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1996-2004 KochiKame Anime's Cast Returns For 40th Anniversary TV Anime

Fuji TV and ADK revealed the main cast, staff, and visual for the new 40th anniversary television anime adaptation of Osamu Akimoto's Kochira Katsushika-ku Kamearikouen-mae Hashutsujo ("Kochikame") police comedy manga on Monday.

The anime's staff has not yet revealed if the new work will be a series or a special. The new project will air this year.

The cast of LaSalle Ishii, Yumi Morio, Mitsuru Miyamoto, and Haruki Sayama will reprise their roles from the 1996-2004 television anime as Kankichi Ryotsu, Reiko Akimoto, Keiichi Nakagawa, and Daijiro Ohara, respectively.

Akira Shigeno will once again direct the anime at Studio Gallop. Takashi Yamada will pen the script. Makoto Seino from Fuji TV is credited for planning. Tomoko Takahashi from ADK is credited as producer.

The manga centers on the crazy adventures of middle-aged policeman Kankichi Ryōtsu. Akimoto debuted Kochira Katsushika-ku Kamearikouen-mae Hashutsujo in 1976, and it has become Weekly Shonen Jump's longest-running manga series. Shueisha published the 199th compiled book volume on June 3. The manga has more than 156.5 million copies in print.

The manga is also getting a new stage play adaptation for the manga's 40th anniversary. Lazar Ishii, who played Kankichi Ryōtsu in the previous anime adaptations, and in earlier stage play adaptations, will star in the play. The play will run from September 9-19 at Tokyo's AiiA 2.5 Theater Tokyo, and from September 23-25 at Osaka's Sankei Hall Breeze.

The original manga inspired an anime special in 1985 and then various other anime specials that aired between 2005-2008. In addition to the specials, the manga has also inspired a 1996-2004 television anime adaptation, two anime compilation films in 1999 and 2003, live-action films in 1977 and 2011, and a live-action drama adaptation in 2009.

Source: The Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web, Comic Natalie