A Couple of Upcoming Anime

Whilst browsing the Anime News Network website, I came across some information about a couple of upcoming anime series that caught my eye. I’ll be going over both of them in this post.

First up is Hanayamata, which is a manga written by Sou Hamayumiba and published in Houbunsha’s Manga Time Kirara Forward magazine.
Hanayamata focuses on a 14-year old girl called Naru Sekiya, who meets the American Hannah N. Fontanstand and is introduced to the world of yosakoi dancing.

The official website has announced the cast and staff.
Atsuko Ishizuka (The Pet Girl of Sakurasou, No Game, No Life) is directing the anime at studio Mad House. The scripts are being written and supervised by Reiko Hoshida (K-On!, Girls und Panzer, Tamako Market) and the characters are being designed by Atsuko Watanabe (GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class, Juden Chan, The Everyday Tales of a Cat God. Creator group MONACA are composing the music, and DIVE II Entertainment is producing the music.

Reina Ueda as Naru Sekiya

Naru Sekiya is a normal second year middle school student. She admires heroines who show up in stories, but does not possess the courage to escape her everyday life. After she meets Hannah dancing on a moonlit night, she decides she wants to shine as well and joins the world of yosakoi dance.

Minami Tanaka as Hannah N. Fontanstand

Hannah N. Fontanstand is a girl from America who is a second-year in middle school. She fell in love with yosakoi dance after taking a trip to Japan when she was young, and her dream became to dance yosakoi in Japan. Together with Naru, she forms the yosakoi club at school, though she struggles to find more members. Hannah is energetic, though her height is something that concerns her.

Kaya Okuno as Yaya Sasame

Yaya Sasame has been Naru’s best friend since elementary school and her current schoolmate. She enjoys being her in youth and plays drums for a band. She joins the yosakoi club in name only. Her home is a soba shop.

Yuka Ōtsubo as Tami Nishigomon

Tami Nishigomon is a middle school third-year who is Naru’s childhood friend. She is the vice-president of the student council. Tami has admired Naru since she was young, and although she is a beautiful high-class lady, she is quite the daddy’s girl. She joins the yosakoi club when she is invited by Naru.

Manami Numakura as Machi Tokiwaza

Machi Tokiwaza is the student council president. She forbids Hannah and the yosakoi club from using the school’s roof for practise. Manami is harsh towards herself and others, though she is gentle and warm towards her best friend Tami. Her loneliness may be connected to her bad relationship with her elder sister.

Hanayamata is due to air this summer.

All right, up next is Momo Kyun Sword, which is a light novel that was launched online for free by Kibidango Project. The story features a female re-imagining of Momotarō, a famous character in Japanese folklore. Beautiful young swordfight Momoko embarks on a quest with her three companions to retrieve stolen treasure from a demon army led by a devil king.

The official website has revealed the cast and staff for the anime.
The anime will be directed by Shinsuke Yanagi (Ryo-Kyu-Bu! SS at Tri-Slash and Project No. 9. Scripts will be handled by Tsuyoshi Tamai (Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu). Character designer and chief animation director is Hiroshi Tomioka (A Certain Scientific Railgun S, The Pet Girl of Sakurasou). The opening theme, “Pink Fantasy”, will be performed by Haruka Chisuga.
Other staff members:

• Prop Design: Haruo Ogawara
• Action Director: Hiroto Kato
• Art Director: Chikako Shibata
• Colour Design: Naoko Kodama
• Director of Photography: Koujirou Hayashi
• Editing: Akari Saitō
• Sound Director: Teruaki Sugawara
• Sound and Music Producer: Keiichi Nozaki

Ayana Taketatsu (Sword Art Online, High School DxD) as Momoko

Momoko is a spacey girl born from a peach. She was raised by an old man and woman, and currently lives together with her dog, monkey and pheasant gods.

Minami Tsuda (Wake Up, Girls!, YuruYuri) as Onihime

Onihime is the daughter of the devil king. She is curious about the world and hates to lose. She also hates anything that has twisted logic. It is also said that she has a side not shown to others that collects goods of cute characters.

Wataru Hatano (Fairy Tail, Hamatora) as Inugami

Inugami is one of Momoko’s companions. He is very knowledgeable and considers manners to be very important, though this can lead to him being argumentative. Inugami is most skilled at close combat.

Showtaro Morikubo (Samurai Flamenco, Naruto Shippūden) as Sarugami

Sarugami is another of Momoko’s companions. Unlike Inugami, he is the kind of creature to take action before thinking. He is best at hand-to-hand combat.

Asami Imai (Steins;Gate, The IDOLM@STER as Kijigami

Kijigami is the only female companion of Momoko. She can transform into a human and is considered by Momoko to be like an elder sister. She excels at aerial combat and reconnaissance.

Shiori Mikami (Attack on Titan, YuruYuri) as Ringo

Ringo is a member of the “Celestial Maiden Squad” and possibly the most powerful of the group. She is bright and lively and has the strongest sense of justice on her team. She is always worrying about Momoko. Her most powerful skill is fire.

Suzuko Mimori (Love Live! School Idol Project, Btooom!) as Suika

Suika is the Celestial Maiden of Water in the “Celestial Maiden Squad”. Though she acts kind, her polite words have thorns. Though she is harsh towards her allies, she is kind. Suika uses water skills and her Cakraratna to fight.

Rumi Ookubo (Wizard Barristers, Yuyushiki) as Maron

Maron is the Celestial Maiden of Earth. She is the brains of the group and possesses a strong sense of responsibility to complete her missions. Though she is usually cold, she has a passionate side. Her weapon of choice is a mallet.

Yuka Ōtsuba (Wake Up, Girls!, Vividred Operation) as Karin

Karin is the Celestial Maiden of Wind. She has a friendly personality, though that often results in her failing to gather the shards of the Michimi Peach.

Mikako Komatsu (K, Nisekoi) as Kaguya

Kaguya is a mysterious mad scientist who came from the moon. She is the guardian of the shards of the Michimi Peach.

Asami Shimoda (The IDOLM@STER, Dragonar Academy) as Kushinada

Kushinada is an aide to the Celestial Maiden Squad. She is gentle and serious, though she has a fetish for sacrifices. As a result of that, she can freeze over the mood of a scene in an instant.

Masumi Asano (Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, Blood-C) as Sumeragi

Celestial Maiden Sumeragi is the leader of all of Heaven. She sends Momoko and her friends to search for the shards of Michimi Peach in order to stop the ogres from taking them.

Momo Kyun Sword will premiere this summer.