If you've been keeping up with anime, then you know one of the most popular series this season is Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. The series has received plenty of praise so far and some have even gone as far as to call it the best anime of the Spring 2016 season.
With so much attention coming its way, it was only a matter of time until someone would adapt the series into some other form, and, as it turns out, that other medium happens to be a game. Not just any game, mind you, but a full-blown massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). There is just one catch, however - it's exclusive to China.
The news came straight from Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress' anime producer, Kōji Yamamoto, who took to Twitter on Thursday to announce that the series will receive an MMORPG adaptation in China.
中国ではカバネリの配信止まったけど、中国でのゲーム化が今日発表された。力の入ったMMORPG。国ごとのルールがあるので、配信が止まったことは今はどうしようもないが、音楽と同じでエンタメは色々なものを越えていくはず。ゲーム化に一番先に手を挙げてくれた中国でのゲーム化の成功を祈ります
— 山本幸治 (@koji8782) May 26, 2016
While this is certainly a cool development for China, it is also a bit of an odd one. As you may or may not know, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress has actually been blacklisted in China, joining other titles such as Attack on Titan, Death Note and Claymore, because of scenes that depict violence, pornography, terrorism or crimes against public morality.
In the announcement, Yamamoto said the MMORPG is expected to incorporate music and various aspects of the anime, but won't have any impact on Kabaneri's status in China.
If you haven't been watching the series then you're really missing out. The anime takes place on an island country called Hinomoto, where a mysterious virus has caused many of the humans to transform into zombie-like creatures with steel hearts called "Kabane." What's more, the Kabane can bite normal humans who will then turn into Kabane themselves. In order to escape this threat, humans have hidden themselves in fortresses called stations, and are only able to "safely" move between fortresses using armored trains called "Hayajiro."
The first episode premiered on April 7, but the second episode was delayed due to news coverage on the Kumamoto earthquake the following week. Since then, the series has resumed its regular broadcast.
You can watch Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress on Amazon Prime worldwide.
