Linebarrels of Iron
The manga series Linebarrels of Iron was created by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi. In2005, the series debuted in Akita Shoten's monthly shnen manga magazine Champion Red. Since then, on November20,2008, it has been compiled into eleven tankbon. The plot revolves around Kouichi Hayase, a fourteen-year-old boy with an average existence, until an accident transforms him into the pilot of a massive robot named "Linebarrel" and brings him into contact with a strange girl. In the February issue of Animage magazine, an anime adaptation of the manga series was revealed. The anime is directed by Masamitsu Hidaka, while Gonzo is responsible for its animation. Though the world premiere of the first episode took place at the 2008 Anime Expo in Southern California, the series premiered in Japan on TBS on October3, 2008. The twenty-fourth and final episode of the anime was broadcast on March20, 2009. To honor the anime adaptation of the series, Shimizu and Shimoguchi decided to produce a one-shot manga reproducing the whole first episode of the anime, whose plot departs significantly from the beginning of the manga.