Fans of The Beginning After the End can now watch the first minute of its highly anticipated anime adaptation, one of the biggest releases of the year.
IGN debuted an exclusive preview of the first episode at their 2025 FanFest event. The clip showcases King Grey in the heat of battle, cutting down his enemies before delivering a final, decisive blow. As flames engulf his surroundings, he sits alone atop a mountain of corpses and conquered foes, setting the stage for the epic tale ahead.
In addition to the preview, IGN interviewed TBATE creator TurtleMe (Brandon Lee), who shared insights into his creative process. He cited Eragon, The Lord of the Rings, Chinese wuxia novels, and Mushoku Tensei as key inspirations behind the series. Lee revealed that the anime adaptation had been a long time in the making, with Studio A-Cat reaching out to produce it.
According to Lee, the adaptation stays faithful to the original story “for the most part.” However, director Keitaro Motonaga brings his own vision to the project. “It’s been really cool seeing those,” Lee said. “In the end, anime is a very different medium compared to the comic and the novel. The director, coming in as the expert in this medium, in anime… I’ve learned a lot. The same story might be told in a little bit of a different way.”
The success of TBATE—first as a webnovel, then a webcomic, and now an anime—led IGN interviewer Kim Horcher to draw a parallel between Lee and his protagonist, King Grey, who reincarnates as Arthur. She even asked if this was Lee’s “second life.”
“Writing has given me opportunities I hadn’t even dreamed of,” he responded, adding that his psychology studies helped him craft realistic character motivations and interactions.
Both the webnovel and webcomic adaptation of The Beginning After the End are available exclusively on Tapas, while Yen Press has licensed the print edition. A new trailer and key visual are set to debut next week, with the anime premiering in April.
Source: YouTube
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