Stalled Despera Anime Project Gets Manga Adaptation
Chiaki J. Konaka announced that the stalled Despera anime project is being adapted into a manga, with a different setting and era than originally planned.
The long-stalled anime project Despera is being adapted into a manga, according to an announcement by writer Chiaki J. Konaka. Konaka shared that the manga's setting and era will differ from the original project announcement.
Konaka also clarified that Despera is not related to Serial Experiments Lain, another series he worked on. He last provided an update on the project in 2021, when he noted that production funding was 80% completed and that the project had been suspended for about a year and a few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Despera anime was put on hold after director Ryūtarō Nakamura passed away in 2013. In October 2014, character designer ABe said the project was continuing with a new director.
ABe originally unveiled Despera at Seattle's Sakura-Con in 2009. He was heading the project and designing the characters, while Konaka was writing the script. The title derives from a poem by Dadaist poet Jun Tsuji and from a shortened form of the term "desperado."
The story centers on Ain, a 14-year-old girl who builds devices without the required scientific background. The science-fiction story was originally set in Japan's Taishō era in 1922.
Quick answers
Is Despera related to Serial Experiments Lain?
No, Chiaki J. Konaka clarified that the project is not related to Serial Experiments Lain.
Why was the Despera anime put on hold?
The anime was put on hold after director Ryūtarō Nakamura passed away in 2013.
What is the story of Despera about?
It centers on Ain, a 14-year-old girl who builds devices without the required scientific background, originally set in Japan's Taishō era in 1922.