You’ve heard of anime about cute girls doing cute things, but what about cute boys doing detective things? If that’s the kind of stuff you’re interested in, then you might want to check out Woodpecker Detective’s Office (Kitsutsuki Tantei-Dokoro). One of the many anime premiering next season, Woodpecker Detective’s Office is a mystery novel adaptation that is set to bring Meiji era detective drama to screens across the globe when it releases. Thanks to a recent update on the official website for the series, we now know exactly when it will air as well as additional info on the cast and theme song artists.
The original novel, penned by author Kei Ii, takes place in Japan during the year 1909, otherwise known as the Meiji era. It focuses on fictionalized versions of historical poet Takuboku Ishikawa and historical linguist Kyosuke Kindaichi, friends in real life who are also friends in the novel. Takuboku runs a private detective agency in the fictional story in order to support his family, and the book focuses on the two friends investigating a series of ghost appearances as the Asakusa Junikai building, also known as the Ryounkai.
The anime adaptation of Woodpecker Detective’s Office is set to premiere on April 13th and will air in Japan on Tokyo MX, BS-Fuji, and CS Family Gekijo. The series will also be streamed worldwide as it airs via Crunchyroll. Anime viewers will be treated to the opening theme song “Honjitsu mo Makoto ni Seiten Nari” (The Skies are Clear Again Today), which will be performed by Makoto Furukawa. The ending theme song for the anime, meanwhile, is titled “Gondola no Uta” (Gondola Song) and will be performed by NOW ON AIR.
So far, we know that the anime will star Shintaro Asanuma as Takuboku Ishikawa and Takahiro Sakurai as Kyosuke Kindaichi. We also know that voice actors Rikiya Hayashi and Hayato Furusawa will be a part of the series, having won the second round audition during the Kimikoe Project male voice actor competition in January. While Yukiya Hayashi is set to voice Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Furusawa’s role has yet to be revealed. The cast of Woodpecker Detective’s Office also includes Kenjiro Tsuda as Kodo Nomura, Soma Saito as Isamu Yoshii, Yuichiro Umehara as Sakutoro Hagiwara, Kensho Ono as Taro Hirai, and Makoto Furukawa as Bokusui Wakayama.
The anime is being produced at LIDEN FILMS with collaborative efforts by Tohoku Shinsha, with Shinpei Ezaki serving as chief director for the series. Ezaki previously worked on Monster Strike The Movie, Hanebad!, and Gunslinger Stratos: The Animation. Tomoe Makino is the main director for the anime, having previously been an episode director on Tsuredure Children, Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū, and Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto. Taku Kishimoto, previously on-staff for 91 Days, Silver Spoon, and three seasons of Haikyu!! is set to oversee the series scripts, while manga artist Kaoru Saki is character designer for the anime. Shuichi Hara will be responsible for adapting the character designs for animation, having previously worked on Lost Song and Alice in the Country of Hearts: Wonderful Wonder World. MONACA will be composing music for the anime, and Youji Shimizu is the sound director.
