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Live-Action TV Series Anpan Reveals Additional Cast, Staff, March 31 Premiere

NHK revealed on Monday the additional cast, staff, and March 31 premiere of Anpan, the newest entry in its six-decade-long Renzoku Terebi Shōsetsu (Serialized TV Novel, also known as "Asadora" or Morning Drama) franchise. The series will air for 26 weeks, for a total of 130 episodes.

NHK also revealed the series' "poster visual" featuring the protagonist Nobu Asada:

Japanese television announcer Risa Hayashida will be the series' narrator.

Akio Izutsu (Akuma Kun, Phi-Brain - Puzzle of God anime series) is composing the music.

The new live-action weekday morning series is inspired by the life story of Anpanman manga creator Takashi Yanase and his wife Nobuo Komatsu. The series will follow the childhood of Takashi and Nobu, and follow them through the creation of Anpanman.

The series will star Takumi Kitamura as Takashi Yanai and Mio Imada as Nobu Asada.

Previously announced cast are:

• Ryo Kase as Yūtarō Asada
• Noriko Eguchi as Hatako Asada
• Yūmi Kawai as Ranko Asada
• Nanoka Hara as Meiko Asada
• Kōtarō Yoshida as Kamaji Asada
• Miyoko Asada as Kura Asada
• Kanata Hosoda as Gō Hara
• Nanako Matsushima as Tomoko Yanai
• Kazunari Ninomiya as Kiyoshi Yanai
• Motoki Nakazawa as Chihiro Yanai
• Himari Hitomi as Shin Uto
• Naho Toda as Chiyoko Yanai
• Yutaka Takenouchi as Hiroshi Yanai
• Fumiya Takahashi as Kentarō Karashima
• Sara Shida as Usako Ogawa
• Sonim as Mimi Yamashita
• Kumi Takiuchi as Yukiko Kuroi
• Kōichi Yamadera as Haruto Zama

Miho Nakazono will be the scriptwriter for the series, and Ken Kurasaki is the chief producer.

Froebel-kan Co., Ltd. previously produced a television biographical anime special about Yanase in February 2019 titled Yūki no Hana ga Hiraku Toki: Yanase Takashi to Anpanman no Monogatari (When the Flower of Courage Blooms - The Story of Takashi Yanase and Anpanman), based on Kumiko Kakehashi's novel of the same name.

Yanase was best known for his Soreike! Anpanman manga, which inspired a television anime that has been ongoing since 1988. The manga has also inspired 35 anime films to date. Soreike! Anpanman: Baikinman to Ehon no Lulun, the 35th film, opened in Japan in June 2024. The character is well-known not only in Japan, but also overseas. Yanase died on October 13, 2013.

The Renzoku TV Shōsetsu franchise previously aired the Natsuzora story about the early Japanese animation industry from April to September 2019 for 156 episodes. The series is loosely based on the life of animator Reiko Okuyama. Each series in the franchise usually run for 15 minutes every weekday morning for half a year, for a total runtime of over 30 hours.

Sources: NHK, Cinema Today (清水一)