New author Itsuki Matsumoto’s novel Mitsuwano will be made into an anime. StarChild will release the OVA on March 12.
Mitsuwano received the Kodansha BOX-AiR New Author Prize. The Kodansha BOX-AiR editorial department teamed up with StarChild Records to start the Kodansha BOX-AiR New Author Prize in 2011 as an award to promote anime adaptation projects. The recipient is expected to become an anime, which is happening now with Mitsuwano.
This 2012 winner tells the story of young girls in Kyoto who dream of becoming maiko. The illustrations in the novel have been done by Emuke.
Mai Ichinose decides to become a maiko when she is inspired by a maiko named Kazuha she sees on a class trip in junior high school, and the story begins when Mai moves to Kyoto after graduating. However, she discovers the okiya where she planned on training has closed. After running into Kazuha again, Mai asks to be trained by the mistress of Kikuya, where Kazuha trains.
Bringing this story of aspiring maiko to the screen is a superb crew that includes animation studio ZEXCS, Takashi Igari as director, Takashi Habe as character designer, and Natsuko Takahashi as screenwriter.
The cast is equally talented, with Yui Horie joining as the protagonist Mai Ichinose alongside Rina Satoh, Nozomi Sasaki, Yumi Hara, and Sayaka Ohara.
An event with the cast has also been planned to celebrate the release of the OVA. It will be held in Tokyo on April 19 and in Kyoto on April 20. People who purchase the first edition Blu-ray or DVD will be able to enter for a chance to participate in the event by filling out a postcard and attaching the “Customer Event Participation Drawing Ticket” included with the discs. A drawing will decide who will participate.
Official artwork for the OVA has also been released. The novel will begin selling on March 3, prior to the release of the OVA. Expectations are high for the title.
