Alt-audience anime programming block Noitamina is living up to its raison d'être this spring with a Tatsunoko produced adaptation of Taiyo Matsumoto's Ping Pong. The latest on this anything but typical anime production is that newcomer Fukujūrō Katayama has been cast by audition to join Kouki Uchiyama (Hunter x Hunter's Meruem, Blast of Tempest's Yoshino Takigawa, Soul Eater's Soul) as the leads in the series.
Acclaimed animator/director Masaaki Yuasa (Kick-Heart, Tatami Galaxy) will be returning to TV for this adaptation of Taiyo Matsumoto's (TekkonKinkreet) Ping Pong. The 1996, five-volume Big Comic Spirits manga follows long time friends and ping pong players, cold Smile and flamboyant Peko.
The new commercial focuses on the former...
Principal cast includes...
Yutaka Hoshino (Peco) - Fukujūrō Katayama
Makoto Tsukimoto (Smile) - Kouki Uchiyama
Ryūichi Kazama (Dragon) - Shunsuke Sakuya
Manabu Sakuma (Akuma) - Subaru Kimura
Kong Wenge (China) - Yousei Bun
Obaba - Masako Nozawa
Jō Koizumi - Yūsaku Yara
Staff:
Original: Taiyo Matsumoto (originally published in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits)
Director: Masaaki Yuasa
Character Designer: Nobutake Ito
Music: Kensuke Ushio
Color esign: Kunio Tsujida
Art Director: Kevin Aymeric
Director of Photography: Shunsuke Nakamura
Editing: Kashiko Kimura
Sound Director: Eriko Kimura
Production: Tatsunoko
It was previously adapted into 2002 live action movie by Fumihiko Sori (Vexille, To, Dragon Age). The film, nominated for eight Japanese Academy Awards, was released in North America by Viz.
via ikari_gendo and Natalie
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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at@aicnanime.
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