It has been announced that Aki Toyosaki and Mafia Kajita will be appearing as voice actors in the TV anime "Dekin no Mogura," based on the manga by Aki Toyosaki Eguchi, who is also known for the popular manga "Hoozuki no Reitetsu." Toyosaki will play Maggie, a spirit of a red panda that haunts the 100-yen shop where Aki Makiguri works part-time, and Mafia Kajita will play Sukekiyo, the manager of the 100-yen shop, who is characterized by his shaved head and deep bags under his eyes.
The theme song artists were also announced, with singer-songwriter syudou performing the opening theme "Kamiyori" and artist Shiino Mirin performing the ending theme "Kanso feat. Aile The Shota." "Kamiyori" can be heard in the second PV released on YouTube.
Toyosaki, who plays Maggie, said, "It was the first time in my life that I was given a very catchy and thrilling role as the spirit of a red panda. Maggie himself has a very cute appearance, but rather than trying to act in a fancy way, I focused on making the voice more realistic. Despite being a ghost, Maggie is very timid. He scares people with all his might and intimidates them. I hope you'll look forward to it."
Mafia Kajita, who plays Sukekiyo, commented, "I'm not a full-time actor, but Eguchi-sensei personally nominated me to play Sukekiyo. When he heard my voice on the radio, he thought that I was the perfect fit for the image of Sukekiyo, so I kept that in mind as I prepared for the role and began dubbing. In fact, I had read the original work before I received the offer, and Sukekiyo was such a memorable character that I was happy, but I also felt a lot of pressure to act in a way that would bring out his unique style of losing his temper."
Syudou said, "I read 'Hoozuki no Reitetsu' when I was a student, so I am truly honored to be involved in Eguchi Natsumi's work this time. ' The Dekin no Mogura' features a variety of characters, but I felt that all of them were living their lives struggling to be happy. I live my life the same way every day. Their appearance may seem ugly at times, but I also feel that it is very human and beautiful. 'Pray to God' was written based on the theme of that desire for happiness that we all have. I sincerely pray that this song and ' The Dekin no Mogura' reach many people."
Mirin Shiino said, "I consider myself to be someone who has enjoyed a relatively large amount of animation, and my favorite of his is his previous work, 'Hoozuki no Reitetsu'. So it's like a dream come true to be able to compose the ending theme for his new work, ' Dekin no Mogura'. This work is hilarious from the setup to the progression, but I think another appeal is that it goes beyond being a simple comedy; it gives you a sense of many important perspectives on living your life. I wondered what kind of music would be appropriate for the unique worldview of the work, and interpreted the philosophies scattered throughout it in my own way, and wrote the song 'Busan'. I worked with Aile The Shota, who has a great groove and vitality, and I think it was a great team work in packaging the song to fit the worldview. I hope this song will help bring ' Dekin no Mogura' to many people. I hope you will enjoy it."
It was also announced that an exhibition of original artwork by original author Eguchi, "Eguchi Natsumi 15th Anniversary Original Art Exhibition - Between This World and The Other World", will be held from August 22nd to September 7th at the event space SPACE7・8 on the 8th floor of Yurakucho Marui (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo).
"Dekin no Mogura" has been serialized in "Morning" (Kodansha) since April 2021. It is a bizarre comedy about the mysterious self-proclaimed sage Mole, also known as Hyakuan Momoyumi, who says he can't die because he's "banned" from the afterlife, and the people he meets. The anime is directed by Hiroshi Ishiodori and produced by Brain's Base. It will air on TOKYO MX and other stations from July 7.
◇Cast (titles omitted)
Mole (Hyakuan Momoyumi): Yuichi Nakamura ▽Makikuriaki: Genki Taiga▽Yaeko Kirihara: Yukiyo Fujii▽Shio Inukai: Akane Fujita▽Kyōshirō Nekotsuke: Ayumu Murase ▽Kyōko Nekotsuke: Atsumi Tanezaki▽Maggie-kun: Atsumi Tanezaki Aki Toyosaki ▽Sukekiyo: Mafia Kajita
