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Crunchyroll to Stream Maoyu TV Anime

The media distribution site Crunchyroll announced on Wednesday that it will stream the MAOYU (Maoyū Maō Yūsha) television anime series. The site will stream the series on Fridays starting on January 4 at 1:00 p.m. EST for members in North America, South America, Ireland, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and the Netherlands.

Mamare Touno's original novel series centers around Yūsha (Hero), a fighter in a war that humans and demons have waged for 15 years. The humans have infiltrated the demons' territory, but Hero is separated from his three companions before he enters the castle of Maō (Demon Queen). However, the Queen is waiting for him, and instead of fighting him, she proposes an alliance. Her explanation changes his entire view of not just his purpose in battle, but the purpose of war in general.

The series stars Ami Koshimizu as Maō and Jun Fukuyama as Yūsha. Other cast members include Chiwa Saito, Haruka Tomatsu, Hiroshi Kamiya, Miyuki Sawashiro, and Nao Tōyama.

Takeo Takahashi (Spice and Wolf, Yosuga no Sora, So, I Can't Play H!) is directing the anime at the studio ARMS. Naruhisa Arakawa (Spice and Wolf, Kingdom, So, I Can't Play H!, Listen to Me, Girls. I Am Your Father!) is in charge of the series scripts, and Masashi Kudo (Bleach, Hayate the Combat Butler: Can't Take My Eyes Off You, The Wings of Rean) and Hiroaki Karasu (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 1st animation director) are designing the characters. Takeshi Hama (Kobato.) is scoring the music.

Touno began the story as an online novel on the 2channel forum before Enterbrain began publishing the series in 2010. Its first five volumes have sold more than 450,000 copies, and there are also Episode 1: Nire no Kuni no Jo-Mahō Tsukai (The Sorceress of the Country of Elm) and Episode 0: Sakyū no Kuni no Yumi-zukai (The Archer of the Country of Dunes) spinoff novels. The series has already received several manga adaptations.

Update: Background information added.