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The Blue Wolves of Mibu TV Anime Casts Chiaki Kobayashi

The staff for the television anime of Tsuyoshi Yasuda's The Blue Wolves of Mibu (Ao no Miburo) manga announced on Friday that Chiaki Kobayashi will play Saitō Hajime of the Shinsengumi. (ANN presents modern Japanese names with family name last, and historical names with family name first.)

Shūichirō Umeda stars as the protagonist Nio. Yōhei Azakami plays Hijikata Toshizō, and Kenshō Ono plays Okita Sōji of the Shinsengumi. The website will reveal three more cast members weekly in December.

Kumiko Habara (I'm Standing on 1,000,000 Lives., I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss, Surgeon Elise) is directing the anime at Maho Film. Kenta Ihara (Gamera -Rebirth-, I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss, Uncle From Another World) is in charge of the series scripts. Yūko Ōba (I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss, I'm Standing on 1,000,000 Lives.) and Miyako Nishida (My Unique Skill Makes Me OP even at Level 1, If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord) are designing the characters. Toshiki Kameyama is the sound director. Yuki Hayashi is composing the music.

Kodansha USA Publishing licensed the manga in English, and it describes the story:

Nio is an orphan who can't help dreaming of a better world. In this action-packed manga, he meets two men who show him how much a few swords can change history.

This riveting samurai series from the acclaimed creator of DAYS shares its setting with Rurouni Kenshin and chronicles the founding of the Shinsengumi by handsome and volatile men fighting for justice...and for themselves!

Yasuda launched the manga in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in October 2021. Kodansha published the 11th volume on November 16. Kodansha USA Publishing plans to start printing the manga in English in spring 2024.

Yasuda's DAYS soccer manga also inspired a television anime in 2016 and five original video anime episodes from 2017 to 2018. Yasuda's Over Drive bicycling manga inspired a TV anime in 2007.

Sources: The Blue Wolves of Mibu anime's website, Comic Natalie