WIT STUDIO unveils new sci-fi anime LONA for spring 2027

LONA premieres in spring 2027 as a new original TV anime from WIT STUDIO on Japanese television. The series is based on a story by screenwriter Akiko Nogi and directed by Takashi Katagiri. Three teaser visuals and two first videos introduce the science fiction project.

A research lab examines the memories of the deceased

The story is set in a damaged world of the near future. People spend much of their lives in the virtual space Mahora, which has also become indispensable for work and everyday life. There, avatars of the deceased suddenly appear, known as LDoS.

If one of these avatars touches another virtual figure, that figure is destroyed. The associated person falls into a coma in the real world. The government therefore commissions a research institution to investigate the phenomenon: the Laboratory of Optics and Neural Analysis, short LONA.

Researcher Ao and her trainee Sango analyze the brains of the deceased to trace the origin of the attacks. The laboratory is located at the SPring-∞ research center in the Harima region. The official project description connects neuroscience with questions about memories and what people leave behind.

Team behind SPY x FAMILY and The Promised Neverland

Akiko Nogi develops the original story and writes the screenplay. Takashi Katagiri, who previously directed the film SPY x FAMILY CODE: White, is responsible for the direction. Posuka Demizu, known as the artist of The Promised Neverland, designs the original characters; Yudai Iino adapts them for animation. The music comes from Hiroko Sebu.

WIT STUDIO is responsible for both project planning and animation. Among the studio's other announced works is a new adaptation of Ascendance-of-a-Bookworm. The second season of Shin Samurai-den YAIBA is also scheduled for January 2027.

First voice actors and teasers confirmed

Minako Kotobuki voices researcher Ao, Anna Nagase her colleague Sango. Fuka Izumi takes on Mugen. The team released three key visuals showing, among other things, Sango's eye and the research facility. The official teaser PV shows Ao and Sango in animated scenes, while the teaser CM incorporates real footage of the SPring-8 research site. Both videos were published on the official anime website.

A concrete broadcast date, the episode count, and a streaming provider for Germany have not yet been determined. Thematically, LONA belongs to the upcoming dystopian anime projects, which also include the Netflix adaptation Fool Night.