NHK introduced the cast for the anime series Maiko-san Chi no Makanai on Wednesday. The geisha-themed series is based on a manga that can be translated as Makanai in the Maiko Lodge. Although, on the English-language website, it looks like NHK will use Kiyo in Kyoto: From the Maiko House as a reasonable translation.
Kana Hanazawa (Red Blood Cell AE3803 in Cells At Work!) will play Kiyo. Idol and actress M.A.O. (Shion in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime) plays Kiyo’s childhood friend Sumire.
Here’s a preview video from last year:
The two girls from Aomori travel to Kyoto with dreams of becoming maiko (apprentice geisha). However, Kiyo ends up as a live-in cook at a maiko house, while Sumire actually becomes a maiko. The story takes a behind-the-scenes look at life in a maiko house, and life in one of Kyoto’s historic geisha districts: hanamachi (aka kagai in the local Kyoto dialect).
Other cast members introduced on Wednesday include:
- Minami Takayama (Conan Edogawa in Detective Conan) will play Kenta, a friend who stays behind in Aomori.
- Satsumi Matsuda (Syoko in The [email protected] Cinderella Girls) will play Tsurukoma, a senior maiko in the maiko house.
- Kaoru Katakai (Matsuki-san in Kinmoza!) will play Okaa-san/ Mother, the head of the maiko house.
- Rikiya Koyama (Ayumi’s father in Ika Musume) will play Onii-san/ Big Brother, a professional helper who assists the maiko with their kimono.
Where to Watch
The series will begin on 25 February. It will be available at NHK World, which livestreams in English. It is also available on satellite or cable, depending upon your location. They also have an NHK World app. You can also find information in Japanese at NHK Anime World.
The original manga by Aiko Koyama appears in Weekly Shonen Sunday. You can read the first chapter here.