Moonrise, the latest anime from Attack on Titan director Masashi Koizuka, is an ambitious work designed for lovers of sci-fi and space operas. However, the series also draws inspiration from the colorful world of shonen, or «boys'» manga and anime.
Adapted from Tow Ubukata’s titular science-fiction novel, Moonrise takes place in an era where humanity has colonized other planets. When the faction on Earth’s moon initiates a war for independence, many civilians die in the crossfire. After his family is killed, main protagonist Jacob «Jack» Shadow embarks on a quest for revenge. In a recent interview with Anime!Anime!, Moonrise director and producer team Masashi Koizuka and Ryoma Kawamura delved into the history behind the series, beginning with how Wit Studio George Wada first offered the project to Koizuka.
Attack on Titan Director's New Netflix Anime 'Moonrise' Combines Star Wars With Shonen
Koizuka’s desire to create his own space opera originated from a lifelong familiarity with science-fiction. «I haven’t lived my life focusing on science-fiction, but there were a lot of science-fiction works when I was a kid. I especially liked space romances like Space Battleship Yamato,» he explained. After beginning his career in animation, Koizuka became aware of popular works such as Star Wars. «Wada, the president of Wit Studio, often asks people in the company what kind of work they would want to make. So when I mentioned the Star Wars series, which was released at the time, Wada came to me later and said, «Would you like to try making a space opera?»
Like the Star Wars films, Moonrise features a larger intergalactic conflict that has a profound impact on its main hero. However, instead of a Darth Vader-esque leader, the main tyrant of Ubukata’s world is Sapienta — an artificial intelligence network which manages human civilization in ways that often favor the wealthy to the detriment of the poor. While Ubukata’s worldview is dark and brutal at times, Koizuka tried to balance it in ways which would give it the all-ages appeal of works like Dragon Ball, Naruto and One Piece, among others. «Ubukata’s original draft was written mostly in the world of hard science fiction. We could have gone down that hard-edged path, but I’ve always liked the grammar of shonen manga, so I wanted to create a work that both adults and children could enjoy,» he said.
To make this concept a reality, Koizuka hired shonen manga artist Hiromu Arakawa to design Moonrise‘s characters. While Arakawa is primarily known as the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist, Koizuka chose her after discovering the 2013 manga adaptation of The Heroic Legend of Arslan book series by Yoshiki Tanaka. «Arakawa-sensei brought out the best in the original manga…through the grammar of a boy’s manga,» he stated. «I was impressed by that, so when I was thinking about how to present Moonrise, I actually used Arakawa-sensei as a reference.» Additionally, the show’s vehicles and backgrounds were designed by Satoshi Takabatake, who studied under Akira manga creator Katsuhiro Otomo.
In addition to Attack on Titan Seasons 1-4 (2016-2019), Koizuka’s other anime credits include Guin Saga, Guilty Crown and Berserk: The Golden Age Arc film trilogy. Notably, he was also selected to direct Netflix’s upcoming remake of the long-running One Piece anime series, the release date of which is still unknown. In the meantime, Koizuka hopes that audiences will go into Moonrise with a «relaxed attitude.» «This is a work that represents the perfect chemical reaction between the personalities of Ubukata-sensei, Arakawa-sensei and Wit Studio, so I hope you will enjoy it,» he said.
Moonrise consists of 18 total episodes with run times varying from 21 to 31 minutes. Netflix released the series in its entirety on April 10, 2025.
