Shabake anime reveals 2025 release window and more in PV

Modified Nov 28, 2024 22:07 GMT

Shabake anime reveals 2025 release window and more in PV (Image via BN Pictures)

Monday, November 25, 2024, saw Aniplex announce the Shabake anime series via the release of a promotional video and key visual, also confirming its 2025 release window. This initial announcement also revealed some cast and staff members for the series, with more likely to be announced in the coming weeks and months.

The Shabake anime series will serve as the television anime adaptation of author Megumi Hatakenaka and illustrator Yu Shibata’s original novel series of the same name. The novel series is still ongoing today, having released 23 volumes since December 2001, all of which have been published in Shinchosha’s Shosetsu Shincho Yom Yom magazine.

Shabake anime announces the voice actor of My Hero Academia’s Izuku “Deku” Midoriya as first cast member

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As mentioned above, the Shabake anime also revealed some cast and staff members. The first cast member announced is Daiki Yamashita as protagonist Ichitaro. Yamashita is best known as the voice of My Hero Academia’s Izuku “Deku” Midoriya, Demon Slayer’s Yushiro, and Yowamushi Pedal’s Sakamichi Onoda. The promotional video previews Yamashita’s performance as Ichitaro in its final moments.

No other cast members were announced in this initial batch of information. Takahiro Okawa is directing the anime series at BN Pictures, with Touko Machida overseeing the series scripts. Akari Minagawa is designing the characters, with Rei Ishizuka composing the music for the series. No other staff members were revealed in the production news but should be announced in the coming weeks and months.

The novels’ story is set in Edo, centering on the sickly but gentle and kind young man Ichitaro, as well as the mysterious spirit that watches over him. This spirit can be seen on Ichitaro’s shoulder in the key visual, having the appearance of a cat-like form. Two other characters are seen behind Ichitaro, who are presumably Nikichi and Sasuke whom Ichitaro greets in the final scenes of the trailer.

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As mentioned above, the Shabake anime will adapt Hatakenaka and Shibata’s original novels of the same name, which debuted in 2001 and are still ongoing today in the form of numerous sequels. In addition to the coming television anime adaptation, the series was also adapted into an original net animation (ONA) which streamed in July 2021. However, this net anime had a different cast and staff than the upcoming television adaptation will have.

The series has also inspired several other different adaptations, including two live-action television series, radio plays, stage plays, stage musicals, picture books, and a manga adaptation. The manga adaptation is illustrated by Mimori and was published in Shinchosa’s Monthly Comic Bunch seinen magazine under the Bunch Comics imprint. The manga ran from January 2017 to March 2023 and was collected into four total compilation volumes.