The upcoming TV anime adaptation of Tatsurō Suga’s The Catcher in the Ballpark! (Ballpark de Tsukamaete!) has announced the addition of Maaya Uchida to its voice cast. Uchida will be playing Kohinata, a veteran beer vendor with 10 years of experience at the Motorsuns Stadium, joining a large cast for the baseball-themed romantic comedy set to premiere in April 2025.
Kohinata Joins the Lineup: Maaya Uchida Cast in Key Role
Maaya Uchida, known for her roles as Catarina Claes in My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! and Nodoka Toyohama in the Rascal Does Not Dream series, will voice Kohinata. Kohinata is described as an “ace” beer seller, known as something of a “big sister” to the other vendors, having sold 400 cups in a single day. Her experience and skill make her a prominent figure among the stadium staff.
A Growing Roster of Characters and Cast Members
Uchida joins a substantial cast already announced for The Catcher in the Ballpark!, indicating a rich ensemble of characters that will populate the anime’s baseball stadium setting. The previously announced cast includes:
- Fairouz Ai as Ruriko
- Satoshi Inomata as Murata
- Ikumi Hasegawa as Aona
- Satoshi Tanaka as Omatsu
- Yōji Ueda as Nakaizumi
- Ayumi Mano as Natsuno Yamada
- Momoko Seto as Kokoro
- Jin Urayama as Ryuichi Igarashi
- Chiharu Sawashiro as Takimoto
- Hiroki Tōchi as Kojiro
- Rika Tachibana as Yuki Takino
- Kentarō Tone as Dennis
- Kō Bonkobara as Brian
- Mayu Sagara as Sara
- Kazuhiro Nakaya as Mitsui
- Wakana Kuramochi as Kisa
- Kiyono Yasuno as Nagisa
- Atsuki Nakamura as Hotaru
This extensive cast suggests a vibrant and engaging story with a diverse range of personalities within the ballpark community.
Production Details and Story Synopsis
The Catcher in the Ballpark! anime is being directed by Jun’ichi Kitamura (Fluffy Paradise) at Studio EMT Squared. Shigeru Murakoshi (The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse) is in charge of series composition, with Fumio Iida (Record of Ragnarok) designing the characters and MONACA (NieR:Automata Ver 1.1a) composing the music. Genic will perform the opening theme song “Hurray!!”.
The story centers around Murata, an ordinary office worker who finds solace at the local baseball stadium after work. He meets Ruriko, a gyaru-style beer vendor who initially seems cold but reveals a pure-hearted personality. The anime promises a heartwarming baseball love comedy filled with smiles and tears, dedicated to everyone involved in professional baseball. The setting is a pro-league baseball stadium where many people gather to work, laugh, and create human drama.
Anticipated Premiere and Streaming Platforms
The Catcher in the Ballpark! is scheduled to premiere in April 2025 on TV Tokyo and its six affiliate channels, as well as on AT-X. The anime will also be available for streaming on ABEMA, Lemino, and Anime Times on Prime Video.
