Tiger & Bunny: The Rising is a Japanese anime movie sequel to Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning, and a spin-off from the popular science fiction anime TV series, Tiger & Bunny. With superior CGI and awesome costumes, Tiger & Bunny are superheroes of a different type. They’re normal individuals with special abilities called The NEXT, who protect their futuristic city, Sternbild (based on New York City), like a police force. They wear sponsors of the show on their costumes similar to modern day race car drivers or athletes, including logos for the likes of Amazon.com and Pepsi.

Hirouki Hirata revises his role as Kotetsu T. Kaburagi (Wild Tiger), a veteran superhero who has come out of retirement, but has seen better days. He is paired with a much younger partner, Barnaby Jones (Bunny) played by Masakazu Morita, also from the first film. The two partners argue constantly, but manage to get the job done and keep peace in the city. The English translated version stars Wally Wingert, well known for his voice acting on TV’s The Garfield series, as the Wild Tiger.

Tiger & Bunny: The Rising introduces a new superhero, arrogant rookie Ryan Goldsmith (Golden Ryan) who possesses a fixed range of gravitational amplification. This has some fans worried that Bunny has a new partner, at least temporarily.

The story revolves around keeping peace in Sternbild and preparing for Justice Day, an annual celebration of the city’s legendary goddess deity whose spirit inhabits the city. Mystery, murder and a homicidal vigilante make people question the meaning of what a hero really is when big trouble comes to Sternbild.

Tiger & Bunny: The Rising is directed by Yoshitomo Yonetami, who also helmed Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning. The script is by Masafumi Nishida, the scribe for both the TV series and Tiger & Bunny:The Beginning. Nishida is well-known in Japan for his work on live-action drama.

Tiger & Bunny:The Beginning is available on Blue Ray disc and DVD, and is streaming on Neon Alley, HULU, and The Anime Network. Produced by Sunrise and the T & B Movie Partners, look for Tiger &Bunny:The Rising to debut February 8, 2014 – nationwide in Japan and limited showing in US theaters as well.