Manga follows middle-school student, talking bear in Tōhoku region of Japan

Media Factory began streaming a teaser video on Friday to announce that Masume Yoshimoto 's Kuma Miko: Girl Meets Bear manga is getting a TV anime adaptation.

The manga follows Machi, a middle school student who serves as a shrine maiden (miko) at a Shinto shrine enshrining a bear (kuma) in the recesses of a certain mountain in Japan's northern Tōhoku region. Machi's guardian is a talking bear named Natsu, and one day Machi says to Natsu, "I want to go to a school in the city." The worrywart Natsu then gives Machi — who is ignorant in the ways of the world — a set of trials that she must pass in order to be able to survive in the city.

The anime will star Natsumi Hioka ( Witch Craft Works ' Kotetsu Katsura) as Machi Amayadori and Hiroki Yasumoto ( Bleach 's Chad, Hetalia 's Germany, Yowamushi Pedal 's Shingo Kinjō) as Natsu Kumai.

Kiyoshi Matsuda (episode director for Wagnaria!! , Natsume's Book of Friends season 3, Durarara!! ) will make his directorial debut with the series at Kinema Citrus and EMT Squared . Pierre Sugiura ( Yuyushiki , Barakamon ) and Masao Iketani are in writing the scripts, and Hiroyuki Saida ( My mental choices are completely interfering with my school romantic comedy ) is designing the characters and serving as chief animation director.

Yoshimoto launched the series in Kadokawa 's Monthly Comic Flapper magazine in its May 2013 issue, and then Kadokawa added it to its ComicWalker web comic service in March 2014. Kadokawa will release the manga's fifth compiled volume on October 23.

Update: Character designs added. Source: Comic Natalie