Winter Anime "Grimgal of Ashes and Illusions" Announces Main Cast!　Chunichi Ochiai GM's eldest son, Fukutsugu Ochiai, is cast as Mogzo.

The character/cast has been announced for the TV anime "Grimgaru of Ashes and Fantasy," which will start in January 2016.

Grimgal of Ashes and Illusions" is an anime work based on the light novel by Ao Jumonji. In the original work, the protagonist, who has no special powers, is depicted in life-size as he struggles to survive, battle scenes, and bonds with his friends. Directed and written by Ryosuke Nakamura of "Nerawareta Gakuen" and "Aiura," with character design by Mieko Hosoi of "Nerawareta Gakuen" and "Aiura," and animation production by A-1 Pictures.

The setting drawings and cast of the main characters have been unveiled. The main character, Haruhiro, is played by Yoshimasa Hosoya, the bossy Ranta by Hiroyuki Yoshino, the leader Manato by Nobunaga Shimazaki, the calm Mogzo by Fukutsugu Ochiai, the naive Yume by Mikako Komatsu, and the reclusive Sifol by Haruka Terui. Incidentally, Fukutsugu Ochiai is the eldest son of Chunichi Dragons GM Hiromitsu Ochiai, who won three triple crowns as a player, and has been working as a voice actor with Aoni Productions since April 2015. This is probably the first time he has been cast as a main cast member in an animated film.

Below are the director's comments on each cast member.

Haruhiro (CV: Yoshimasa Hosoya)
Haruhiro is an inconspicuous character who is more aware of being ordinary than anyone else. He is a good listener and is the only one on the team who can give a good commentary. He is mainly responsible for reconnaissance and flanking support with a dagger.
Director Nakamura's Comment
I cast Hosoya as a nominee. I was impressed by his high level of concentration and the resulting relaxed, natural performance. From the very beginning, I thought that he was the only choice to play Haruhiro, the narrator and main character of this work.

Lanta (CV: Hiroyuki Yoshino)
Ranta is a good-natured guy who talks a lot. He has a bad mouth and often offends those around him. He uses a long sword and likes to show off his fighting style.
Director Nakamura's comment
Actually, I thought it was the most difficult role to play. The reason is that the role of Lanta tends to be taken in a stereotypical way at first glance. I asked Mr. Yoshino to play the role of Lanta because of his overall ability as an actor, and I thought that he would be able to play the role of Lanta, which is actually the most profound and requires a variety of different elements to be played.

Manato (CV: Nobunaga Shimazaki)
The leader and organizer of the party. He is intelligent and kind. He seems to have a shadowy side to him. He not only supports the rear with recovery magic, but also engages in melee combat in the vanguard.
Director Nakamura's comment
During the audition, I asked Shimazaki a lot of questions about the role and the work, and I was impressed by the precision with which he answered them, as well as by the way he reacted to the direction he received after recording began. He has a very handsome voice, which is of course one of the reasons for casting him, but like all the other characters in this work, Manato has more than just a simple side, and I am looking forward to working with him to explore this character.

Mogzo (CV: Fukutsugu Ochiai)
Large and calm. He is a good cook. He is a bit slow, but he is the shield of the team, fighting on the front lines with his big sword. He has a strange cry.
Director Nakamura comments
The deciding factor in casting was her presence. It is not something you can aim for. Actually, the voice of Moguzo was not in the zone of the preliminary candidate order, but it was so convincing that I thought it was Moguzo himself, so I reconsidered the role of Moguzo without preconceived ideas. Once again, I thought that Moguzo was him. There was something about him that made me think that way. The producers were surprised.

Yume (CV: Mikako Komatsu)
She is bright, natural, and unpretentious. She speaks in a Kansai-like dialect. She uses a bow to aim and shoot at targets from behind, but she is not very good at it. She is better at melee attacks with a sword and machete.
Director Nakamura's Comment
The character of Yume is a natural, but I wanted her to act as if she were a natural, rather than to appeal to the audience with her naturalness. I interpreted the word "natural" more broadly than its symbolic meaning. I think this sense of familiarity and distance is also an important element for the character of Yume. I also thought that Yume has everything she needs, such as cleanliness, stylishness, softness, and gentleness.

Shihol (CV: Haruka Terui)
She is shy and withdrawn. She is timid, but serious and hardworking. She aims to attack from a distance with magic, but her personality sometimes causes her to fail in her chanting.
Director Nakamura's Comment
Sifol is also a character that is prone to stereotypical interpretation, and it is easy to overact if you are aware of that. There are many things that a director looks for in Sifol from a third-party standpoint, but we cast Terui-san, who was immersed in the play without aiming for that, and as a result, she became Sifol. Actually, one scene in the audition was the deciding factor, but that's something you'll have to wait for in the film. I am looking forward to the recording as well.