Summary
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Crunchyrollhas announced the acquisition of a very rare and unique anime title.Hiwou War Chronicles, also known asClockwork Fighters Hiwou’s War, the very first TV anime produced by legendary anime studio, BONES, is streaming officially outside of Japan for the very first time. The series was released in celebration of the studio’s 25th anniversary, and follows the screening of theBONES 25: DREAMING FORWARDdocumentary at the 3rd Niigata International Animation Film Festival 2025, a six-day event held from March 15 to 20 and hosted in the Chūbu region (central Japan).
TheDREAMING FORWARDdocumentary is also available on Crunchyroll, while theHiwou War Chroniclesanime is available to stream worldwide except in Japan.
About Hiwou War Chronicles
2000 ‘Til Infinity
Hiwou War Chroniclesoriginally aired for 26 episodes from October 2000 to March 2001, and was an original manga byBlack Jack,Fullmetal Alchemist,Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, andUN-GOscriptwriter Sho Aikawa, which was directed by Tetsuro Amino (storyboards,Dirty Pair). Aikawa’s manga ran in Kodansha’s Magazine Z from 1999 to 2001 for four volumes. Bandai Entertainment released the anime in English under the titleClockwork Fighters Hiwou’s War, with three DVD volumes released between 2006 and 2008. The series had character designs by Hajime Jinguji and Hiroshi Osaka,mecha designs by Junya Ishigaki, music by Hiroshi Yamaguchi and animation direction by Hiroshi Osaka.
Hiwou War Chronicles is the first original title for BONES, so we, as the founders of the studio, put in a lot of love, thought and effort into this. The character designs by Hiroshi Osaka, who was one of the founders of BONES, is very cute and the animation is full of dynamic motions. It was originally produced with 35mm film, but we recently converted the film into a 4K digital master, which made the visuals become very beautiful again. I hope you watch all the episodes and all of Hiwou and his friends’ adventures. Thank you!
– Studio BONES President Masahiko Minami
The story of Hiwou War Chronicles is set in the Meiji Period (1868-1912), following a boy named Hiwou, who lives in a small town where the people build and operate “Clockwork Dolls” or “karakuri” for festivals. Their peaceful existence is threatened when the “Wind Gang” appears, destroying the town with their own Clockwork Dolls. Hiwouescapes the town with his siblings and friends, taking with them a Clockwork Doll called Homura, which functions like a giant robot. The challenges they face on their journey force them to use Clockwork Dolls as weapons, which is something Hiwou’s father once told him should never, ever be done. BONES President Masahiko Minami issued a statement about the release ofHiwou War Chronicles, explaining that the series has been remastered to 4K, accentuating its cuteness and dynamic movement.
