Highlights
- Ufotable, known for their work on Demon Slayer and Fate Series, is set to create a feature film, Witch on the Holy Night, based on a 2012 visual novel.
- The studio is also in a long-term collaboration with Genshin Impact, though the nature of the project remains uncertain, possibly involving animated promotional videos.
- Fans speculate on other potential projects, including Fate/Hollow Ataraxia and Tsukihime adaptations, given Ufotable’s history with Type-Moon works.
For over five years now, the success of Demon Slayer has propelled animation studio Ufotable to somehow even greater heights than what their already impressive resume earned them. With the anime’s end now in sight with a trilogy of films, the question remains as to what Ufotable will do next, and save for one project loaded and ready to go, the possibilities are fairly open.
Ufotable was founded in 2000 by Hikaru Kondo, alongside former staff members from Telecom Animation Film, with the studio famous for its blend of 2D animation and 3D effects work. They have found great success adapting works from the Fate Series, other Type-Moon works like The Garden of Sinners, Tales of Zestiria the X, various video game openings, and Demon Slayer.
Ufotable’s Next Confirmed Project
Witch on the Holy Night
While the post-Demon Slayer future of the studio is mostly unknown, one project is a sure bet, and it’s a pretty significant one for fans of Type-Moon works. A feature film, Witch on the Holy Night, or Mahoyo for short, is in the works at the studio. It was announced back in 2021, based on the 2012 visual novel of the same name, which was written and directed by Fate/Stay Night creator Kinoko Nasu, with music by Hideyuki Fukasawa and character designs by Hirokazu Koyama.
What Is It About?
Set in Japan during the 1980s, Mahoyo follows Aoko Aozaki and Alice Kuonji, two witches who live in a mansion on the edge of Misaki Town. When transfer student Soujyuro Sizuki stumbles upon something he isn’t meant to witness, protocol dictates that the witches should eliminate him to conceal their existence, but things take a turn. With a mysterious threat lurking, these three unlikely accomplices find themselves stuck together.
Mahoyo is set in the same continuity as other Type-Moon stories such as Fate/Stay Night and Tsukihime, and serves as a particularly good entry point. Originally, the film was rumored to be released in 2024, but as of the time of writing, no concrete release date for the film has been confirmed. Apart from the announcement teaser, one other preview was dropped on December 31, 2023, but with not much more in the way of staff or release info.
Ufotable’s Collaboration with Genshin Impact
Many fans of the studio’s work might have objected to the previous point about Ufotable’s future projects being unknown, likely asserting something to the effect of “What about the Genshin anime?” See, back in 2022, HoYoverse announced they were working with Ufotable and this came alongside a pretty teaser showing the world of Genshin Impact in the studio’s trademark style.
Almost instantly, people took this to mean that Genshin would be receiving an anime series, and for the longest time, one could be forgiven for assuming this to be a fact. However, the truth isn’t quite as straightforward. HoYoverse technically never announced a TV anime. Rather, they announced a “long-term collaboration project” with Ufotable, the trailer serving as a proof-of-concept more than anything.
So, Where Is This Collaboration?
In the time since this announcement, the nature of this collaboration hasn’t exactly been expanded upon. Some still believe that it’s an anime and that the lack of further announcements is a testament to its production time, while others are skeptical about whether it’s an anime at all. For all the audience knows, the collaboration could suggest animated promotional videos, though, for something on that scale, it’s a wonder that fans haven’t seen anything from Ufotable yet.
With Ufotable having thrown their weight fully behind Demon Slayer, it makes sense that not much has been shown from this Genshin project. It’s likely not on the top of their list of priorities between Demon Slayer and Mahoyo, but once the former has concluded, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Genshin were one of the first projects to receive some sort of announcement.
Ufotable’s Other Possible Projects
Much of the below is speculative, based largely on the studio’s resume and the franchises they are most associated with. Given Ufotable’s history of adapting Type-Moon visual novels, it’s no surprise that the projects many fans want to see from Ufotable include more of these. One project, in particular, has been requested for years, although the chances of it coming true seem slim.
The Fate Route
When Ufotable adapted Fate/Stay Night‘s second route, Unlimited Blade Works, the stated reason was that Studio Deen’s adaptation from 2006 already covered the first. As such, Ufotable only adapted UBW and then Heaven’s Feel. Regardless, even as fans nowadays defend Studio Deen’s adaptation, there has been a hunger for Ufotable to give this route, and Saber as a character, the big-budget treatment she arguably deserves.
Fate/Hollow Ataraxia
The original Fate visual novel has always been a remarkably self-contained story, considering how big the Fate franchise has become. Even when its events are referenced in other stories, there’s rarely an indication as to which of the three routes occurred relative to a given story, much less a suggestion of which one is “canon.”
Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, then, is unique in that it is a direct sequel to Fate/Stay Night that practically says “Jokes on you, they’re all canon!” If Ufotable were to forgo giving the Fate route an adaptation for the aforementioned reasons, then adapting Hollow Ataraxia might be just as good, capitalizing on the popularity of these characters while giving anime fans something new. Besides, if there is a Type-Moon adaptation that deserves a redo, the Fate route takes a back seat.
Tsukihime
Rarely has an anime adaptation been buried and disregarded as strongly as J.C. Staff’s 2003 adaptation of Tsukihime. It’s barely even preserved as fodder for mocking commentary and rather has been the subject of a running joke pretending that it doesn’t exist. The reasons why are a bit too numerous to discuss here and, besides, the anime isn’t real, so I’m not quite sure why I wasted this paragraph writing about it.
Anyway, Tsukihime would be an excellent project for Ufotable to adapt to animation next, even better considering that the remake of the visual novel has been received so well. Plus, with the recent North American release, there’s a potential to strike gold at a time of renewed interest in this seminal piece of VN history. Ufotable is already one foot in the door, having animated the opening animations for both routes of the remake.
Ufotable made a name for themselves in the late 2000s by adapting The Garden of Sinners, which is effectively Tsukihime‘s prototype. It would be perfect to see the studio that defined how people imagine Type-Moon projects in animation do so again, having learned what they have over the years. Demon Slayer may be Ufotable’s most popular series, but it’s only the beginning of what they are capable of.
Sources: Anime News Network
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