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Sentai Filmworks Licenses Onipan! Anime
posted on by Alex Mateo
Sentai Filmworks announced on Thursday that it has licensed the original television anime Onipan! worldwide excluding Asia. HIDIVE will exclusively stream the anime for the spring 2022 season. Sentai Filmworks will release the series on home video.
The anime will premiere in April, and stars:
- Former Sakura Gakuin member Yume Nozaki as the curious red oni Tsutsuji (Japanese for "azalea")
- Ciao Girl 2019 contest winner Mika Negishi as the mischievous yellow oni Himawari ("sunflower")
- Former Sakura Gakuin member Kokona Nonaka as the seemingly aloof yet slovenly Tsuyukusa ("dayflower")
- Kaori Maeda as Momozono-Momo
- Miyu Tomita as Issun-Bōko
- Kikuko Inoue as Kuma
Set in a world where Japanese oni (demons) and humans coexist, "the story of love, friendship, and underpants" follows three oni girls who transfer to a Tokyo middle school. They strive to improve the misconstrued image of oni with the help of a key item with hidden powers — oni underpants, or onipan. Momozono-Momo and Issun-Bōko are teased as the children of the well-known Japanese folklore characters Momotarō and Issun-Bōshi, respectively.
The anime comes from AAO Project, a joint initiative by AOI Pro., Amuse, and Origamix Partners, to develop and produce original intellectual property. Norihiro Naganuma, the director and head writer of The Ancient Magus' Bride anime, devised the original story concept with Wit Studio and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions as the collective Onipan! Project. tomari (My Friend's Little Sister Has It In for Me!) drafted the original onikko (demon girl) designs.
Masahiko Ohta (Yuruyuri) is directing the anime at Wit Studio with assistant director Jun'ichirō Hashiguchi, and Takashi Aoshima (Yuruyuri - Happy Go Lily, Mitsudomoe, Himouto! Umaruchan) is in charge of the series scripts. Ryuuta Yanagi (Sword Art Online monster design) is serving as character designer and chief animation director, and Yasuhiro Misawa (Yuruyuri - Happy Go Lily, Mitsudomoe, Minami-ke) is composing the music.
The anime's stars Yume Nozaki, Mika Negishi, and Kokona Nonaka are forming a new musical unit named "Onipanzu!," and they will perform the show's theme song "Onipapapan! Pan!."
Source: Sentai Filmworks
