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Ai no Kusabi OVA's English-Dubbed Clip Reveals Main Cast

Media Blasters began streaming an English-dubbed clip on Tuesday from its upcoming dub of the 2012 original video anime (OVA) Ai no Kusabi. The video reveals the anime's December 19 release in HD on Blu-ray Disc, and the main dub cast featuring Todd Haberkorn as Iason Mink and Darren Mitchell as Riki.

The four-episode remake series adapts Rieko Yoshihara's boys-love novels. The anime studio AIC (Ah! My Goddess, Bamboo Blade), who previously animated the novels into two video volumes in 1992 and 1994, also animated the remake. AIC director Katsuhito Akiyama (Pumpkin Scissors, Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor) and character designer Naoyuki Onda (Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Blassreiter) reprised the same roles they performed in the 1992-1994 effort. Yoshihara herself supervised and wrote the scripts. Nobuyuki Abe (Haru wo Daiteita) of On-Lead directed the sound.

The story is set in the future on the planet named Amoi which is controlled by a supercomputer named Jupiter. Among the mostly male human population, the light-haired elite class is allowed to temporarily keep the dark-haired "mongrels" as pets. One elite member, Iason, encounters a mongrel named Riki in the slums and decides to take him in. However, Iason keeps Riki longer than it is socially approved, and rumors abound about their possible relationship.

Media Blasters released the OVA on English-subtitled DVD in 2013. Digital Manga Publishing published the eight-volume novel series in English.