The Cat Returns’ Reiko Yoshida wrote the script for 5 episodes to air on October 26 and November 5
Kodoani.com – San-X Company announced on Tuesday that the musical group Perfume will participate in the first television anime project adapted from the character. Sumikko Gurashi by author Yury Yokomizo, especially from the picture book “Sumikko Gurashi Sorairo no Mainichi” (Sumikko Gurashi: Rainbow-color daily). The anime series is scheduled to premiere on October 26 on NTV, with all five episodes airing on November 5 on NTV.
Hazumu Sakuta, who directed “Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Tsugihagi Kōjo no Fushigi na Ko” and “Uchū Nanchara Kotetsu-kun,” will direct the anime, while Reiko Yoshida, a familiar name in the anime industry with works such as “The Cat Returns,” “Tamako Market,” “A Silent Voice,” and “Violet Evergarden” will write the script. Perfume will provide narration for the anime series along with actress Manami Honjō.
The anime was part of plans to celebrate the release of the film “Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Tsugihagi Kōjo no Fushigi na Ko” (The Mysterious Child of the Makeshift Factory), for which Perfume performed the song. This is also an anime series based on the character Sumikko Gurashi.
In the story of this third anime season, the characters find an ancient building deep in the forest. The building is discovered to be a toy factory, and all of the Sumikko Gurashi characters begin working here, each playing a role in toy production in their own way. However, the factory also keeps a special secret that they will have to discover.
Sumikko Gurashi first appeared in 2012 and focuses on characters with slightly negative personalities who like to stay in the corner of the room. Characters include “Shirokuma,” a cold-sensitive polar bear; “Penguin?” (has a question mark in its name), a penguin that may not be a real penguin; “Tonkatsu,” a pork cutlet; “Neko,” a shy cat; and “Tokage,” who hides his nature as one of the last dinosaurs.
The first anime film titled “Sumikkogurashi – Good to be in the Corner” was released in 2019 and has attracted the attention of a large audience. In 2020, the film received the “Best Animation” award at the 29th Annual Japan Film Critics Awards. “Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Tsugihagi Kōjo no Fushigi na Ko” (The Mysterious Child of the Makeshift Factory), the second series in the series, debuted in 2021 and also received support from the audience.
