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Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san Anime Reveals Cast, Staff, 12-Part Run, February 25 Debut (Updated)

NHK World Japan, the international service of Japan's public broadcaster NHK, announced the main cast, staff, 12-part length, and February 25 premiere for the anime of Aiko Koyama's Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san (Makanai in the Maiko Lodge) manga on Wednesday.

The cast members are:

• Kana Hanazawa as Kiyo, a 16-year-old girl who works as a live-in cook at the Maiko House in the Kagai, Kyoto's Geiko and maiko district
• MAO as Sumire, as Kiyo's childhood friend. Together they came to Kyoto from Aomori to become maiko.
• Minami Takayama as Kenta, Kiyo and Sumire's childhood friend attending high School Back in Aomori
• Satsumi Matsuda as Tsurukoma, a senior maiko who lives in the Maiko House
• Kaoru Katakai as Okaa-san, the head of the Maiko House who runs the House and leads the maiko.
• Rikiya Koyama as Onii-san, the Otokoshi, a male professional helper who comes to the Maiko House to assist the maiko in putting on their kimono

The series will premiere on NHK World Japan on February 25, and then it will air in Japan on NHK's E-tele channel this fall.

Youhei Suzuki (UQ Holder!) is directing the anime at J.C. Staff, and Susumu Yamakawa (Back Street Girls: Gokudols, The Way of the Househusband anime) is in charge of the series scripts. Go Sakabe (Digimon Adventure tri., Date A Live) is composing the music.

NHK World Japan is streaming a new one-minute promotional video with English subtitles and narration. NHK World Japan streams some of its programs with English subtitles worldwide.

The manga's story is set in Kyoto's "hanamachi" geisha quarter. Here, after geisha finish their work late at night, they spend the night resting at a lodge to prepare for the next day. The story centers on Kiyo, an Aomori native who works as a cook in a geisha lodge in Kyoto after finishing junior high school and leaving home. She also has a friend named Sumire who is a maiko, or apprentice geisha.

Koyama launched the manga in Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine in December 2016. Shogakukan published the manga's 14th compiled book volume on July 10.

The manga won the Best Shōnen Manga award in the 65th Shogakukan Manga Awards in January.

Update: NHK World is streaming an English-narrated trailer for the anime on its website.

Source: Manichi Shimbun's Mantan Web