Neeko, Sayaka Nakaya, Ayane Sakura, more join cast

The official website for the third anime season based on Choboraunyopomi's Ai Mai Mi four-panel manga revealed additional cast and the January 3 premiere date for the series on Saturday. The site has also revealed the third season's full title: Ai Mai Mi: Surgical Friends .

The five-minute anime series will premiere on January 3 on AT-X at 11:30 p.m. The series will then air on TV Saitama, tvk, KBS Kyoto, and Sun TV. Additionally, the show will stream on Niconico, Bandai Channel, d Anime Store, and U-NEXT in Japan.

A special program for the anime (that will also be five minutes long) will air on December 24 on AT-X at 11:25 p.m., and will then later air on TV Saitama, tvk, KBS Kyoto, and Sun TV.



The additional cast includes:

Ai Kayano as Ponoka



Neeko as Chobo-sensei

Sayaka Nakaya as Nanako

Ayane Sakura as Sachie

Mirai Sasaki as Chōjirō

Seitarō Mukai as other roles

The three main cast members are reprising their roles:

Yuka Ōtsubo as Ai Ebihara



Aya Uchida as Mai



Maaya Uchida as Mī



The three also sang the first two anime seasons' opening theme songs, and will perform the theme song "Zenin Shūgō Ai Mai Mi!!!" for the third season as well.

Itsuki Imazaki is returning to direct the new season at the animation studio Seven, just as he did for the first two seasons. Imazaki is also serving as the scriptwriter, producer, character designer, and animation director. Fūga Hatori is also returning from the first two seasons to compose the music. Nobuyuki Abe (Kemono Friends, Bananya) is the sound director. Dream Creation is in charge of the production, and On Lead is producing the sound.

Choboraunyopomi's four-panel manga follows girls in a manga club — Ai, Mai, Mī, and Ponoka-sempai — who might be fighting evil invaders threatening Earth, facing off against rivals in tournaments, and dealing with other absurd situations when they are not drawing manga.

The first anime season aired in 2013, and the second season aired in 2014. Crunchyroll streamed both series as they aired in Japan.

[Via Yaraon]