According to its official website, Pon no Michi, or The Way of Pon, the first mahjong anime, will debut on January 5. The show will air on TBS, MBS, and BS-TBS as part of the “Animeism” programming block.
Set in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, the narrative centers on Nashiko Jippensha, a high school student who ends up on the streets.
When she finds her father’s old mahjong parlor empty, she decides to make it into a hangout where she can cook, drink tea, and occasionally play mahjong with her friends.
The original story is credited to IIS-P, and Tatsuma Minamikawa (of Fire Force and Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry) is the director and writer at OLM.
Negi Haruba, the designer of The Quintessential Quintuplets, created the original character designs, which Kenji Ōta (who worked on the Pokémon XY key animation) modified for animation.
The stars:
- Hibiku Yamamura as Haneru Emi
- Kaori Maeda as Nashiko Jippensha
- Iori Saeki as Pai Kawahigashi
- Akio Ōtsuka as Mahjong spirit character, Chonbo
- Yui Kondou as Riche Hayashi
- Shion Wakayama as Izumi Tokutomi
Yūko Takahashi, Takuma Sogi, hisakuni, Rico Ohashi, Kanji Eguchi, and Shari are the composers of the music. Pon no Michi All Stars and Kana Nakada, a professional mahjong player and former member of Nogizaka46, perform the theme song “Ponpopopon,” which opens the show.
Additionally, on September 1st, Kodansha’s Nakayoshi magazine published a manga adaptation of the anime by Tsukasa Unohana (known for Anima Yell!).
