Studio's 1st live-action TV series to premiere in April

EA's Rock

The animation studio Gainax announced on Wednesday that it is producing its first live-action television series with director Nobuhiro Yamashita. Gainax describes the show, titled, as(ennui-style), a genre of comedy that depicts the listless minutiae of everyday life. The tagline on the show's promotional image (pictured at right) reads "Avant-garde? An ennui-style hero comedy."

The show's story follows the former members of the "Kankaku Senshi Gokan Five," a super sentai group that successfully protected the Earth's peace and now goes about their daily lives in other occupations due to a lack of hero-related work. It will take place in Tokyo's Shooting Bar EA, a combination airsoft shooting range and bar, with Gokan Red, 45 years old, working at the bar owned by the former Gokan Blue as a bartender. Momoka, a 17-year-old high school girl, joins the team part-time as a waitress and Gokan Peach.

The series will contain 13 15-minute episodes, and the episodes will air on various television stations in Japan in April as well as on Nico Nico Douga.

Yamashita previously directed the live-action films Cream Lemon, Linda Linda Linda , and My Back Page . Yamashita is also scripting the series alongside Rikiya Imaizumi and manga artist Hiroyuki Ōhashi ( City Lights, Ongaku to Manga ). Ōhashi is also acting as character designer. Hiroyuki Yamaga and Yoshinori Asao are planning the project, and Shōji Ikenaga is directing the music. Gainax is collaborating with Shooting Bar EA, Kichijoji Tron, Inc., and Getsumin to produce the series, while Yasuhiro Takeda ( The Notenki Memoirs ) and Yoshinori Asao are listed as producers.

The show will star Hiroshi Yamamoto and newcomer Kotone Sheena. Additional cast includes Fuyuki Moto, Jō Hyuuga, Takeshi Yamamoto, Kinako Kobayashi, Shōhei Uno, and Yoshimi Nozaki.

[Via manuloz]