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Orient Anime Casts Yōko Hikasa, Reveals New Visual for 2nd Part
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
The AnimeJapan 2022 event revealed one more cast member and a visual on Saturday for the second cours (quarter of a year) of the television anime of Shinobu Ohtaka's Orient manga. The new anime will cover the "Awajishima Gekitō-hen" (Fierce Battle at Awaji Island Arc) of the original manga.
Yōko Hikasa is joining the cast as Kuroko Usami.
The second cours will premiere on TV Tokyo, BS TV Tokyo, and AT-X in July. The previously announced new cast members for the sequel include:
- Tomoaki Maeno as Tatsuomi Uesugi
- Natsuki Hanae as Naoe Kanetatsu
- Yoshiki Nakajima as Masaki Amakasu
- Kōki Uchiyama as Akihiro Shimazu
- Gakuto Kajiwara as Amako Katsumi
The first cours of the anime premiered in Japan on January 5. Crunchyroll streamed the anime, and is also streaming an English dub. The anime's 11th and 12th episodes aired on the TV Tokyo channel on Wednesday after an earthquake-delayed the 11th episode's scheduled airing.
Kodansha Comics is publishing the manga in English, and it describes the story:
At age 10, best friends Musashi and Kojiro sat in excited silence as Kojiro's father spun tales of evil demons who preyed on the innocent, and the warriors who defeated them. Practicing swordplay, the two swear an oath to become the strongest in the world. But as they grow up, Kojiro turns cynical, and Musashi comes to realize that he can't turn back 150 years of demon rule on his own. He's being called a prodigy with a pickaxe, and he's almost ready to settle for a life of labor. Yet he can't shake the feeling that he still has a responsibility to act…and, soon, the injustices of his world will force his hand…
Tetsuya Yanagisawa (Shattered Angels, High School DxD, Senran Kagura Shinovi Master) directed the anime at ACGT. Mariko Kunisawa (Ascendance of a Bookworm, Magimoji Rurumo, Hatsukoi Limited) was in charge of series scripts. Takahiro Kishida (Serial Experiments Lain, Baccano!, Haikyu!!) designed the characters. Hideyuki Fukasawa (Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, Flowers of Evil, Katsugeki: Touken Ranbu) composed the music. Da-iCE performed the opening theme song "Break Out," and Wataru Hatano performed the ending theme song "Naniiro."
Ohtaka (Magi) launched the manga in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in May 2018. The manga moved to Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in February 2021.
Sources: AnimeJapan 2022 event, press release
