Shangri-La Frontier is a rising star manga created by Katarina. It tells the story of a skilled gamer journeying a world of high-tier games. With an amazing plot, the series will have its anime adaptation.
The official has confirmed that Shangri-La will debut on October 1, 2023. Crunchyroll is providing a streaming service worldwide.
But, two weeks before the premiere, the staff decided to drop the final trailer and key visual for the series. What kind of final piece that can be dug out? Let’s break them down!
Shangri-La Frontier Trailer
The third PV of Shangri-La Frontier was released on September 12, 2023. It highlights the background of the story and character introduction. Moreover, in the second half of the trailer, we are finally shown one of colossi, Lycaon the Nightslayer.
Sure, the lengthy PV from the very first announcement already showed him. But, most fans agree that it was pre-animated to boost its manga popularity. Otherwise, the first and second PV will,quality-wise, pale in comparison.
Another main focus of the final PV is the opening theme entitled “BROKEN GAMES’ from FZMZ. Meanwhile, CHiCO performs the ending theme for the series entitled “Ace”.
From the look of it, the visual quality is soaring high. For the record, C2C studio has notable projects from the past such as Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina and Tsukimichi ~Moonlit Fantasy~.
However, there is a bit of concern. The anime from C2C almost never gets the second season. Tsukimichi already gets a second season, but, J.C. Staff is the one that works on it. With that kind of quality, can Shangri-La Frontier become a phenomenon and be granted a second season?
Shangri-La Frontier Key Visual
The new key visual was revealed at the same time as the final trailer dropped off. It shows Sunraku fighting head-to-head with Lycaon the Nightslayer. The text on the side mentions “Pioneer, blown by the night wind”. It refers to the first arc of the story, Lycaon marking.
So, here’s the deal breaker. The PV already shows how Sunraku fights Lycaon. There, we can see in the PV that he is still dressed while fighting. Yet, the key visual shows him undressed with a kind of mark surrounding his body.
A theory suggests that the key visual shows the second showdown between Sunraku and Lycaon later in the final episode of the second cour. But is it true? Or only an assumption?
Before that, let’s check the fact so far. It is confirmed that the Shangri-La frontier will have two consecutive cour. From the first PV, the story will cover, at least, Tombguard Arc where they will fight Wenzaemon.
In the manga, the whole arc ends in chapter 46. Then, the story continues for another 40 chapters before the end of Nightslayer’s Shadow Arc. If they animate the first cour with Wenzaemon, there is a high chance that the second cour will end with Lycaon.
Unlike the anime that is based on a light novel, it is pretty hard to predict how much material the anime uses if it comes from the manga. For comparison, the first season of Seven Deadly Sins uses a total of 100 chapters of the manga.
If all the scenes of the first PV come true, the anime will at least cover the Ether Reactor Arc in chapter 71. But, will C2C take a risk by ending the series with a disappointing anticlimax? Or they will end it with the second showdown between Sunraku and Lycaon?
Frequently Asked Questions
Shangri-La Frontier will premiere on October 1, 2023.
You can watch it on Crunchyroll.
Source: Official Twitter
