Yusuke Kobayashi, Asami Seto, Ai Kayano, Shiori Izawa lead Winter anime from J.C. Staff, Tsutomu Mizushima

The official website for the January 2014 television anime Witch Craft Works opened on Friday and unveiled the first promotional video, cast, and staff.

The anime of Ryū Mizunagi's Witch Craft Works manga was announced last November. The story centers around Honoka Takamiya, a boy whose classmate Ayaka Kagari is talented in sports, excels in classes, and is attractive on top of everything. She also happens to be most powerful witch on earth. Her purpose in life is to protect Takamiya at all costs.

The cast announced thus far includes:



Yusuke Kobayashi as Honoka Takamiya Asami Seto (Valvrave the Liberator, Chihayafuru) as Ayaka Kagari

Ai Kayano (You and Me, Senyū) as Kasumi Takamiya, Honoka's little sister

Shiori Izawa (Girls und Panzer, Silver Spoon), as Tanpopo Kuraishi, one of the "Witches of the Tower" who transfered to the high school



The website includes voice drama clips from these cast members.

Tsutomu Mizushima (XXXholic, Girls und Panzer, Genshiken) is directing the anime at J.C. Staff as well as supervising the series scripts. Mizushima is working on the anime's scripts alongside Michiko Yokote (Bleach, Genshiken, Cowboy Bebop, XXXHOLiC) and Reiko Yoshida (K-ON!, A Town Where You Live, Buddha 2: Tezuka Osamu no Buddha ~Owarinaki Tabi~). Yukie Hiyamizu (Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S sub-character designs) is designing the characters while Hiroshi Yakou (Heaven's Memo Pad, Waiting in the Summer) is designing the props. Kunio Tsujita (Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East) is handling the visual coordination for the series while Tomonori Kuroda (A Certain Magical Index, A Certain Scientific Railgun, Shakugan no Shana III (Final)) is the art director. The music will be composed by Technoboys Pulcraft Green-fund (Akikan!) at Lantis, and the opening will be sung by fhána.

The anime will have an advance screening event in Tokyo's Cinemart Shinjuku theater on December 29.

Mizunagi launched the manga in 2011, and Kodansha is publishing the sixth compiled book volume on Thursday.

Thanks to Woun Thisworld for the news tip

[Via Yaraon!]

Images © Ryū Mizunagi, Kodansha/Witch Craft Works Production Committee