The official website for Night Head 2041, a new television anime based on the 1992 live-action Night Head drama series, unveiled its main promotional video and visual on Thursday. The website and the video reveal 20 more cast members, the opening theme song, and the July 14 premiere for the anime. The video previews the opening theme song “Icy Ivy” by Who-ya Extended.
The anime will premiere on Fuji TV’s [+Ultra] programming block on July 14 at 25:05 JST (effectively, July 15 at 1:05 a.m.), and subsequent episodes will air at 12:55 a.m. JST. The anime will stream on Fuji TV’s FOD service.The opening theme song’s single will debut on August 11.
The newly announced cast includes (Note: Name romanizations not confirmed):
Kazuyuki Okitsu as Michio Sonezaki
Lynn as Reika Mutо̄
Yasuhiro Mamiya as Daisuke Honda
Yōko Hikasa as Kimie Kobayashi
Reina Ueda as Yui Akiyama
Kaori Maeda as Shо̄ko Futami
Banjou Ginga as Kyōjirō Mikuriya
Tomoaki Maeno as Suguru Kakitani
Aya Endo as Miki Tachibana
Chikahiro Kobayashi as Mike Fujiki
Tomokazu Sugita as Kо̄ji Kazama
Saori Hayami as Emily Shinjо
̄Kousei Hirota as Losyukov
Tarusuke Shingaki as Victor
Hiroki Nanami as Naoto Kirihara (young)
Shizuka Ishigami as Naoya Kirihara (young)
Natsumi Fujiwara as Takuya Kuroki (young)
Makoto Koichi as Yūya Kuroki (young)
Mari Yokoo as Akiko Okuhara
Motomu Kiyokawa as Elder Misaki
The anime stars:
Daisuke Ono as the older brother Naoto Kirihara
Nobunaga Shimazaki as the younger brother Naoya Kirihara
Takahiro Sakurai as the older brother Takuya Kuroki
Kensho Ono as the younger brother Yūya Kuroki
Etsushi Toyokawa and Shinji Takeda played the Kirihara brothers in the original live-action series, and Toshiyuki Morikawa and Akira Ishida played the brothers in the 2006 anime Night Head Genesis.
The original live-action series centers around two psychic brothers, Naoto and Naoya Kirihara, who are on the run because they are persecuted by the world. The new anime introduces a new pair of brothers, Takuya and Yūya Kuroki, who are part of the National Security Force and are tracking down the Kirihara brothers.
George Iida, the director of the original live-action Night Head drama, is writing the new anime. Takamitsu Hirakawa (Etotama, revisions) is directing the anime at Shirogumi. Oh! great (or Ito Ogure, original creator of Air Gear, Tenjo Tenge, artist for Bakemonogatari manga) is designing the characters, Kenichiro Tomiyasu (INEI) is drawing the concept art, and Yutaka Yamada (Tokyo Ghoul) is composing the music. Slow Curve is in charge of planning and production.
The live-action Night Head television drama aired from 1992 to 1993. The series inspired the 24-episode Night Head Genesis anime series in 2006, which also had a manga adaptation in 2007. Media Blasters released the anime, and Del Rey published the manga.
The new anime is getting a manga, novel, and a stage play adaptation. The manga launched on April 28 on Kodansha’s YanMaga Web website. Rookie manga creator Kei Ogawa is drawing the manga. The manga’s first compiled book volume will launch on August 6. Night Head live-action series screenwriter George Iida is penning the novel in collaboration with Kawato Azusa. The novel’s first volume will debut on August 12, and the second volume will launch on September 15.
Sources: Night Head 2041 anime’s website, Comic Natalie
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