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'How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?' Anime Unveils More Cast, Song Info, July 3 Debut

The official website for the television anime of Yabako Sandrovich and MAAM's How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? (Dumbbell Nan-Kilo Moteru? or How much heavy dumbbells can you lift?) manga announced on Monday another cast member, information about the theme songs, and the July 3 premiere. The website also posted a new key visual:

Kaito Ishikawa plays Naruzō Machio, a trainer at the Silver Man Gym that Hibiki and the others frequent. He is a pleasant, handsome man in his mid-20s. He studied abroad to learn sports science, so he is well-informed about the human body and training.

The series will premiere on July 3 at 10:30 p.m. on the AT-X channel, and it will then run on Tokyo MX, KBS Kyoto, Sun TV, and other stations.

Ai Fairouz and Kaito Ishikawa are singing the opening theme song "Onegai Muscle" as their characters Hibiki Sakura and Naruzō Machio, respectively. Ishikawa is also singing the ending theme song "Macho A Name?" as Naruzō Machio. The CD single with both songs and their instrumental versions will go on sale on July 24.

The previously announced cast includes:

Ai Fairouz as Hibiki Sakura

Sora Amamiya as Akemi Sōryūin

Shizuka Ishigami as Ayaka Uehara

Nao Tōyama as Zina Void

Yui Horie as Satomi Tachibana

Additionally, Tesshō Genda will narrate the series.

The "body-building comedy" centers around Hibiki, a high school girl who loves eating, and Akemi, the beautiful and charismatic student council president who has a muscle fetish. The staff describes the story:

"Hibiki … Are you fat again?"

A friend's cruel words which cut like a knife into the heart of Hibiki Sakura, a high school girl who loves to eat. Hibiki decided to go on a diet to be absolutely thin by summer vacation, but she cannot keep exercising right alone. That's when Hibiki found herself before a training gym! Upon joining the gym, Hibiki meets her beautiful and charismatic student council president Akemi Sōryūin and steps into the intense yet enjoyable world of weight-training.

Mitsue Yamazaki (Tada Never Falls in Love, Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun) is directing the anime at Doga Kobo and Fumihiko Shimo (New Game!) is in charge of the series scripts. Ai Kikuchi (New Game!) is designing the characters. Silver Man Gym is presenting the project.

Sandrovich and MAAM, a relatively new manga artist, launched the manga on Shogakukan's web manga site Ura Sunday and on Shogakukan's Manga ONE app in 2016. Shogakukan published the sixth volume in January. Seven Seas Entertainment will publish the first manga volume in English on November 19.

Sandrovich's Kengan Ashura manga also inspired a television anime.

Sources: How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? anime's website, MoCa News

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