Funbarus Posture Support Plush Toys Get Short TV Anime
Manufacturing company Dreams announced on Tuesday that its Funbarus posture support plush toy series is inspiring a short anime that will premiere on October 3 on the BS Yoshimoto channel at 11:25 p.m. JST (10:25 a.m. EDT), and on Tokyo MX on October 5 at 9:54 p.m. The company also announced the anime's cast and staff members, and its "image song" by hip hop group Ketsumeishi titled "Kimi ni BUMP."
The two-minute short anime uses a new "2D x AI hybrid" animation production process. The production creates the key animation drawings based on the planning documents, storyboards, and character and art designs via existing traditional 2D animation techniques. The production then uses 3D CG and "AI digital techniques" to generate the animation sequences.
The anime centers on Nossori the sloth, who always works hard for humans and idly listens to their casual conversations. Those conversations in turn, fuel Nossori's wild imagination.
The anime will star:
Wataru Komada as Nossori, a laid-back Sloth who loves daydreaming
Kōtarō Nishiyama as Montan, an energetic and cheerful monkey
Sayuri Hara as Hop, a reliable, strong-willed, and big-sister-type rabbit
The anime will also star (image above from top left to bottom right):
- Kenta Miyake as Brownie the Bear
- Kento Shiraishi as Pentan the Penguin
- Hayato Kimura as Shaomaru the Panda
- Ai (from the comedy duo Yoneda 2000) as Johnny the Duck
- Hiroaki Tajiri as Zūzū the Koala
Additional cast members are:
- Kōki Miyata as Kuromitsu
- Mitsuhiro Sakamaki as Fairy
- Nanami Yamashita as Nyanti
- Madoka Asahina as Nuts
- Shiho Hisajima as Narrator
Voicing the humans are Shotaro Uzawa, Taiga Takano, Nene Hieda, and Makoto from the comedy duo Yoneda 2000.
Kazumi Nonaka (Mameushi-kun, Hana Kappa, ATASHIn'CHI Next) is directing the anime at MI Co., and Takeshi Takemura (I Love Me, Mrs. Warabi) is writing the scripts. Ryu Kawasaki (Yu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush!!) is composing the music, and 81 Produce is presenting the project.
The Funbarus posture support plush toys launched in 2023. To help prevent people from hunching over desks or tables, they can place these toys between the desk and their stomachs.
Sources: Funbarus short anime's website, Comic Natalie, PR Times
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