Shojo Classic Hana-Kimi Anime Reveals English Dub Cast and Same-Day Premiere
The highly anticipated television anime adaptation of the late Hisaya Nakajo’s seminal shojo manga, “Hana Zakari no Kimi-tachi e” (also known as “Hana-Kimi”), is set to receive a simultaneous English-dubbed release.
Crunchyroll confirmed that the English dub will begin streaming concurrently with the Japanese broadcast premiere.
The story centers on Japanese-American track-and-field star Mizuki, who takes the drastic step of transferring to an all-guys’ high school in Japan, disguising herself as a boy.
Her goal is to be close to her idol, high jumper Izumi Sano.
Fate intervenes, making them not just classmates but roommates, forcing Mizuki to keep her secret guarded in every area of her new life.
This premise of hidden identity and romantic comedy is a hallmark of the genre.
Leading the English voice cast is Katelyn Barr as the protagonist, Mizuki, alongside Wyatt Baker as Sano, and Dallas Reid as Nakatsu.
The extensive cast also features Joshua Waters as Nanba, Reagan Murdock as Umeda, Jaclyn Thomas as Julia, and William Ofoegbu as Juso.
Rounding out the ensemble are Ethan Condon (Kayashima), Adam Elliott (Kunijima), Justin Briner (Nakao), Tyson Rinehart (Nihonbashi), Ben Stegmair (Noe), Tom Henry (Sekime), Josh Bangle (Baseball Guy), Landon McDonald (Basketball Guy), Doug Jackson (Janitor), Christopher Guerrero (Track Captain), Stephen Sanders (Rugby Guy), and Aaron Dismuke (Tennis Guy).
The English dub is directed by Jad Saxton, with Susie Nixon producing.
Heather Walker is adapting the script, while Gino Palencia serves as the mixer and Tina Son is the engineer.
The Japanese broadcast will debut on the Tokyo MX channel, with subsequent runs on BS11, MBS, CBC TV, RKB Mainichi Broadcasting, and other channels.
Crunchyroll will handle streaming for a vast international audience across North America, Central and South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, the CIS, and India.
The first episode of the series previously had its world premiere at the Anime NYC event.
Natsuki Takemura is directing the anime at the studio Signal.MD, with Shigeru Ueda assisting as assistant director.
Takao Yoshioka is handling the series scripts.
Character design is managed by Shi Yi Su, while Masaru Yokoyama is composing the music, bringing his experience from works like “Arakawa Under the Bridge” and “Horimiya” to the score.
Jin Aketagawa serves as the sound director. Additional production staff includes Yoshitomo Hara on prop design, Natsuyo Ban as the color key artist, Masayoshi Nishimuta as the CG director, Kei Ichikura as the art director, Masashi Uoyama as the compositing director of photography, and Kasumi Shibata on editing.
Pop music duo YOASOBI performs both the opening theme song “Adrena” and the ending theme song “Baby.”
The original manga, “Hana Zakari no Kimi-tachi e”, was the defining work of creator Hisaya Nakajo, running in Hakusensha’s “Hana to Yume” magazine from 1996 to 2004.
Nakajo continued the series with a short continuation in 2011, a special chapter in 2014, and the update “Himitsu – Hana Zakari no Kimi-tachi e After School” in 2021.
Viz Media has published the manga in North America, along with her other work, “Sugar Princess”.
The beloved story has proven to be a global hit, inspiring multiple live-action adaptations, including two separate Japanese television series in 2007 and 2011, as well as live-action versions in South Korea and Taiwan.
Nakajo sadly passed away at 50 years old due to a heart condition in October 2023.
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