Synopsis
Set aboard the Megazone 11, a fleet of space colony ships distinct from the Megazone 23 featured in the 1985 OVA, this new project unfolds across vessels designed as realistic reproductions of Earth cities like Tokyo. A satellite ship mirrors a small Japanese town from around 2020, where Sakura, a typical second-year middle schooler, lives. She maintains a hidden identity as half of a singing duo with her online friend, Eve. Meanwhile, a rebellion erupts on one of the main ships, with insurgents fighting for autonomy and seeking to seize control of Tiamat, the system managing the entire fleet. The key required to unlock Tiamat was lost during a conflict eighty years ago, and with rumors of its return, both authorities and the resistance race to locate it. While traveling to Akihabara on the Tokyo ship to meet Eve, Sakura becomes entangled in a terrorist incident at the train station. Safely guided by Eve, she encounters Garland XI, a transformable motorcycle mecha, which Eve instructs her to use.
Background
From April 2017 to August 2018, AIC RIGHTS ran crowdfunding campaigns on Campfire to fund for Megazone 23 XI – a sequel to the original 1985 Megazone 23 OVA – and was the third entry of the "Anime Reboot Projects" to celebrate Anime International Company's 35th anniversary. In March 2019, an incomplete version of the Megazone 23 XI pilot was shown at AIC's booth at AnimeJapan 2019, with the full version of the pilot distributed to backers in April of the following year.