Anime & Manga News

Yutaka Yamamoto Launches Crowdfunding for 'Mahou Shoujo-tachi' Anime Project

by Sakana-san
Oct 1, 2019 1:49 PM | 32 Comments

Animation director Yutaka Yamamoto (Fractale, Wake Up, Girls!) launched a new project on Friday that will be crowdfunded through Campfire, tentatively titled Mahou Shoujo-tachi (Magical Girls). The dark fantasy magical girl project aims to raise 10 million yen (approximately US$92,700) in 33 days. The funds will go towards producing a two to five minute pilot film that will be completed in April 2020.

As of press time, the crowdfunding sits at 2,273,300 yen (approximately US$21,096) with 124 backers. Any additional funding will go towards the production of a full-length film.

The anime project's key visual (pictured) features a girl in a school uniform with wings enclosed by dark flames, directly referencing the July 18 Kyoto Animation arson incident. Yamamoto cites the tragedy as his motivation behind the project, saying that he is creating the film to "change anime" and wants to use it to send a message to all of those who are involved with the anime industry. Yamamoto further wrote that he cannot forgive the evil "madness" in anime that caused him the loss of a friend, and so he must defeat it through animation.

Yamamoto's previous successfully-funded project, Hakubo, exceeded its 15 million yen (approximately US$139,275) goal, raising over 21 million yen. The 52-minute film premiered in Fukushima on May 24 before it screened around Japan on June 21.

Crowdfunding page: https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/196006

Source: Livedoor News

News tip submitted by NothingReally

20 of 32 Comments Recent Comments

Yamakan was one of the people who played a significant role in creation of my favorite post-Madoka mahou shoujo anime, and probably my favorite anime ever. Madoka Magica has probably influenced him very much. I'd want to see a full-length high-production mahou shoujo movie from him and his (former) colleagues, not just a five-minute pilot. I'd really want to see what he is really capable of. Sadly, fans of mob justice cancel culture never gave him a chance after he let his feelings out on Twitter. Out of passion, people do things they later regret about and about which they repent, but since otaku are indeed generally mentally disabled, it is beyond their level to understand how someone may do or say something which they'd repent about. Knowing how people perceived his Hakubo, I'd only be worried about his writing, although I haven't seen his movie and can't tell if it is actually that bad or not (reviews are trash).

May 23, 2:06 PM by removed-user

Well, looks like the crowdfund is finished... only made it 77% of the way.
Will the anime still be made though with that amount? Disregarding the guy's history, the project sounds kinda interesting so I still kinda hope this becomes a thing.

Dec 5, 2019 10:19 PM by Fario-P

Fabris said:
Comander-07 said:
Oof pretty heated comments here. Are we looking forward to something great?



It's the memetic "savior of anime". You know, from Fractale...

...will probably be Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou, Mahou Shoujo Site and Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku levels of tryhard discount-Madoka.

Just watch old and gold Princess Tutu instead. Edgy Dark Mahou Shoujos post-Madoka era are usually bad, exceptions for Yuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru.
I actually dont to be honest. Seems like he isnt a good artist then?

PS: I take Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku over Yuki Yuuna 5/7 days of the week.

Oct 5, 2019 10:15 AM by Comander-07

Not sure it would happen. Just click the animation tag and you can see other projects started around similar time raised way more money.

Oct 3, 2019 7:10 PM by traed

The guy is not a dope like so many make him out to be. Just get the fuck over and accept people have different opinions than you. I hope he redeems himself and his anime succeeds. Also, I think Shinkai sold out after 'Promised Place' so there's that.

Oct 3, 2019 4:14 PM by VyseLegendaire

Comander-07 said:
Oof pretty heated comments here. Are we looking forward to something great?



It's the memetic "savior of anime". You know, from Fractale...

...will probably be Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou, Mahou Shoujo Site and Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku levels of tryhard discount-Madoka.

Just watch old and gold Princess Tutu instead. Edgy Dark Mahou Shoujos post-Madoka era are usually bad, exceptions for Yuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru.

Oct 3, 2019 4:04 PM by Fabris

Oof pretty heated comments here. Are we looking forward to something great?

Oct 3, 2019 10:10 AM by Comander-07

NothingReally said:
This is not exploitation. This is art. Yamakan haters can go screw off somewhere. He does not make anime to enrich himself. The man only creates work when he really means to put something meaningful out into the world.


Hate him or not, Yamakan’s personality is still free game for analysis to better understand his work. Having said that, few of us are really in the position to make statements about the man beyond distant speculation, so I don't think it's helpful to state your opinion so definitively.

