Gurazeni
Summary
Natsunosuke Bonda lives and works in a highly stratified society where, above all else, performance determines salary and living conditions. For eight years now, he’s been working as a relief pitcher for the baseball team Tokyo Spiders. All things considered, he actually does pretty well for himself - to the tune of earning 18 million yen a year! Unfortunately, Natsunosuke is constantly reminded that all of his other teammates make significantly more than him. While he certainly isn’t alone in his pursuit, Natsunosuke strives to keep up his lifestyle and survive in a society that is more strict and unforgiving than most.
Background
Gurazeni was originally written by Yuuji Moritaka and illustrated by Keiji Adachi. First serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Morning, it has had a continuous run (along with two manga sequels titled Gurazeni: Tokyo Dome-hen and Gurazeni: Pa League-hen) since 2010 with 17 volumes in all. It also won the 37th Kodansha Manga Award for Best General Manga! While the story revolves around baseball, it separates itself from other sports series by delving into the compensation side of pro sports.
Broadcast Info
The series will be broadcast on SKY PerfecTV! and will use “Merigo feat. Sky-Hi” by Cypress Ueno to Robert Yoshino as the opening theme. It will premiere sometime in April 2018.
Characters
Natsunosuke Bonda (CV: Fukushi Ochiai)
The main protagonist of the series, Natsunosuke is a pro baseball player who is 26 years old and has been relief pitching for the Tokyo Spiders for 8 years. Not only does he have a unique left-handed throw that he’s known for, but he also makes 18 million yen a year! Despite his own success, he is always much more concerned with the salaries of his teammates, and strives for even more. Unlike some of his teammates, baseball is less of a passion and more of a means to an end.
Yuki (CV: M.A.O.)
As the main heroine, Yuki is a lovely young woman with a pretty smile who works as a showgirl at the dining hall Kitchen Ajihira.
Sakota (CV: Kenji Nomura)
Sakota serves as the bullpen coach for the Tokyo Spiders.
Kozato (CV: Ryuuzou Ishino)
Kozato serves as the pitching coach for the Tokyo Spiders.
Tokunaga (CV: Daisuke Namikawa)
Tokunaga is a senior and former pitcher for the Tokyo Spiders and is a source of advice for Natsunosuke.
Cast
Fukushi Ochiai: Natsunosuke Bonda
Notable Roles: Takeo Atsuta (All Out!!), Kyuuji Natsume (Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou)
M.A.O.: Yuki
Notable Roles: Fana (Black Clover), Enri Emmot (Overlord)
Issei Futamata: Tanabe
Notable Roles: Kiyoshi (Hunter x Hunter), Kensei Ma (Kenichi the Mightiest Disciple)
Kenji Nomura: Sakota
Notable Roles: Kairi Sisigou (Fate/Apocrypha), Mitsunori Kugayama (Genshiken)
Ryuuzou Ishino: Kozato
Notable Roles: Chousokabe Motochika (Sengoku Basara - Samurai King), Chang Wufei (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing)
Daisuke Namikawa: Tokunaga
Notable Roles: Ulquiorra Schiffer (Bleach), Rock (Black Lagoon)
Takanori Hoshino: Shibuya
Notable Roles: Nobuyuki Kai (Haikyu!!), Reiji Nitta (Space Brothers)
Hideo Matsutomo: Announcer Matsutomo
Known as a freelance announcer.
Staff
Director: Ayumu Watanabe (Mysterious Girlfriend X, Space Brothers)
Script: Hideo Takayashiki (Maison Ikkoku, One Pound Gospel)
Character Design: Kenichi Ohnuki (Gundam Build Fighters, Yotoden)
Music Director: Akifumi Tada (Final Fantasy: Unlimited, Skip Beat)
Animation Studio: Studio Deen (Bleach, Fate/stay night)