ten" and the Japanese term for a punctuation mark.

The crowdfunding campaign will run until February 15. The backer rewards for the campaign include exclusive CDs with the anime's new opening and ending theme songs, a Blu-ray Disc of the OVA (limited to the crowdfunding campaign), limited event tickets, exclusive booklets, and a shikishi (illustration board) drawn and signed by Namori (for one winner of his or her favorite character).

Daigo Yamagishi ( Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion the Animation assistant director, storyboards) is directing the new anime at Lay-duce (Release the Spyce), with scripts by Takahiro (Release the Spyce). Kazutoshi Inoue (episode animation director on Release the Spyce ) is the character designer and chief animation director. Pony Canyon is credited as music producer.

Shiori Mikami, Yuka Ōtsubo, Minami Tsuda, Rumi Okubo, Saki Fujita, Aki Toyosaki, Emiri Katō, and Suzuko Mimori all reprise their roles as Akari Akaza, Kyōko Toshinō, Yui Funami, Chinatsu Yoshikawa, Ayano Sugiura, Chitose Ikeda, Sakurako Ōmuro, and Himawari Furutani, respectively.

Namori launched the Yuruyuri manga in 2008, and Ichijinsha shipped the manga's 16th compiled book volume (seen right) on January 30. The manga went on indefinite hiatus in July. JManga and ALC Publishing released part of the original manga digitally in English before JManga shut down in 2013.

The manga centers on four fun-loving schoolgirls who take over the former room of a tea ceremony club for their own "Goraku-bu" (amusement club).

The manga inspired three main television anime seasons that Crunchyroll streamed as they aired. The manga also inspired the Yuruyuri Nachu Yachumi! original video anime, which received the two-episode Yuruyuri Nachu Yachumi!+ television anime sequel before the third season debuted in 2015. NIS America licensed and released the first two anime seasons on home video in North America.

Source: Yuruyuri's Campfire campaign via Nijipoi, Otakomu, Yaraon!