Ask John: How Much Karas Exists?

Question:
I just watched Karas: The Prophecy, and I have to say, I thought it was amazing. However, I’m a little confused as to how much of it there actually is. How much of Karas is contained on the DVD of Karas: The Prophecy, and how much is left to be released?

Answer:
Karas has turned into something of an anime enigma. Multiple reports claim that the series is supposed to be 6 total episodes. However, the official Japanese Karas homepage has no scheduled release date for any future episodes. Episodes 1-3 were released in Japan in May, October, and November 2005. These three episodes were spliced together into a single feature length episode for their American DVD release. Up until recently, Manga Entertainment’s website reported that its second Karas DVD would be released on September 26th, but now the second volume has been removed from the Manga Entertainment website entirely.

Manga Entertainment has previously released anime in America that’s not available in Japan, namely the “Street Fighter Alpha: Generations” OVA. So there is a possibility of Manga releasing additional episodes of Karas in America that are not available in Japan, but there’s no certainty that any more episodes to release. I don’t know if production of Karas has stalled indefinitely or if work on new episodes is simply progressing very slowly. Regrettably, I don’t know when or if more episodes beyond the original three will be made or released.