It has been revealed that "Catch Me at the Ballpark!", a manga by Tatsuro Suga currently being serialized in the manga magazine Morning (Kodansha), will be adapted into a TV anime and aired in 2025. The comedy is set in a professional baseball stadium (ballpark), and is full of smiles and tears about love for the stadium. It was also announced that voice actress Fairouz Ai will play Ruriko, a rookie beer girl who works at Chiba Motorsun Stadium and has a girly appearance. Inomata Keiji will play Murata, a corporate slave salaryman who becomes Ruriko's first regular customer.
"Catch Me at the Ballpark!" is a manga that has been serialized in Morning since September 2020. Set in a professional baseball stadium, the human drama depicts the people involved, including players, spectators, beer girls, female announcers, security guards, and cheerleaders. Fourteen volumes of the manga have been released, and the latest volume, 15, will be released on November 21st.
Suga, the author of the original work, commented, "When I heard that the work would be adapted into an anime, I was so surprised that it felt like time had stopped. I was really happy. I think it's rare for a work to be set in an entire professional baseball stadium, but I'm sure people will enjoy this world bustling with many characters, including the beer girl Ruriko. I hope that both readers of the original work and those who have watched the anime can get excited together and make the best 'Ballpark' possible. Please look forward to the anime 'Catch Me at the Ballpark!'"
Fairouz, who voices Ruriko, said, "When I was a student, I admired the beer girls at baseball stadiums and there was a time when I wanted to try working part-time there, so I'm really happy to be able to experience what it's like to be a beer girl as a voice actor in this work! The characters are all very unique, and the story is easy to understand even for people who are new to baseball, so please look forward to it!" Inomata, who plays Murata, said, "In 'Catch Me at the Ballpark!,' the drama of various people, including spectators, stadium staff, and players, is depicted in a place called a 'stadium.' Also, through the story, you can learn about the work scenes of people working at the stadium, which is not usually seen, and I think it is an attractive work that is easy to read even for people who are not familiar with baseball. When I first saw Murata, my first impression was that he looked like a very tired person (laughs). I thought he was a quiet character, but he is a character that shows more emotions than I imagined, and he knows baseball so much that he keeps his own data. I myself like baseball, but I studied the terminology again. I tried my best to express Murata's love for baseball, and his flustered appearance when Ruriko teases him! I hope you will enjoy it!"
◇Staff (titles omitted)
Director: Junichi Kitamura▽Series composition: Shigeru Murakoshi▽Character design: Fumio Iida▽Studio: EMT Squared▽Music: Monaca
