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SHAFT's March comes in like a lion Anime Reveals Main Staff

This year's seventh issue of Hakusensha's Young Animal magazine revealed the staff of the television anime of Chika Umino's March comes in like a lion (Sangatsu no Lion) manga on Friday. An earlier issue already revealed that Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Bakemonogatari director Akiyuki Simbo is directing the anime at SHAFT.

The issue also revealed the anime's new key visual:

Nobuhiro Sugiyama (ef: a tale of memories, Arakawa Under the Bridge, Nisekoi - False Love) is designing the characters for animation. Seiki Tamura (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, K-ON!, Mr. Osomatsu) is credited for art direction, while Yasuhiro Nakura (Nekomonogatari (Black), Monogatari Series Second Season, Hanamonogatari key animation) is credited for art setting. Yukari Hashimoto (Toradora!, Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, Mr. Osomatsu) is composing the music, while Toshiki Kameyama (Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, Nisekoi - False Love, KanColle) is the sound director.

The story of the March comes in like a lion manga follows a solitary shōgi player named Rei and his relationships with a neighboring family. He becomes acquainted with Akari, and two young girls, Hinata and Momo, who also have have a large number of cats.

Umino started the series in Young Animal in 2007, and Hakusensha released the 11th compiled volume last September. The series has won several awards including the Manga Taisho award and Kodansha Manga award in 2011. The manga also won the 18th Tezuka Osamu Prizes' Top Award in March 2014.

Umino also drew the Honey and Clover manga that inspired two television anime series and a live-action film. She later drafted the original character designs for the Eden of the East anime.

The manga is also inspiring two live-action films starring Ryunosuke Kamiki in the lead role, and Keishi Ōtomo directing. The films will open in Japan in 2017.

Key visual via Comic Natalie