Crunchyroll has finally released a proper trailer for its long-delayed original series High Guardian Spice -- though it's uncertain how much longer fans will have to wait for it, as it still lacks a release date.
Created by Raye Rodriguez, High Guardian Spice is an anime-inspired American cartoon about four girls -- dwarf fighter Parsley, nerdy witch Sage, human warrior Rosemary and elf archer Thyme -- attending High Guardian Academy and training to protect the magical realm of Lyngarth. As these close friends come of age and master their skills, they have to face the darkness encroaching on their world. The new trailer reveals details about these threats: Rosemary's mom left her on a dangerous mission, the level of magic within the Earth is fading and the villains the guardians will face include a talking flame and a staff-wielding catgirl.
The new trailer was revealed as part of the Crunchyroll Industry Panel at the Virtual Crunchyroll Expo 2021. Raye Rodriguez appeared in the panel to introduce the trailer, discuss the influence of magical girl anime on the series and showcase new key art featuring several of the show's magical creatures alongside the main characters. No release date was announced.
High Guardian Spice was first announced in August 2018 with an intended Spring 2019 premiere date. It was the first American animated series to be produced by Crunchyroll's Burbank studio. The initial announcement trailer included concept art but did not feature any footage from the show and included little in the way of plot details; it instead focused on behind-the-scenes diversity, noting the show had an all-female writer's room. A combination of anime fans upset that Crunchyroll was producing non-anime content and anti-feminist culture warriors offended by the announcement trailer resulted in a notable backlash against the series.
A panel at Crunchyroll Expo 2018 revealed more in-depth information on the story, but since then, Crunchyroll has mostly stayed quiet about High Guardian Spice's progress. Rodriguez announced via Twitter that the show completed production on November 7, 2019, and in February 2020, a few seconds of footage from the series were shown in a promo for the larger Crunchyroll Originals initiative, but otherwise, there's been silence about the show from Crunchyroll.
This trailer release gives the chance for High Guardian Spice to showcase its plot, characters and cute style on its own terms, and as such could be the start of more positive press for the unintentionally controversial series. That an already completed show still has no release date beyond "coming soon," however, might have people concerned about what's holding up the release.
Source: YouTube