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Hanebad! Badminton TV Anime Casts Nobuhiko Okamoto as Coach

The website for the television anime of Kosuke Hamada's Hanebad! (The Badminton play of Ayano Hanesaki!) manga announced on Friday that Nobuhiko Okamoto is voicing the badminton team's coach Kentarō Tachibana.

Tachibana goes to Azamino Sport University, but as a Kitakomachi High School alumnus, he accepts his old alma mater's request to become its badminton coach. He once was a powerful player himself, but a knee injury forced him to give up those dreams.

Okamoto noted he himself was on his badminton team during his first year of middle school, and he happened to pick up the sport again last year. He added that he understands the strategic interest in badminton and the burden it can take on one's body, so he thinks it would be good to be able to apply that experience to his performance.

The cast also stars:

• Hitomi Ohwada as Ayano Hanesaki
• Miyuri Shimabukuro as Nagisa Aragaki

Shinpei Ezaki (Monster Strike The Movie) is directing the anime at LIDEN FILMS, and Taku Kishimoto (Haikyu!!, ERASED) is in charge of the series scripts. Satoshi Kimura (Akashic Records of Bastard Magical Instructor) is designing the characters. Kazuhiro Wakabayashi is directing the sound, and Tatsuya Katō (Free!, Love Live! Sunshine!!) is composing the music.

The anime will premiere this summer. The three announced cast members will appear at the anime's first stage event at AnimeJapan 2018 on March 24 from 1:05 to 1:35 p.m.

The manga's story begins with Kentarō Tachibana, the coach of Kitakomachi High School's badminton team. He is worried because the team has so few members that it cannot even enter competitions, but then he spots a student named Ayano Hanesaki easily climbing a large tree on the school grounds, expertly demonstrating excellent motor skills. Tachibana tries to get Ayano to join the badminton team, but finds out that Ayano hates badminton.

Hamada launched the manga in Kodansha's Good! Afternoon magazine in 2013, and Kodansha published the 12th compiled book volume on March 7. Kodansha will publish the first side story novel, written by Yūichi Mochizuki and illustrated by Hamada, on June 29. The story is set at the Fredericia Girls' School one year before the main manga story.

Source: Comic Natalie