Oct 2, 2019 11:36 PM by jinruihokan

NothingReally said:
Kuma said:
you can always made short tribute by your own effort without ask any donation which give 0 help to kyoani or the victim, but here we are. or you know, he can even try to make some funding to the victim, but instead he WAS the one asking for donation.

how someone even defend him at this point is baffled me.


You don't think he should fight with anime? He should post some twitter vid of him being like r.i.p. my friends? There's plenty of funding going towards KyoAni right now. His pockets probably aren't overflowing with cash but I'm sure he'd help if he could. Oh wait, he's trying to promote healing through art. I don't understand what you people want. Art is often very essential to our healing processes.


it's more of his OWN healing process... again, it contribute nothing to to victim... also IIRC, he has history badmouthing one of deceased... it would be less deplorable if he didn't ask for donation.. but here we are... he become less then shinkai which he looked down upon...

Oct 2, 2019 6:34 PM by Kuma

NothingReally said:
This is not exploitation. This is art. Yamakan haters can go screw off somewhere. He does not make anime to enrich himself. The man only creates work when he really means to put something meaningful out into the world.


You mean like Wake Up Girls? Amazing piece of art that is.

Oct 2, 2019 3:06 PM by Rahkshilord

Yamamoto is one of the most despicable personalities in the industry, but I don't think there's anything essentially wrong with this project. There is obviously a personal involvement here and it's fine that there is. Acting like a fucking jerk against Shinkai is not incompatible with that.

Oct 2, 2019 1:11 PM by jal90

10 million yen just for a 2-5 minute movie preview thing? wait what?

Oct 2, 2019 10:20 AM by winddevil1

Hell no fuck Yamakan, that guy is an actual scumbag and not only that hes an incompetent director, now he wants to profit off the detahs of people he was mocking not a few weeks ago out of spite for them firing his lazy ass?

Oct 2, 2019 8:46 AM by JizzyHitler

Please, for the love of God do not support Yamakan. This man is so far up his own ass he cannot see reality clearly anymore. He throws shade at other creators and shifts blame onto others for his own failures. At this point he must have came out of retirement more times than Hayao Miyazaki.

Oct 2, 2019 7:26 AM by Hatsuyuki

I never said he was some angel.

Actually you kinda did, the way you praising and defending Yamakan just said itself.

There are plenty of things I think nobody should be able to deny about Yamakan, but people would like to deny them anyway.

The only thing we can't deny about Yamakan was that he did made some good shows in the past. Oh and he did feel sad about KyoAni incident, but so what? Does that means I should treat him as a hero or like everything about him as a person just for those reasons?

I have no sympathies for your personal quota for hatred of the man.

And I have no sympathies for your personal quota for claiming the man as some sort of saint either. Especially when you made this kind of post:
Stop this ignorance. You people are insufferable.

Oct 2, 2019 6:45 AM by MahiaErebeaNegi

NothingReally said:
MahiaErebeaNegi said:
You can acts like a Yamakan fanboy whatever the hell you want, but please don't pretend everything about this guy did was 100% right and did nothing wrong.

Yamakan being retarded is an actual fact and no one can deny that.


I never said he was some angel. I'm just arguing that he has genuine reasons for doing this project in particular by the looks of it.

There are plenty of things I think nobody should be able to deny about Yamakan, but people would like to deny them anyway. I have no sympathies for your personal quota for hatred of the man.


you can always made short tribute by your own effort without ask any donation which give 0 help to kyoani or the victim, but here we are. or you know, he can even try to make some funding to the victim, but instead he WAS the one asking for donation.

how someone even defend him at this point is baffled me.

Oct 2, 2019 6:42 AM by Kuma

What's this dude's past then I don't know the whole story

Oct 2, 2019 6:27 AM by Mattinator95

This is not exploitation. This is art. Yamakan haters can go screw off somewhere. He does not make anime to enrich himself. The man only creates work when he really means to put something meaningful out into the world.

You can acts like a Yamakan fanboy whatever the hell you want, but please don't pretend everything about this guy did was 100% right and did nothing wrong.

Yamakan being retarded is a fact and no one can deny that.

Oct 2, 2019 6:15 AM by MahiaErebeaNegi

Yamakan is going to keep doing Yamakan.

Oct 2, 2019 3:09 AM by StephanieRoberts

Well that was a wew lad I wasn't expecting when I entered this thread. I can't deny it's certainly piqued my interest more than it would have otherwise though.

Oct 1, 2019 10:30 PM by ReaperCreeper

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