Takahiro Sakurai, Yu Kobayashi join cast for series based on historical fantasy manga

A stage event at AnimeJapan 2017 for the television anime adaptation of Kotono Katō's historical fantasy manga Altair: A Record of Battles ( Shōkoku no Altair ) revealed on Saturday that the series will premiere in July on MBS' "Animeism" programming block.

The event also revealed two more cast members. Yu Kobayashi will play Lelederik, and Takahiro Sakurai will play Graratto (character name spellings aren't official).

The previously revealed cast members include: (Note: character name romanizations aren't official.)

Ayumu Murase as Mahmut

Makoto Furukawa as Zaganos

KENN as Kyros

Katsuyuki Konishi as Sleiman

Kenjiro Tsuda as Rui

Kenichi Ogata as Khalil

Junichi Suwabe as Abiriga

Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Getbackers, Rurouni Kenshin TV series and OVAs, Mobile Suit Gundam UC) is directing the project at MAPPA (Kids on the Slope, Yuri!!! on Ice, In This Corner of the World). Noboru Takagi (Durarara!!, Baccano!, Kuroko's Basketball) is handling the series composition, Toshiyuki Kanno (Garo the Animation, Black Blood Brothers) is the character designer, and Takashi Igari (episode director of The [email protected], Punch Line) is the assistant director. Ryo Kawasaki (Fate/Grand Order: First Order, Luger Code 1951, Reikenzan: Eichi e no Shikaku) is composing the music.

The rest of the staff includes:

Art Setting: Iho Narita (KUSANAGI)

Art Director: Kazuo Ogura (KUSANAGI)

Prop Design: Daisuke Niitsuma

Color Key: Azusa Sasaki

Director of Photography: Yoshihisa Oyama

3D Director: Ryoichi Ishigami

Sound Director: Eriko Kimura

The manga's story centers on Mahmut, a young member of Türkiye Stratocracy's council who holds the political and military title of Pasha. The council's combination of warmongers and pacifists divide it. The threat of war and danger from the belligerent Empire put Türkiye's safety at risk. As the country's youngest military leader, Mahmut is determined to keep the peace. But with so much at stake, a long history of enemies and alliances draws the young man far into a political world he hopes to keep in check. The Pasha's journey is not easy, and war may prevail despite his efforts.

Katō launched the manga in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Sirius magazine in 2007, and the 18th compiled book volume shipped on January 17. The series inspired the Shōkoku no! four-panel manga on Sirius' official website in 2012. The magazine serialized Shiina Soga's Shōkoku no Altair-san (Altair of the Tiny Nation) spinoff manga from 2012 to 2013, and Hirokazu Kobayashi and Chika Katō's Shōkoku no Altair Kaiden Tōkoku no Subaru spinoff series launched this past January. The first compiled book volume of Shōkoku no Altair Kaiden Tōkoku no Subaru shipped on January 17.

Kodansha Comics released the first volume of the manga digitally in English on March 21.