Draw This, Then Die! Anime Shares Main Visual, Cast, and July Premiere Details
The upcoming TV anime adaptation of Minoru Toyoda’s manga Draw This, Then Die! (Kore Kaite Shine) is starting to show its colors—literally. The official website unveiled the series’ main visual, core cast, and expanded staff lineup, giving fans a clearer look at what’s coming this summer.
Set to air this July, the anime will broadcast on NTV’s newly expanded one-hour “Friday Anime Night” block, starting at 11:30 p.m. JST. It’s a prime slot that signals strong confidence in the series.
At the heart of the story is Ai Yasumi, voiced by Akira Sekine, a first-year high school student living on the island of Izuōshima who adores reading manga—and slowly discovers what it really means to create it. She’s joined by an impressively stacked cast:
- Saori Hayami as Rei Teshima, her calm and insightful Japanese language teacher
- Saya Hitomi as Kokoro Fujimori, a classmate gifted at drawing
- Kanon Fujimura as Sachi Akafuku, another close classmate
- Inori Minase as Hikaru Sekiryū, a fellow first-year and aspiring manga creator who transfers to the island
Behind the scenes, the anime is in experienced hands. Hiroaki Akagi (The Dangers in My Heart, Teasing Master Takagi-san) directs the series at Shinei Animation. Series composition and scripts are overseen by Hiroko Fukuda, with additional writing by Aki Itami and Kanichi Katō. Character designs are handled by Takekazu Segawa, whose style promises expressive, emotionally grounded visuals.
The staff lineup also includes Hiroaki Tsutsumi on music, ensuring a soundtrack that can match the manga’s emotional highs and lows, and Bit Grooove Promotion overseeing sound production.
Originally launched in Monthly Shonen Sunday in 2021, Draw This, Then Die! has quietly become a critical darling. The manga has earned major recognition, including wins at the 70th Shogakukan Manga Awards and the Manga Taisho, and even ranked among the top manga for male readers in Kono Manga ga Sugoi!.
With its grounded coming-of-age story, creative struggle, and heartfelt look at why people draw manga in the first place, this anime isn’t just about art—it’s about passion, doubt, and growth. And come July, it’s ready to draw viewers in.