Magic: The Gathering’s Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty is only a few days away, and the trailer that was released yesterday made sure to focus on the emotional heart of the set.
From the emailed press announcement from the trailer:
A first for Magic: The Gathering, the anime trailer comes from Japanese animation company Wit Studio (Attack on Titan, Ranking of Kings). The trailer follows Magic’s newest Planeswalker–Kaito Shizuki–and his bond with the Wandering Emperor in the world of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.
The anime features an original song Scratch by Toru Kitajima (the frontman and guitarist for the rock band Ling tosite sigure) with guest vocals from Koshi Inaba (vocalist and lyricist of the B’z). It was produced by Wizard of the Coasts’ Japan office, working with WIT Studio, and maxilla.
Having watched this trailer three times, I can say that the anime opening-style trailer is a fantastic way to introduce people to the set—but the biggest takeaway is that we need a Magic: The Gathering animated series like yesterday.
But seriously, this story has one of the most personal, emotional storylines in a while: the reunion of friends Kato and the Wandering Emperor. What we get in the trailer is a summary of the story thus far (which is available on the official website.)
I’m excited to see the rest of the story unfold through the cards and to play this set. From the top down, it seems like Magic publisher Wizards is really putting in the work when it comes to designing this new version of Kamigawa, and when it comes down to the cards, I’m very excited to make a new samurai deck that aggressively brutalizes everyone around me.
Kamigawa is already out on Magic’s online Arena edition and will get its physical release on February 18. Those looking to see these cards in action can check out the Command Zone:
(image: Wizards of the Coast)
