The upcoming historical anime The World Is Dancing has revealed a new official music trailer, additional cast members, and character visuals ahead of its July 2 premiere.
The newly released trailer introduces Yoji Matsuda as Inuo and Miyuki Sawashiro as Shirabyoshi while also previewing the songs performed by Yumiri Hanamori as Oniyasha and Romi Park as Zojiro. It was also confirmed that cast members will perform songs featured within the anime.
Matsuda’s casting is particularly notable as the veteran actor stated that this marks his first regular role in a serialized TV anime. He voices the mysterious Inuo, a man who appears and disappears unexpectedly while influencing the main character Oniyasha. Matsuda is known for voicing Ashitaka in Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke and Asbel in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. His full comment:
The project’s title is “The World is Dancing” and the protagonist is Zeami (Oniyasha). Just hearing that was enough to make me incredibly excited, and on top of that, I voice Inuo is a great historical figure who colored the era alongside Kan’ami and Zeami.
However, the Inuo in this particular work is elusive and incredibly mysterious. I was eagerly awaiting the script, looking forward to seeing how his relationship with Oniyasha would be depicted. Actually, this is my first time appearing as a regular cast member in a serialized animated work.
I was honored to tackle such a wonderful role as part of this new experience.
Sawashiro joins the cast as Shirabyoshi, a woman struggling to survive in difficult circumstances. The acclaimed voice actress is known for roles including Fujiko Mine in Lupin the Third, Kurapika in Hunter x Hunter (2011), and Daki in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Her full comment on the new anime:
I’m Miyuki Sawashiro, and I had the privilege of voicing Shirabyoshi.
As someone who has lived a comfortable life, never having to worry about food or a place to live, I felt utterly daunted wondering how close I could truly get to her reality… but I was captivated by the deep yearning of her soul, and found myself irresistibly drawn toward her.
I was genuinely looking forward to seeing how her dance would be expressed in the animation, and… please, look forward to it.
Her unwavering determination has brought together a select group of talented creators who are making anime with that very same tenacity.
The anime was announced earlier this year, set to adapt Kazuto Mihara’s historical manga exploring the origins of Noh theater. Shochiku and CyberAgent are co-producing the series, with animation by Cypic (formerly CygamesPictures).
The main voice cast was also previously revealed, and the complete revealed crew now includes:
- Simba Tsuchiya as Ishiya
- Maaya Uchida as Kogane
- Romi Park as Zojiro
- Katsuyuki Konishi as Kan’ami
- Haruki Ishiya as Junigoro
- Takahiro Sakurai as Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
- Nobuo Tobita as Nijo Yoshimoto
- Mamiko Noto as Nariko
- Inori Minase as Chiharu
- Hazuki Seto as Satsuki
- Yoji Matsuda as Inuo
- Miyuki Sawashiro as Shirabyoshi
The production has put a strong emphasis on accurately depicting the traditional performances in the anime. Reijiro Tsumura, a Kanze-school Noh performer and Important Intangible Cultural Property holder, is supervising the Noh choreography. Additional choreography is handled by dancer Kaiji Moriyama, who directed the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Opening Ceremony, and choreographer Mikiko Kawamura. The main staff for the anime includes:
- Director: Toshimasa Kuroyanagi (The Great Passage, Backflip!!)
- Character Design: Keigo Sasaki (The Millionaire Detective, Lonely Castle in the Mirror)
- Calligraphy/Title Lettering: Satoru Nemoto
- Animation Production: Cypic
Story
In 1374, amid the turmoil of the Northern and Southern Courts’ long running conflict, a boy named Oniyasha is born into a family of sarugaku theater performers. He spends his days in a kind of quiet gloom, haunted by a simple but persistent question: Why do people dance? Then, one day, he witnesses a dance that he feels to be “good”—and everything begins to change. This is the story of the beautiful young boy who would one day shape the art of Noh and be remembered as Zeami.
The project adapts Kazuto Mihara’s six-volume manga originally serialized in Kodansha’s Morning magazine. The anime seeks to portray the cultural and personal evolution of Zeami during the late 14th century, at a time when Noh (then known as sarugaku) was still evolving into a formal art. The English version of the original manga is available on KODANSHA.
Source: Press Release, The World Is Dancing Official Website, Official X @wid_anime
©Kazuto Mihara, KODANSHA/”The World Is Dancing” Production Committee.
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