Aniplex of America Adds “Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai” And “DAKAICHI – I’m being harassed by the sexiest man of the year -” to Fall 2018 Anime Line-Up

SANTA MONICA, CA (September 22, 2018) – Aniplex of America revealed at their industry panel at Anime Weekend Atlanta that two anime series with eye catching titles, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai and DAKAICHI – I’m being harassed by the sexiest man of the year – , will be joining their fall 2018 line-up alongside the highly anticipated Sword Art Online –Alicization–. Both series will be produced by A-1 Pictures’ CloverWorks studio, which produced PERSONA5 the Animation and DARLING in the FRANXX earlier this year, and are currently working on the much anticipated anime adaption of Shonen Jump’s hit series The Promised Neverland. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai will premiere on October 3^rd, 2018 at 11:50 PDT, with new episodes every Wednesday, and DAKAICHI – I’m being harassed by the sexiest man of the year – premieres on October 5^th, 2018 at 9:30 PDT with new episodes every Friday.

©2018 HAJIME KAMOSHIDA/KADOKAWA CORPORATION AMW/AOBUTA Project

Based on a popular light novel by Hajime Kamoshida, with original illustrations by Keji Mizoguchi, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai reunites the team behind popular light novel and anime series, The Pet Girl of Sakurasou. First published by Kadokawa’s Dengeki Bunko/ASCII Media Works in April 2014, the light novel series is on its eighth volume with each volume bearing a different subject in the title that the rascal does not dream of. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai takes a supernatural look into the complexities of growing up in the modern age through a psychophysiological phenomenon known as the “puberty syndrome.” The story has been praised for its fascinating approach on relatable social topics plaguing millennials such as cyber bullying, invasion of privacy, and falling victim to false gossip and rumors. The series stars popular voice actor Kaito Ishikawa (My Hero Academia, Haikyu!, One Punch Man) as the protagonist, Sakuta Azusagawa, and Asami Seto (Chihayafuru, Bungo Stray Dogs) as the elusive bunny girl senpai, Mai Sakurajima. Soichi Masui of Sakura Quest will be directing the series with Masahiro Yokotani (Free!, Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World- ) in charge of the series structure and screenplay. Character design will be handled by Satomi Tamura (Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, Kiznaiver),who will also serve as chief animation director alongside veteran Akira Takata of the Durarara!!, Natsume’s Book of Friends, and IDOLM@STER series. The all-female band, the peggies, will perform the opening theme song “Kimi No Sei” with the ending theme “Fushigi no Karte” performed by the six main heroines of the series.

About Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai:
Puberty syndrome – Abnormal experiences rumored on the internet to be caused by sensitivity and instability during adolescence.

This year, Sakuta Azusagawa, a second-year student at a high school near Enoshima, meets several girls that are experiencing this “puberty syndrome.” For instance, he encounters a wild bunny girl in the library. She turns out to be an actress on hiatus, Mai Sakurajima, who is also his senior at the school. For some reason, no one else can see this enchanting girl. How did she become invisible…? As Sakuta searches for answers to help Mai, they spend more time together, and he eventually learns of her hidden feelings… This is an unusual story that takes place in a town of bright skies and glistening seas, where Sakuta encounters various intriguing girls. 

Premiere Date: October 3, 2018
Official English Website: www.RascalDoesNotDream.com

©DO1 PROJECT

DAKAICHI – I’m being harassed by the sexiest man of the year – is based on a popular BL manga by Hashigo Sakurabi serialized in Libre Publishing’s Monthly Magazine Be x Boy. Since being first published in July of 2013, the series has amassed over two million copies in print, along with a drama CD which topped Japan’s Oricon album charts (the Japanese music industry’s standard for ranking popularity) at number one in May of 2015. Since then, the series has garnered considerable buzz and curiosity, much to the delight of fujoshi and yaoi fans alike. The series dives into the cut-throat world of the entertainment industry with the current reigning “Sexiest Man of the Year”, Junta Azumaya, played by Yuki Ono (Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs, Kuroko’s Basketball), and the former title holder, veteran actor Takato Saijo, played by Hiroki Takahashi (The Prince of Tennis, Hunter x Hunter). DAKAICHI – I’m being harassed by the sexiest man of the year – features an all-star production staff, which include Nisekoi’s Naoyuki Tatsuwa serving as director for the series, Yoshimi Narita from Honeywork’s I’ve Always Liked You in charge of the series composition, and Black Butler’s Minako Shiba as character designer. Veteran composer Masaru Yokoyama (Your Lie in April, Fate/Apocrypha) will handle the music for the series, while the opening theme “Fukanzen Monologue”will be performed by singer-songwriter Tomohisa Sako and co-written with mafumafu (The Moment You Fall in Love).

About DAKAICHI – I’m being harassed by the sexiest man of the year –:

The veteran actor who has held the title of “Sexiest Man of the Year” for 5 years in a row, Takato Saijo, and the up and coming actor who recently dethroned him, Junta Azumaya. Enter the cut-throat world of the entertainment industry, where the two most desirable men find themselves in a forbidden scandal. Based on Hashigo Sakurabi’s “Dakaratei Otoko No.1 ni Odosareteimasu,” first published and serialized in July of 2013, one of the most talked about BL comic with over two million copies in print gets a highly anticipated TV anime adaptation!

Premiere Date: October 5, 2018
Official English Website: www.DAKAICHI-anime.com

About Aniplex of America Inc.

Aniplex of America Inc. (Santa Monica, California) is a subsidiary of Aniplex Inc. (headquartered in Tokyo, Japan), a group of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. and a leading provider of anime content and music production and distribution in Japan. Aniplex of America has launched fan-favorite Blu-ray and DVD releases including Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works], Fate/Zero, the Sword Art Online series, Your lie in April, KILL la KILL, Bakemonogatari, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Blue Exorcist, anohana -The Flower We Saw That Day-, NISEKOI, the OREIMO series, DURARARA!!×2, Magi series, Expelled From Paradise, The irregular at magic high school, and ALDNOAH.ZERO. The company’s ever-growing line-up of shows include: March comes in like a lion, Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga, ERASED, The Asterisk War, OWARIMONOGATARI, KIZUMONOGATARI, Charlotte, Occultic;Nine, WWW.WAGNARIA!!, GRANBLUE FANTASY, Eromanga Sensei, Katsugeki TOUKEN RANBU, BLEND-S, Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] I. presage flower, Slow Start, Record of Grancrest War, Today’s MENU for EMIYA Family, PERSONA5 the Animation, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs, Cells at Work! and Sword Art Online Alicization. In June 2017, the company launched the English version of the popular mobile game, Fate/Grand Order, which has exceeded three million downloads.

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