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Yowamushi Pedal New Generation Anime Gets 'Love Hime' In-Story Anime Short

The staff of the Yowamushi Pedal New Generation anime revealed on Thursday that the anime's 23rd episode, "Sakamichi, Tsuigeki" (Sakamichi in Pursuit) will feature an anime short in the episode's C-part (third act). The short will air the anime-within-an-anime "Love Hime Pettanko." Yukari Tamura will reprise her role as the anime's protagonist Kotori Himeno, and Junichi Suwabe will also return to play the sheep butler Mage. the short will introduce a new character named Kōtarō-kun, voiced by Yūki Kaji. The episode will air on Monday.

The episode will introduce a new "theme song" for the "second season" of the in-story anime, with Yowamushi Pedal protagonist Sakamichi Onoda singing the song. The new theme song's title is "Hime no Kurukuru Kataomoi" (Hime's Rotating Crush). Wataru Watanabe, the creator of the original Yowamushi Pedal manga, wrote the lyrics to the song.

The in-story anime "Love Hime" and its main character Kotori Himeno have appeared in the show before in short segments. Within the story of the Yowamushi Pedal anime, "Love Hime" is Onoda's favorite anime. The anime previously portrayed Onoda singing the "Love Hime" anime's "first season" theme song, "Koi no Himehime Pettanko."

The limited first pressing of the anime's ninth Blu-ray Disc/DVD volume will ship in Japan on December 13 with a CD for the new "Hime no Kurukuru Kataomoi" theme song, as well as exclusive art.

The series premiered in Japan on January 9. Crunchyroll is streaming the series as it airs in Japan. The series is listed with 25 episodes.

The story of the original Yowamushi Pedal manga centers around Sakamichi Onoda, an otaku at Sōhoku High School. He loves anime and games so much, that he would ride his commuter bicycle to and from Tokyo's Akihabara shopping district in a 90-kilometer (about 60-mile) round trip over steep slopes after school. Onoda's life changes when he encounters his school's cycling team, and he ends up joining the competitive sport of bicycle racing.

The story of the third season is set after the previous two seasons and the August 2015 film, and after the previous third-year students have graduated.

Osamu Nabeshima is returning to direct the series and Kurasumi Sunayama (Bakuon!!), who worked on scripts for the first two seasons, is taking over series composition. Yukiko Ban (Yowamushi Pedal movie) is designing the characters and Hiroyuki Horiuchi is designing the bikes. Kan Sawada is returning to compose the music. TMS Entertainment is again producing the animation. Takaaki Natsushiro is performing the opening theme song "Cadence," and singer-songwriter Saeki YouthK (Yūsuke Saeki) is performing the ending theme song "Now or Never."

Source: Comic Natalie