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New Etotama Anime's 1st Teasers Reveal Cast, Staff, Story, Spring Net Debut
posted on by Egan Loo
The live-streamed "Go! To! Onsen♪" special unveiled more information and the first teaser videos for the new Etotama anime on Sunday. The roughly 30-minute Etotama ~Nyan-Kyaku Banrai~ (Meow-llions of Customers) anime short will stream on Abema and other services next spring. In addition, there will be an audio drama with three 20-minute episodes, which when combined with the anime, will add up to about 90 minutes of new story content.
The video describes how the story begins:
The seemingly eternal cat-and-mouse battle has ended, and now everyone is living peacefully. One day, an Eto-musume (Zodiac girl) named Na-tan appears, to the puzzlement of the 12 signs, and to the unreserved delight of Nya-tan (whose spirits are always lifted by the pure, straightforward Na-tan). Meanwhile, Chu-tan also appears and warns of a looming disaster. "The seal ... has been broken." Who is this mysterious Eto-musume Na-tan? What in the world is the deity that has awoken beneath the seal?
The anime production announced the cast with a promotional video:
The following cast members are returning:
- Rie Murakawa as Nyaatan
- Sayaka Ohara as Chū-tan
- Eriko Matsui as Mō-tan
- Yuiko Tatsumi as Shima-tan
- Yuka Aisaka as Usa-tan
- Maaya Uchida as Dora-tan
- Hitomi Nabatame as Shaa-tan
- Ari Ozawa as Uma-tan
- Mai Fuchigami as Mei-tan
- Megumi Toda as Kii-tan
- Mikoi Sasaki as Piyo-tan
- Mariko Honda as Inu-tan
- Yumiri Hanamori as Uri-tan
- Hiro Shimono as Takeru Tendo
- Yoshiyuki Shimozuma as Tencho
In addition, Aina Suzuki is joining the cast as Na-tan, and she is also performing the titular theme song "Etotama ~Nyan-Kyaku Banrai~."
Fumitoshi Oizaki is returning as the "adult mode director" at SHirogumi (in collaboration with Encourage Films), and Deko Akao is again handling composition and scripts. Takeyuki Suzuki is the "pretty mode CG director," and Minako Okuguchi is the "pretty mode animation director."
Akio Watanabe returns to draft the "original adult mode character designs" that Satoshi Koike is adapting for animation, and QP:flapper also returns to draft the "original pretty mode character designs" that Asami Takahashi is adapting for animation. Watanabe is also specifically credited for Na-tan's character design, and Koike is also back as the chief animation director for the "adult mode" sequences. Fumitoshi Oizaki is directing the sound, and Azusa Kikuchi is composing the background music.
Etotama is also debuting the weasel Eto-musume Izu-tan as a virtual YouTuber on her own "Izu-tan wa Tamawaritai!" channel. The Etotama "spinout" title Desudesu -A Flying Boar is appearing as an Android game with Yumiri Hanamori as Uri-tan, after previously being slated on Facebook Instant Games.
The franchise's "Shin Eto Ryōran Matsuri" event had announced the new anime as a series in February 2018.
The first 12-episode television anime series premiered in April 2015. Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired, and it describes the story:
Since ancient times, Japan has upheld the tradition of the 12 Zodiac signs. Eto-musumes (Zodiac girls), who have the appearance and behavior of the animals of the Zodiac, are pure hearted messengers who act as a bridge between humans and the gods. Every 60 years, the “ETM 12” tournament takes place in Tokyo's Akihabara district, where aspiring girls from all over Japan gather for the chance to become the next zodiac sign. One of those girls is Nya-tan, a cat girl who was tricked by a sneaky rodent and was not able to become a Zodiac girl. There is only one condition to become an Eto-musume: you must defeat the other 12 signs. But with strength bestowed to them from the heavens above, no one has been able to defeat them for 2000 years. The story begins when Nya-tan meets Takeru Amano!
Ponycan USA released the series in three Blu-ray Disc sets in 2015-2016.
Hiroma Hino launched a manga adaptation in Kadokawa's Dengeki Daioh magazine in December 2013, and ended the series in December 2015. Kadokawa published the manga's third and final volume in January 2016. Shirogumi and Tablier Communications are credited with the original work, Takashi Hoshi (Schäferhund) and Tōru Zekū (Trinity x Venus) are credited with the manga's original story.