Crunchyroll hosted the world premiere of the anime adaptation of “In/Spectre” at Anime Expo 2019. The show is set to air during the Winter 2020 anime season.

For those that haven’t yet checked out the manga released by Kodansha or read our manga review, “In/Spectre” follows Kotoko Iwanaga. She herself latches onto to Kurō Sakuragawa after learning he recently broke up with his fiancée. While his charming looks caught her heart, Kotoko senses something else about the man that draws her to him. As part of her confession, she reveals that she is the area’s god of wisdom after sacrificing her left leg and right eye when she was 11. Though she accepted the yokai’s offer at such a young age, she has not waned from her duties, including finding the monsters that scare the peaceful spirits. Kurō however tries to shake the truth about the supernatural but fate has other plans for the pair.

From what is shown in the first episode, the adaptation is very close to the manga from the character designs and the little quips between Kotoko and Kurō. Those that are sensitive to the sight of bloody gore should take caution because there are some detailed scenes.

Right after the screening, host Miles Thomas invited voice actor Mamoru Miyano to talk more about being Kurō. When asked about this visit to Los Angeles, Miyano said that he was so happy to be back in L.A. for the third time but first time for an event. He shared that he felt honored and pride seeing a lot of people appreciating anime. He was also surprised when he saw someone in the audience cosplaying as his live comedy persona. He said that the fans’ screams amazed him and gave him power and joy, which they were no short of during the panel.

Thomas asked Miyano how he got started in voice acting. He replied that he started as a child actor at seven years old, moved to working on stage and television but first auditioned for a voice role when he turned 18. He didn’t know much about voice acting but thought he had a really good voice. Miyano then spoke that he got the role for Kurō after he voice tested with the director and he offered the role to him.

When talking more about Kurō, Miyano asked if the audience knew about yokai culture. After many shouted out that they knew, he explained that Kurō had some involvement with those creatures. He said that Kurō ate yokai and gained some powers, but fans will have to watch more to learn more about the character.

Thomas then asked if Miyano found ways to relate with Kurō and his unique experiences. He answered “Imagination. I use that a lot!” He then said that Kurō would feel emotions differently compared to other people so he tried to feel the way Kuro would during his performances.

Miyano then talked about working with veteran director Keiji Gotoh and said he never had a hard time being Kuro with the director. Gotoh, according to Miyano, was good and clear with how to take the emotions with specific directions.

The conversation went on a strange tangent between Thomas and Miyano about eating yokai leading to the involvement of the infamous man bear pig.

Thomas brought the focus back to the anime by asking how it is working with Akari Kito, the voice actor of Kotoko. Miyano replied that it was the first time they worked together. He mentioned that Kotoko’s vocabulary had a lot of hard words due to the yokai and her own speech choice but said she made no mistakes as the main character.

Thomas then revealed that Miyano will be the one singing the ending theme song of “In/Spectre” and asked him what the song will be like. The voice actor said that production requested not a sweet ballad but something more fanciful and fun. He then spoke about the making of the song. He said he made the song with a creator friend who helped challenge him to show another side of himself.

The discussion moved to Kotoko’s relationship with Kurō. Miyano said that the fans should be aware of their dynamic from the first episode. The laughter he heard while he was backstage surprised him and was happy that they understood the comedic moments and Japanese jokes. Then Thomas asked Miyano how he found a way to balance that comedy with the dark moments of Kuro. He replied that he normally was very funny. Kurō though had both but since his core is clear, it was possible to have both a comedic and serious side. The host had another duality question but about living in the human and supernatural worlds and how Miyano brought it to his action. He replied that he never had a supernatural experience including seeing a ghost. Instead, he read the original content to understand the setting. He also shared how he visited Universal Studios but was afraid to check out the “Walking Dead” portion.

When asked about the one thing to look forward in “In/Spectre”, he answered that it was a unique mystery fantasy. Fans will enjoy other genres at the same time. He also wondered how the ending sequence will be like with his song.

The voice actor concluded with a message to his Western fans: “I love you.” He said he experienced and felt their love for Japanese animation and was honored. “I’ll keep working to make characters you’re gonna love. Gonna definitely come back again.”

As mentioned before, “In/Spectre” will be airing in early 2020 but fans can read Katase’s manga adaptation of Kyo Shirodaira’s novel thanks to Kodansha Comics. Volume Eight will hit shelves in August. For more information and an online preview, go to Kodansha’s webpage. Check out Crunchyroll for when the new Winter anime season will be streaming online.