It has been announced that the TV anime "Tetsunabe no Jan!", based on the manga by Saijo Shinji that was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Champion" (Akita Shoten), will be broadcast on TV Tokyo and other networks in 2006. Toya Kikunosuke will voice the main character, Akiyama Jan. Hasegawa Ikumi will play the heroine, Gobancho Kiriko, and Amasaki Kohei will play Okonogi Takao, Jean's only understanding friend, with Tsuda Kenjiro providing the narration. A teaser visual depicting a dynamic Jean has also been released.
To recreate the fascinating Chinese cuisine, Takako Sato, who is active as a coordinator in the Chinese food industry, will be in charge of food supervision and coordination, and popular food researcher Naoya Higuchi will be in charge of cooking science supervision.
Toya commented, "Hey hey hey hey hey!!! I'm sure many of you are wondering whether this work can really be made into an anime, but it really is going to be made into an anime!!! Fans of the original work, don't worry. We'll be doing it exactly like the original. It'll be amazing. Just like Akiyama's cooking that Jean makes, this anime is full of surprises, skill and attention to detail!!! Please look forward to it being broadcast!!!"
Hasegawa said, "The voice actors have finally been announced! I'm really looking forward to more and more information being released from here. This film is exciting from start to finish, with a lively and exciting atmosphere, as if the cast members who were present at the dubbing studio were constantly making comments! I can't wait to share this film with everyone as soon as possible! Don't miss it!"
Amazaki commented, "The role of Okonogi-kun was played by... Amazaki Kohei! This is a work that will surprise you, making you wonder exactly what parts of the manga will be animated!? But that's precisely why it is filled with so many fascinating scenes that can only be obtained by adapting it as is into an anime. Those who are familiar with the original work should look forward to it. And! For those who are discovering this work through the anime, it is a very interesting work, so please look forward to it! Everyone, please look forward to it!"
Sato, who supervised and coordinated the food, commented, "When I heard that the series was going to be made into an anime, it brought back the same excitement I felt in the 1990s when I was fascinated by the techniques and ingredients of Chinese cuisine. It also reminded me of Oyama Keiko, the original author who supervised the series and with whom I often sat around a round table. So, to recreate the dishes in the story, I asked mainly Chinese chefs who are friends with Oyama Keiko and were avid readers of the manga at the time. We captured on video the way professionals at the forefront handle the iron pots and their finger movements, and portrayed that passion in the anime. Now that 30 years have passed and a wide variety of Chinese cuisine is enjoyed in Japan, I would be happy if this work can serve as an opportunity to once again convey the profound appeal of Chinese cuisine."
Culinary science supervisor Higuchi said, "The original Iron Pot Jean features French cooking techniques and incorporates Japanese ingredients into Chinese cuisine, giving a sense of the energy of the Chinese culinary world in the 1990s. I was amazed at the foresight of incorporating culinary science descriptions when it was serialized, and I think that's one of the reasons why this work remains relevant today. Now, 30 years later, I'm looking forward to seeing Jean and his friends' passionate cooking, which will breathe new life into, and the calm commentary that backs it up (my personal favorite character is Otani Hido)."
"Tetsunabe no Jan!" is a manga depicting an unprecedented cooking battle. The protagonist, Jan, who is willing to do anything for cooking and for victory, and the innocent heroine, Kiriko, whose heart is in cooking, unleash their magical, deadly weapon (cooking). The series was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Champion" from 1995 to 2000. The series has sold over 10 million copies in total.
This will be the first time the series has been adapted into an anime, and it will be directed by Ei Aoki, known for his work on a number of popular titles such as "Fate/Zero," "Aldnoah.Zero," and "The Garden of Sinners: The Movie," and produced by TROYCA, the studio behind "Aldnoah.Zero," "Overtake!" and "ATRI."
◇Staff and cast (titles omitted)
Director: Aoki Ei ▽ Series Composition: Uezu Makoto ▽ Character Design & Chief Animation Director: Matsumoto Masako ▽ Food Animation Directors: Okuda Jun, Hanamura Chihiro ▽ Action Animator: Makino Ryuichi ▽ Art Director: Naito Ken ▽ Color Design: Shinohara Mariko ▽ Director of Photography: Tsuda Ryosuke ▽ CG Director: Iguchi Mitsutaka ▽ Editing: Miyama Shota ▽ Food Supervision & Coordination: Sato Takako ▽ Cooking Science Supervision: Higuchi Naoya ▽ Music: Kikutani Tomoki ▽ Sound Director: Aketagawa Jin ▽ Sound Effects: Baba Masami ▽ Animation Production: TROYCA ▽ Production: "Tetsunabe no Jan!" Production Committee ▽ Cast: Toya Kikunosuke, Hasegawa Ikumi, Amasaki Kohei, Tsuda Kenjiro
