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Animax Asia Airs Simulcast of Woodpecker Detective's Office Anime
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
Animax Asia announced last week that it will air a simulcast of the television anime of Kei Ii's Woodpecker Detective's Office (Kitsutsuki Tantei-Dokoro) mystery novel. The simulcast will begin on April 14 at 8:30 p.m. GMT +8, with new episodes every Tuesday.
The anime will premiere in Japan on April 13 on Tokyo MX, BS Fuji, and CS Family Gekijō.
The anime will star Shintarō Asanuma as Takuboku Ishikawa and Takahiro Sakurai as Kyōsuke Kindaichi. The cast also includes Kenjiro Tsuda as Kodo Nomura, Yukiya Hayashi as Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Sōma Saitō as Isamu Yoshii, Yuichiro Umehara as Sakutoro Hagiwara, Kenshō Ono as Taro Hirai, and Makoto Furukawa as Bokusui Wakayama. Hayato Furusawa was also previously announced, but his role has not yet been revealed. Hayashi and Furusawa won the second audition round for male voice actors for the Kimikoe Project in January.
Shinpei Ezaki (Monster Strike The Movie, Hanebad!, Gunslinger Stratos: The Animation) is chief director of the anime at LIDEN FILMS. Tomoe Makino (episode director for Tsuredure Children, Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū, Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto) is directing the series. LIDEN FILMS is also credited with production alongside Tôhoku Shinsha. Taku Kishimoto (91 Days, Silver Spoon, Haikyu!! three seasons) is overseeing the series scripts, and manga creator Kaoru Saki is credited with the original character designs. Shuichi Hara (Lost Song, Alice in the Country of Hearts: Wonderful Wonder World) is adapting those character designs for animation, and MONACA is composing the music. Youji Shimizu is the sound director.
Makoto Furukawa is performing the opening theme song "Honjitsu mo Makoto ni Seiten Nari" ("The Skies Are Clear Again Today"), and NOW ON AIR are performing the ending theme song "Gondola no Uta" (Gondola Song).
The novel's story is set in 1909 during Japan's Meiji era, and centers on fictional versions of real-life poet Takuboku Ishikawa and real-life linguist Kyōsuke Kindaichi, who were acquaintances in real life. In the novel, Takuboku runs a private detective agency to support his family. Both begin to investigate a case of supposed ghost appearances at the Asakusa Jūnikai building, also known as the Ryōunkai.
Kei Ii published the novel's first edition in the regular tankōbon format through Tokyo Sogensha in 1999. Tokyo Sogensha re-released the novel in the smaller bunko format in 2008.
