Short answers, pulled from the story.
High Guardian Spice follows four young girls at the High Guardian Academy who train to become guardians of West City while facing an unknown threat to the world. Creator Raye Rodriguez described the show's central question as whether its protagonists will decide that a Guardian's life is truly the path they want to walk down.
High Guardian Spice was created by Raye Rodriguez, a trans man who pitched the concept for five years before Crunchyroll agreed to produce it as an original series. Rodriguez also voices Professor Caraway in the show.
High Guardian Spice premiered on Crunchyroll on the 26th of October, 2021. The series had originally been announced as Crunchyroll's first-ever original production before being delayed by approximately two years.
High Guardian Spice wrapped production in autumn 2019 but Crunchyroll missed release windows in both 2019 and 2020. The studio's silence coincided with hostile reactions to the show's initial announcement, prompting at least one journalist to write a public article simply demanding that Crunchyroll release it.
High Guardian Spice features several LGBTQ characters, including Snapdragon, a trans woman voiced by Julia Kaye, and Professor Caraway, a trans man voiced by creator Raye Rodriguez. The show also includes Anise, a lesbian character voiced by lesbian actress Haviland Stillwell, who is married to an elf woman within the series.
Rodriguez cited Magic Knight Rayearth, Sailor Moon, Petite Princess Yucie, and Little Witch Academia as his key inspirations. He described the show's visual approach as a "hybrid Eastern-Western cartoon style" and said he wanted to share "fantastical stories about queer, diverse and relatable characters."