Enterbrain's Famitsu website revealed on Monday the story and characters of the new, original science-fiction adventure anime Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (Suisei no Gargantia) that Production I.G is animating.

Kazuya Murata (Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos) is directing off scripts supervised and written by Gen Urobuchi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero). (Murata and Urobuchi collaborated on the original concept of the anime.) Manga artist Hanaharu Naruko (Shōjo Material, Kamichu!) is creating his first original character designs for a television anime. Makoto Ishiwata (Blassreiter, Dominator in Psycho-Pass, Robotics;Notes) of Polygon bangcho is in charge of the mechanical designs, and Taro Iwashiro (Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, live-action SHINOBI - Heart Under Blade and The Prince of Tennis) is scoring the music.

The story begins in the distant future in the far reaches of the galaxy. The Human Galactic Alliance has been constantly fighting for its survival against a grotesque race of beings called "Hidiaasu." During an intense battle, the young lieutenant Redo (pictured above) and his humanoid mobile weapon Chamber (pictured below) are swallowed up into a distortion of time and space.

Waking from his artificially induced hybernation, Redo realizes that he has arrived on Earth, the planet on the lost frontier. On this planet that was completely flooded by the seas, people live in fleets of giant ships, salvaging relics from the seas' depths in order to survive.

Redo arrives on one of the fleets called Gargantia. With no knowledge of the planet's history or culture, he is forced to live alongside Amy, a 15-year-old girl who serves as a messenger aboard the Gargantia fleet. To Redo, who has lived a life where he knows nothing but fighting, these days of peace continue to surprise him.

Other characters include:

Saya, a 15-year-old messenger like Amy

Melty, a 14-year-old messenger like Amy

Bellows, an 18-year old female salvager who plucked Redo and Chamber from the ocean. She is the skilled pilot of the industrial mecha Yuboro.

Rijetto, a calm, serious 22-year-old officer who assists the Gargantia fleet's leader Fearokku

Pinion, a somewhat cocky 20-year old man who maintains and repairs the mechanics aboard the Gargantia fleet. He dreams of striking it rich by uncovering the treasures lurking on the seabed

The anime will premiere next April.

A promotional video for the anime will soon be streamed on its official website. The 16th issue of Kadokawa Shoten's Newtype Ace volume is running an exclusive "episode zero" text story called Suisei no Gargantia: Uchū Kara no Hōmonsha (A Visitor From Space) by Taishirou Tanimura (Library War, Appleseed XIII) with supervision by Murata and Urobuchi. The magazine is also launching a manga adaptation in the next issue on January 10 and running an interview with Murata.