The upcoming anime adaptation of Tatsurō Suga’s “The Catcher in the Ballpark!” continues to expand its voice cast, with the recent announcement of Akari Yura, Mami Fujita, and Kentarō Kumagai joining the team. This sports comedy anime, produced by EMT Squared, is scheduled to premiere in April 2025 and promises a lighthearted and engaging story set in the vibrant world of professional baseball.
New Cast Members Announced
The latest additions to the cast bring even more talent to this anticipated series:
- Akari Yura: Details about Yura’s specific role have yet to be revealed.
- Mami Fujita: Known for her versatile voice acting in various anime and video games, including roles such as Maho Natsume in “Lost Judgement” and Shixeen in “Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes”.
- Kentarō Kumagai: Kumagai is recognized for his work in popular anime like “Delicious in Dungeon” as Laios Touden and “The God of High School” as Han Daewi.
Production Details
“The Catcher in the Ballpark!” is directed by Jun’ichi Kitamura (“Fluffy Paradise”), with Shigeru Murakoshi (“The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse”) handling series composition. Fumio Iida (“Record of Ragnarok” animation director) is in charge of character designs, and MONACA (“NieR:Automata Ver 1.1a”) is composing the music.
Voice Actor Backgrounds
To provide more context, here’s a closer look at the careers of the newly announced voice actors:
Mami Fujita
- Fujita, born on April 22, 1989, is affiliated with Kenyu Office.
- She has an extensive list of voice acting credits in anime, video games, and foreign film dubbing.
- Some of her notable roles include:
- Galacta in “Marvel Rivals” (VG)
- Maho Natsume in “Lost Judgement” (VG)
- Nun in “Master Detective Archives: Rain Code” (VG)
- Shixeen in “Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes” (VG)
- Uma in Descendants Series (foreign film dubbing)
Kentarō Kumagai
- Kumagai, born on February 16, 1994, is affiliated with Haikyō.
- He grew up in Okinawa and graduated from Human Academy.
- His notable roles include:
- Laios Touden in “Delicious in Dungeon”
- Han Daewi in “The God of High School”
- Theo Cornaro in “Record of Grancrest War”
- Hideo Akuno in “The Idolmaster SideM”
Story Synopsis
“The Catcher in the Ballpark!” follows Murata, an ordinary office worker, who encounters Ruriko, a cute gyaru beer vendor, at a pro-league baseball stadium. He quickly becomes her regular customer. While Ruriko appears cold towards Murata, she has an innocent personality that emerges when he’s not around.
Premiere and Streaming
The anime is set to premiere in April 2025 on TV Tokyo and its six affiliate channels, as well as on AT-X. It will also be available for streaming on ABEMA, Lemino, and Anime Times.
