TBS has begun streaming the prologue of its all-new flash animation series, "Mushibiyori: Everything Important in Life I've Learned from Insects," on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and X. The anime, produced in collaboration with KDDI, follows the story of a human named Hitoo who transfers to work at Insect Sweets, a confectionery company run by insects. Through his interactions with unique insects, including his trainer Arimura the ant, Kumoda the spider, Gokiburio the cockroach, Mimizui the earthworm, Kabutoyama the rhinoceros beetle, and Aburagi the aphid, Hitoo begins to realize and learn the "important things in life" that he had almost forgotten.
The series stars Kenta Kiritani as the protagonist Hitoo, Junya Enoki as his trainer Arimura, and Haruhito Hino as Kumoda, the head of the 3rd Sales Division, along with a stellar cast of voice actors including Daisuke Namikawa, Megumi Han Han, Taku Yashiro, and Tasuku Hatanaka. The first episode will be released on November 17th, with new episodes being released every Monday to Friday.
Kiritani commented, "Hito's character is someone who goes through a lot of hardships while working for a human company, and then decides to take the plunge and transfer to a company for insects, starting over from scratch. I'm trying not to act too carefree, but with a positive attitude as I try to act. Arimura, the senior worker ant, is also a lazy ant, one of the 20% who don't work, but there's actually a reason why he became that way, and all the pop characters who appear have their own distinct characteristics and personalities, so I hope people will enjoy those aspects as well."
"When I'm recording with the other voice actors, we often ad-lib each other and the conversations and groove that naturally arise during our interactions are very interesting, fresh and fun. Sometimes I'll go home and think, 'That was so funny,' and laugh my head off (laughs). There's some trivia about insects, some silly episodes, and some that are like sobering life lessons, so I think it's an anime that can be enjoyed by people of all ages! I hope you'll make it a small daily habit and join in on Hitoo's growth."
Enoki commented, "The role is of a fairly lazy worker ant, and I can be quite lazy myself, so I was able to get into character naturally. But even though he says it's a pain, he's very caring and will suddenly say something profound, so I hope I can also bring out that sense of seniority. More than anything, I was surprised by the depth of Kiritani's voice, who plays the lead role. This depth is different from the depth of a voice actor, and her unique depth matches Hitoo's slightly absent-minded side perfectly. What's more, when I ad-lib, she responds in a very versatile way, which makes the recording feel fresh and enjoyable for me. So I always try to keep an eye on Kiritani's facial expressions as she acts, and when I go into recording, I try to ride the atmosphere that Kiritani gives off."
"Actually, I tried acting like Kiritani-san on the set of another anime (laughs). When I did that, I made new discoveries, like, 'Oh, so that's what it's like,' so in that respect too, recording with Kiritani-san is a fun experience. I hope everyone will enjoy the atmosphere that can only be created in this kind of flash animation," he said.
