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The Eccentric Family 2 Anime's Video Previews 1st Episode

The official YouTube channel for The Eccentric Family 2 (Uchoten Kazoku 2) sequel anime began streaming a preview video of the series' first episode, titled "Nidaime no Kichō" (Nidaime's Homecoming), on Monday.

DMM Pictures also began streaming 15- and 30-second television commercials for the anime's first Blu-ray Disc release. The videos feature the characters Kinkaku, Ginkaku, Akadama, and Nidaime. A Blu-ray Disc box with the anime's first six episodes will ship on July 28.

The official English Facebook page for the anime began streaming an English-subtitled version of the anime's first promotional video in January.

The anime will premiere on April 9, and will air on Tokyo MX, KBS Kyoto, and Kitanihon Broadcasting. The anime will stream in Japan on Docomo Anime Store. An advance screening event for the first two episodes will be held at Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills in Tokyo on April 7. Mamiko Noto, Junji Majima, Masayuki Yoshihara, Tomihiko Morimi, and milktub will attend the event.

The new cast members include:

• Junji Majima as Nidaime
• Yoko Hikasa as Gyokuran
• Yuichi Nakamura as Kureichiro
• Bin Shimada as Tenmanya

The following cast members are returning from the first anime:

• Kikuko Inoue as Mother (Tosen)
• Hideyuki Umezu as Akadama
• Shuya Nishiji as Kinkaku
• Kosuke Hatakeyama as Ginkaku
• Ayane Sakura as Kaisei
• Takehiko Higuchi as Professor Yodogawa
• Takahiro Sakurai as Yasaburō Shimogamo, the third son of the family
• Junichi Suwabe as Yaichirō Shimogamo, the eldest son of the family
• Hiroyuki Yoshino as Yajirō Shimogamo, the second son of the family
• Mai Nakahara as Yashirō Shimogamo, the youngest son of the family
• Mamiko Noto as Benten, the bewitchingly beautiful woman

The musical artists milktub and fhána will return to the franchise to perform the anime's theme songs. The group milktub will perform the opening theme song "Nasugamama, Sawagumama," and the band fhána will perform the ending theme song "Moon River."

The anime is P.A. Works' first sequel series. The first season's main staff members are returning for the sequel. Masayuki Yoshihara is directing the series at P.A. Works, Kōji Kumeta (Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei, Kakushigoto) is designing the characters, and Lantis is handling the music production. Additionally, Kousuke Kawazura is adapting Kumeta's designs for animation and is serving as animation director, and Yusuke Takeda and Harumi Okamoto are serving as art directors.

Ryou Higaki is returning from the first season to write the series. Additional staff members include:

• Compositing Director: Satoshi Namiki
• Color Design: Katsue Inoue
• 3D Director: Kohei Ogawa
• Editing: Ayumu Takahashi
• Sound Director: Jin Aketagawa
• Music: Yoshiaki Fujisawa

The 2013 anime adapted the original novel of the same name by Tomihiko Morimi (The Tatami Galaxy). The comedy drama is set in Kyoto, where tanuki (shape-shifting raccoon-dogs), tengu (long-nosed goblins of Japanese folklore), and humans intermingle. The story follows the tanuki Shimogamo Yasaburō, the third son of the Shimogamo family who live in the Tadasu no Mori forest of Shimogamo Shrine. One day, Yasaburō's father is eaten as a hot pot by human members of a group known as the "Friday Club." As Yasaburō takes care of his teacher, an old tengu, fights with other tanuki, and plays with a psychic human girl, Yasaburō approaches the truth about his father's death.

Gentosha published Morimi's original Uchoten Kazoku novel in 2010, and then published a sequel novel titled Uchoten Kazoku Nidaime No Kicho in 2015. The original novel has sold more than 360,000 copies. The Eccentric Family 2 is based on the second novel volume.

Images © Tomihiko Morimi, GENTOSHA / Uchoten-Kazoku 2 Committee