The official website for the Tonari no Yokai-san anime series made its debut on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, unveiling a treasure trove of information about the highly anticipated show. The main teaser video, featured on the website, not only showcased glimpses of the anime but also spilled the beans on the cast, staff, animation studio, and the eagerly awaited Spring 2024 premiere date.
This revelation comes more than a year after Amazon initially listed an anime adaptation linked to the manga’s fourth and final volume in March 2022. Subsequently, news about the anime had been scarce until the recent launch of the official website, shedding light on various aspects of the production.
Tonari no Yokai-san is an anime adaptation of the original manga by author and illustrator noho, which first captivated audiences when serialized on Twitter (now X) in 2018. The manga continued its journey on East Press’s Mato Grosso website after its initial social media debut in 2018.
Scheduled to grace Japanese screens in April 2024, Tonari no Yokai-san is in the capable hands of the animation powerhouse LIDEN FILMS.
As the official website unfolded, it presented a comprehensive overview of the production, omitting only details about the theme songs. Viewers were treated to a teaser trailer, a key visual, and a special illustration from the manga’s creator, Noho.
The anime’s cast boasts the talents of Asaki Yuikawa, Ryosuke Higa, and Yuuki Kaji, portraying the characters Mutsumi Sugimoto, Jirobo Enkazan, and Buchio Oishi, respectively. Mutsumi Sugimoto, also known as Mu-chan, is an inquisitive and lively human girl. Jirobo (Jiro) is a 500-year-old crow tengu creature tasked with watching over Mu-chan, while Buchio is a 20-year-old cat that unexpectedly transforms into a mythical Nekomata creature.
Aimi Yamauchi helms the direction of the anime at LIDEN FILMS studios, with Tomoko Konparu heading the series scripts and Shigemitsu Abe crafting the character designs. The stellar team includes Nobuhiro Ando in Prop Design, Kenta Tsuboi as Art Director, and Emiko Onodera as Color Key Artist. Additional credits go to Naho Hasegawa as Compositing Director of Photography, Avex Music Creative, and Blue Bird’s Nest in Music, with Daiki Hachimaki as Sound Director, and ABC Animation as Production.
Set in a quaint rural town, the series unfolds heartwarming and mysterious tales of yokai, humans, and gods coexisting in harmony. The manga, comprising four volumes, concluded its journey in Japan in April 2022. Additionally, a two-volume side story accompanies the main series, with the first side-story volume hitting Japanese shelves on August 18 of this year.
