After roughly three years since its serialization, "Shikimori-san Isn't Just a Cutie" has finally been made into an anime. When it's decided that a series will be made into an anime, some of the questions that arise are: who will be the animation production company and who will be in charge of the illustrations? Who will be the voice actors for the main characters? And what kind of person is the author? There are probably many questions that people are curious about even before the anime starts. So, in this article, we'll introduce the basics of the anime, such as the original author, animation company, and voice actors! Do your homework and get ready for the anime to start in spring!
The author of "Shikimori-san Isn't Just a Cutie" is Maki Keigo
The author of this work is Maki Keigo. Many people may not be familiar with his name, and that's because he is. As of January 2022, he is a very young manga artist, only 24 years old. "Shikimori-san Isn't Just a Cutie" has been serialized since 2019, meaning he began drawing it at the age of 21. He also previously serialized "Jupiter Girl Ryuuseigun" in Magazine Pocket from 2017 to 2018, making this his second work. By the way, before becoming a manga artist, she aspired to be a counselor, but after three days, she gave up on the idea because it seemed like a difficult career and decided to pursue manga instead (lol).
The animation production company is Doga Kobo
The animation production for "Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie" is handled by the well-known Doga Kobo. They're responsible for many titles featuring "cute" characters, including "A Certain Scientific Railgun AA" and "Himouto! Umaru-chan," as well as "NEW AME!", "How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?", "An Angel Flew Down to Me," "My Maid is Too Annoying!", and "Yuru Yuri." Looking at the artwork for this intriguing work, it certainly exudes a cute atmosphere. As of January 2022, the details haven't been released, so it'll be interesting to see how the characters move.
Character Design by Ai Kikuchi
The character designer for "Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie" is Ai Kikuchi. She's also worked on character design and animation for several other Doga Kobo productions, including "NEW GAME!", "How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?", and "Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle." I think she's definitely skilled at designing cute characters.
Series composition by Yoshimi Narita
The scriptwriter in charge of the series composition for "Shikimori-san Isn't Just Cute" is Yoshimi Narita. Narita is a veteran writer who is also famous for writing the "Precure" and "Ojamajo Doremi" series. (Perhaps he was active before the reader was even born...?) The "Precure" series in particular is enjoyed by many adults as well as young children due to its quality, so it's very reassuring to know that this same scriptwriter is also in charge of this series.
Which station are you interested in broadcasting?
The TV anime adaptation of "Shikimori-san: Not Just a Cutie" was announced quite early, over a year ago. However, as of January 2022, three months until the broadcast begins, the broadcasting station and broadcast time have not yet been announced. Information on voice actors has only been released for the two main characters, so we are currently awaiting additional information.
Shikimori-san's voice actor is Saori Onishi!
The voice actress who plays the heroine of this work, Shikimori, is Saori Onishi. She's a well-known voice actress who needs no introduction. Some of her notable works include Ais Wallenstein in "Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?", Kuro in "Restaurant to Another World," which aired at the end of 2021, and Kaori Shirasaki in "Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest," which, like this work, is getting a sequel. She also voiced Mejiro McQueen in "Uma Musume Pretty Derby," arguably the most popular show of last year. Additionally, even before the anime adaptation was announced, Saori Hayami played Shikimori in a promotional video released in 2019 to commemorate the series' 250,000 copies sold and the release of the second volume. While Hayami's Shikimori character isn't featured in the TV anime, there's a promotional video available on YouTube, so if you're interested, check it out. This Shikimori character also has a perfect voice, making it hard to choose between them.
Izumi-kun is played by Shuichiro Umeda
The other main character, Izumi-kun, is played by Shuichiro Umeda. This name is probably new to many of you. Umeda began his voice acting career in 2018, and until 2021 had only played mob characters, with almost no named characters. This will be his first lead role as Izumi. He has also been confirmed to play a main character in "The Dawn of the Witch," which will begin airing around the same time as this work (April 2022), making him a voice actor with promising future prospects. In the aforementioned PV produced to commemorate the 250,000 copies sold and the release of Volume 2, Yamashita Daiki voices Izumi. He is the voice actor behind the voices of Narancia in "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 5," Izuku Midoriya, the protagonist of "My Hero Academia," and Yushiro in "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba." I listened to both and compared them, and it's hard to choose between them, so I definitely recommend checking out the PV.
Monthly Memory Voice Drama Now Available on YouTube
Currently, YouTube is releasing the "Monthly Memory Voice Drama," a monthly special project leading up to the anime adaptation, featuring original scripts and illustrations. This voice drama features two voice actors who also voice the anime, giving you a sneak peek into the anime's atmosphere. It began airing in October, and as of January, four episodes have been released, so be sure to give it a watch.
Summary of "Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie"'s Author, Production Company, and More
So far, we've introduced the author, production company, and voice actors of "Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie." What did you think? The anime adaptation was announced fairly early on, but I'm sure many people, including myself, are anxiously awaiting the lack of detailed information (lol). There are still many things I'm curious about, but I'm looking forward to the information being released as soon as possible.
