It has been announced that "Iwamoto Senpai no Susumei," a TV anime based on the manga by Hiroshi Shiibashi, known for works such as "Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan," will begin airing on TOKYO MX and Sun TV from July 4th. Additional cast members have also been announced, with Gen Sato playing Sasagane Ryuu, a second-year student at Seihou Junior High School, and Shinnosuke Tokutome playing Awamitama Mizuka, a first-year student at Seihou Junior High School. It was also announced that the dance and vocal group "THE JET BOY BANGERZ" will perform the opening theme (OP) "BUDDING," and the vocal and rap group "WOLF HOWL HARMONY" will perform the ending theme (ED) "Koko ni Iru."
Sato, who plays Sasame Ryuu, a character who is always carrying an umbrella, commented, "This work is somewhat of a mystery, but through the characters, you can feel the Meiji and Taisho eras, a time when values similar to those of today were beginning to emerge. Sasame is a gentle and refined character, but he is also a very loyal person who sincerely wants to help his senior, Iwamoto, to whom he feels indebted. In order to bring out his charm as much as possible, I challenged myself with a new approach that I had never taken before. I'm sure that by the time you finish watching this work, you will think of him every time it rains. Please enjoy 'Iwamoto-senpai's Recommendation' to the very end!"
Tokutome, who plays Tankon Mizuka, a character who deeply loves Japanese dolls, said, "I really love the mysterious, beautiful, and somewhat enigmatic worldview of this work drawn by Shiibashi Hiroshi, so I'm very happy to be involved. Tankon has his own unique laid-back side, but he's a wonderful boy who cherishes the things he loves, and I've grown to love him as I play him. Of course, there are many other fascinating characters besides Tankon, so please look forward to it!"
THE JET BOY BANGERZ commented, "The series is set in 1910s Japan, and features a unique world where the protagonist, Iwamoto, helps solve supernatural phenomena and encounters with people with supernatural abilities, while also growing alongside his classmates as a senior at school. The beautiful artwork is also one of the series' charms, and we are honored to be involved in this project through our music. We put our hearts into creating this song so that the charm of the series can reach everyone. We would be delighted if you would listen to our song along with the series."
WOLF HOWL HARMONY commented, "While reflecting on the fluctuating emotions of the characters depicted in the work, their process of accepting themselves, and the warmth of Iwamoto-senpai, we thought about how we could resonate with this story and poured our feelings into the song. We would be happy if playing this song as the ending theme could leave a lasting impression of the story and perhaps even offer some new insights. We hope you will enjoy the song 'Koko ni Iru' along with the work until the very end."
"Iwamoto-senpai no Susumei" is a manga currently serialized in the manga magazine "Ultra Jump" (Shueisha), set in 1910s Japan, and is a romantic fantasy depicting the human drama of Iwamoto Kodou, who attends Seihou Middle School, directly under the army, and other people with supernatural abilities.
In the anime, Taito Ban will voice the protagonist, Kodou Iwamoto, Yuki Sakakibara will voice Iwamoto's cute junior, Kai Haramachi, and Kento Ito will voice another junior, Soichiro Amaba. Toshifumi Kawase will direct, Keiichiro Ochi will handle series composition, and Atsuko Nakajima will be in charge of character design. Studio Deen will produce the anime.
◇Cast (titles omitted)
Kodō Iwamoto: Taito Ban; Kai Haramachi: Yuki Sakakibara; Sōichirō Amaba: Kento Itō; Jōji Tachibana: Akira Ishida; Yūji Ōku: Masaya Fukunishi; Shizuma Aonuma: Takuma Nagatsuka; Ryūu Sasaki: Gen Sato; Mizuka Tankon: Shinnosuke Tokutome
