Company to stream original TV anime with subtitles, English dub

Funimation announced at the Katsucon 2020 event on Saturday that it will stream the original television anime series Listeners this spring. The company will stream the anime with English subtitles and an English dub.

The series will premiere in Japan in April on the Animeism programming block on the MBS, TBS, and BS-TBS channels.

The "great adolescent symphony" is set in a world where nothing called "music" exists. Humans are scared of mysterious lifeforms known as Miminashi (literally, no ears), and the only people who can stand up to the Miminashi are "Prayers" (literally, those who pray in offering) who can Plug In and pilot "Equipment" combat mecha.

Ekowo, a boy living in a scrapheap town of Liverchester, witnessed the legendary Prayer Jimi in the great battle of Fes against the Miminashi a decade ago. Ever since then, he has held Prayers in great esteem. One day, Ekowo is excavating in a scrapheap as usual when he comes across Myū, a girl with no memories and an empty audio input jack on her waist. She is also a Prayer. Before long, the two embark on a journey to uncover her origins and Jimi, the enigmatic pivotal figure of Fes. When Myū is plugged into an amp, something that will change the world is set in motion …. "Thus begins a journey of sound that will never be forgotten."

Listeners combines rock music and anime. Musician and Kagerou Project creator Jin ( Kagerou Daze, Mekakucity Actors ), anime writer Dai Sato (Eureka Seven, Wolf's Rain, Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop), and Taichi Hashimoto (revisions) are credited with the original story concepts. Jin's 1st PLACE (Mekakucity Actors), Hashimoto's Slow Curve (revisions, Human Lost), and Sato's Story Riders are credited with the project's original story, and the project's original character designer pomodorosa drew the teaser visual above. Slow Curve is planning, producing, and promoting the project.

Hiroaki Ando (Ajin franchise, Gambo, Tweeny Witches) is directing the anime at studio MAPPA. Dai Sato is overseeing the series scripts. Shinpei Kamada is adapting pomodorosa's original character designs for animation. Hatsue Koizumi and Shuuji Takahara are both sub-character designers and chief animation directors. Jin is producing the songs, and L!th!um is composing the music. Jin is writing, composing, and producing all 12 ending theme songs, and Myū (as voiced by Rie Takahashi) is singing all 12 songs.

Sources: Funimation's website and Facebook page