Story

New Game! follows the story of high school graduate Aoba Suzukaze as she enters the workforce and joins game company Eagle Jump, creators of her favorite game Fairies Story which inspired her when she was younger. She works in the character design department modeling and designing characters for their newest game, Fairies Story 3, along with a colorful cast of coworkers whom she becomes acquainted with throughout the series.

Characters

Aoba Suzukaze (CV: Yuki Takada)

• Birthdate: Feb. 2
• Height: 149 cm
• Sign: Aquarius
• Blood Type: O
• Likes: Rice crackers, Western-style houses, Japanese candy, Salisbury steak
• Dislikes: Spicy food, bitter food, working out
• Skill: Always positive and forward thinking
• Hometown: Tokyo

Main character Aoba is a rookie character designer at game company Eagle Jump, the creators of her favorite game, Fairies Story. She joins Eagle Jump after graduating high school and begins working on their newest game, Fairies Story 3. Because of her small stature and appearance, she is often mistaken for a middle school student to her annoyance. She wears a suit that she bought during her last year of high school in an effort to look more mature.

Ko Yagami (CV: Yoko Hikasa)

• Birthdate: Aug. 2
• Height: 164 cm
• Sign: Leo
• Blood Type: A
• Likes: Rin’s homemade cooking
• Dislikes: Crowds, loud places
• Skill: Can sleep anytime, anywhere
• Hometown: Tokyo

The lead character designer at Eagle Jump and someone whom Aoba looked up to as she worked on the original game that inspired her. She spends much of her time in the office, often working late and sleeping there overnight in her underwear. She has a laidback attitude but is still stern and a bit of a perfectionist. She is close friends with Rin.

Rin Toyama (CV: Ai Kayano)

• Birthdate: Dec. 3
• Height: 158 cm
• Sign: Sagittarius
• Blood Type: B
• Likes: Western food including pasta
• Dislikes: Giving directions
• Skills: Mathematical calculations, social disposition
• Hometown: Aichi Prefecture

The art director and head of the background department at Eagle Jump. Rin is close friends with Ko, but unlike her is organized and a bit shy.

Hifumi Takimoto (CV: Megumi Yamaguchi)

• Birthdate: Jan. 23
• Height: 162 cm
• Sign: Aquarius
• Blood Type: AB
• Likes: Rice, sake
• Dislikes: People
• Skills: Fast typing over messenger
• Hometown: Niigata Prefecture

A fellow character designer at Eagle Jump, Hifumi is extremely shy and finds it uncomfortable to interact face-to-face with her coworkers, choosing to instead communicate through the company’s computer messenger system. She has a pet hedgehog named Sojiro and secretly enjoys cosplaying.

Yun Iijima (CV: Ayumi Takeo)

• Birthdate: Dec. 6
• Height: 151 cm
• Sign: Sagittarius
• Blood Type: A
• Likes: Ramen
• Dislikes: Natto, working out
• Skills: Sewing, housework
• Hometown: Mie Prefecture

A fellow character designer at Eagle Jump, Yun handles monster design and often dresses in gothic fashion.

Hajime Shinoda (CV: Megumi Toda)

• Birthdate: Jan. 1
• Height: 167 cm
• Sign: Capricorn
• Blood Type: O
• Likes: Meat, fast food
• Dislikes: Reading
• Skill: Good at sports
• Hometown: Tokushima Prefecture

Hajime is a motion designer who works in the character design department along with Aoba, Hifumi, and Yun as there are no open seats in the animation department. She owns a variety of prop weapons and enjoys sentai shows.

Production

The second season of the New Game! anime, stylized New Game!!, was announced on Feb. 12, 2017 at the event “New Game! Fan Thanks Event Next Level.” In attendance to make the announcement were cast members Takada Yuki (who voices Suzukaze Aoba), Yamaguchi Megumi (who voices Takimoto Hifumi), Toda Megumi (who voices Shinoda Hajime), and Takeo Ayumi (who voices Iijima Yun), as well as staff members Fujiwara Yoshiyuki and Shimo Fumihiko, and musical group Fourfolium who performed the series’ catchy theme song. The anime is being produced by Doga Kobo and will premiere in July.

Other Media

• The original manga New Game! by Shotaro Tokuno that began serialization in Houbunsha’s Manga Time Kirara Carat magazine in 2013 and has been published in five tankobon volumes to date.
• New Game! The Challenge Stage: A visual novel developed by 5pb released in January 2017 for the PS4 and PS Vita.

  Products on TOM

  Products from the first season of New Game! are available on the TOM Shop including a scale figure and Nendoroid of Aoba, a calendar, art book, and even a plushie of Hifumi’s adorable hedgie, Sojiro! Check them all out here!

• Original Author: Shotaro Tokuno (serialized in Manga Time Kirara Carat)
• Director: Yoshiyuki Fujiwara
• Series Composition: Fumihiko Shimo
• Character Design: Ai Kikuchi
• Chief Animation Directors: Ai Kikuchi, Manamu Amasaki, Yuichi Oka, Chisato Kikunaga
• Prop Design: Eri Nakajima
• Art Director: Shunsuke Suzuki
• Color Design: Kei Ishiguro, Yuka Ito
• Director of Photography: Takafumi Sono
• Sound Director: Masanori Tsuchiya
• Sound Effects: Yasumasa Koyama
• Sound Production: Delfi Sound
• Music: Hajime Hyakkoku
• Music Production: Kadokawa
• Animation Production: Doga Kobo Inc.
• Production: New Game!! Production Committee

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