We learned back in October that 2016 would have an anime adaptation of the manga property Kumamiko: Girl Meets Bear. Now the official Twitter feed has updated as part of the end of year festitivities with a new key visual and the reveal that the show will debut in April 2016 as part of the spring season. The series is based off the manga from Masume Yoshimoto that currently runs in Comic Flapper. The original work has been serialized since 2013 and has four volumes out so far.
The anime adaptation will be directed by Kiyoshi Matsuda based on scripts by Masao Iketani and Pierre Sugiura. Hiroyuki Saida is handling the character designs and serving as the chief animation director. It’ll be animated at Kinema Citrus and EMT2.
The cast so far includes Natsumi Hioka as the bear Machi Amayadori, Hiroki Yasumoto as Natsu Kumai, Kazuyuki Okitsu as Yoshio and Eri Kitamura as Hibiki.
Plot concept: The story follows Machi, a middle school student who serves as a shrine maiden at a Shinto shrine and takes care of a bear, who lives on mountain in Japan’s northern Touhouku region. The bear, Natsu, has the ability to talk and is Machi’s guardian. When Machi explains to Natsu that she will attend a school in the city, he gives Machi a set of trials that she must pass in order to be able to survive city life.
