A special advance screening of the original TV anime “LONA” was held on October 31 at Ikebukuro HUMAX Cinemas in Tokyo, marking the world’s first public showing of its opening episode. Following the screening, voice actors Nagase Anna (Sango) and Izumi Fuka (Mugen), director Katagiri Takashi, and WIT STUDIO representative Wada Takeshi — the man who first conceived the project — took to the stage for a discussion.
It All Started with One Letter
Set in a near-future world where a VR space called “Mahora” has become the center of daily life, “LONA” follows Ao, a researcher at the Neural Photoscience Analysis Lab (nicknamed “LONA”), and her apprentice Sango. The original concept and screenplay are by Nogiwaki Akiko, the celebrated writer behind live-action hits Unnatural and MIU404.
Wada revealed that the project officially began on August 19, 2020 — the day he wrote his very first letter to Nogiwaki. “I wanted to see an original anime written by someone as talented as Nogiwaki Akiko, so I wrote her quite a passionate letter,” he recalled. “Her reply was, ‘Attack on Titan was so good!’ (laughs). She gave us a wonderful compliment, and after we met for a meeting in September, everything got started from there.”
Nagase Anna said she was genuinely surprised to learn Nogiwaki would be writing an anime. “The audition materials included letters from Director Katagiri and Nogiwaki-san, and reading about their dedication to the project made me think, ‘This is going to be something incredible.'” Izumi Fuka was equally eager: “I was so curious about what an anime written by Nogiwaki-san would look like. The thought of missing out and just watching it as a regular viewer was too frustrating — I absolutely had to get the part.”
Director: “She Loves Denno Coil and Ghost in the Shell — That Was Terrifying”
Director Katagiri shared a laugh recounting their first meeting: “Nogiwaki-san has a deep knowledge of anime. When we first met, she mentioned she loves Denno Coil and Ghost in the Shell. I was honestly intimidated — are we really making something on that level?” He also explained that the production pipeline includes an image board summarizing the visual direction for each episode, placed between the script and storyboard stages. “Nogiwaki-san’s scripts are compelling on their own, but we also put a great deal of thought into how to bring them to life visually with the full power of WIT STUDIO. The character and art design are both highly ambitious,” he added.
Audience Responds with Applause — “It Gets Even Better From Here!”
Nagase Anna, who had now seen the finished version of Episode 1, said she was “so overwhelmed I couldn’t get out of my chair.” She recalled words Nogiwaki shared at the Episode 1 recording session: the writer expressed her desire to craft something that harnesses what only anime can do visually and what only voice actors can do expressively, while also drawing on the best of both animation and live-action storytelling.
Izumi Fuka noted the episode was “far more comedic and easy to watch than I expected — there are a lot of chibi scenes too. It’s definitely not an overly serious show.” Wada asked the audience whether they found Sango cute, and the enthusiastic applause that followed visibly relieved him. “Episode 1 was all about whether Sango would come across as adorable,” he said with a smile.
Wada closed by highlighting the unique appeal of an original anime: “Right now, only the people in this room know what happens in Episode 1. There’s plenty of new information coming that will surprise everyone. Discovering it little by little and then watching the broadcast — that’s the joy of an original anime.” Director Katagiri expressed his gratitude to the entire staff, saying he was proud as a director to have delivered such a strong first episode. Nagase had the final word: “After Episode 1, it genuinely gets even more fun — I promise. It might look a little heavy or serious at first glance, but you can sit back and enjoy it. I hope everyone does.”
Series Information
TV Anime “LONA” — Scheduled to broadcast Spring 2027
Staff
- Original Concept & Screenplay: Nogiwaki Akiko
- Director: Katagiri Takashi
- Original Character Design: Izumi Posuka
- Character Design: Iino Yudai
- Sub-Character Design: Yamada Ayumi, Okura Keisuke
- Image Design: syo5
- Art Setting & Mecha Design: Takabatake Satoshi, Fujii Kazushi
- Art Director: Kuga Yumiko
- 3DCG Director: Hirozumi Shigenori
- Photography Directors: Minegishi Kentaro, Miyagi Miori
- Editor: Hirose Kiyoshi (editz)
- Color Design: Tanaka Kanami
- Sound Director: Hata Shoji
- Music: Sebu Yuko
- Animation Producer: Yamanaka Kazuki
- Planning & Animation Production: WIT STUDIO
Cast
- Ao: Kotobuki Minako
- Sango: Nagase Anna
- Mugen: Izumi Fuka
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