Assassin Anime Buddy Daddies Casts Toshiyuki Morikawa

A preview screening for Buddy Daddies, a "buddy assassin" television anime from Nitroplus and P.A. Works, announced on Sunday that Toshiyuki Morikawa is joining the cast. Morikawa plays Kyūtarō Kugi, the manager of the Yadorigi café that Kazuki and the others frequent. Kūgi also happens to be the assassins' handler who arranges their assignments.

The staff also introduced the story of the first episode "Piece of Cake." The story begins when the assassins Kazuki Kurusu and Rei Suwa meet Miri, a girl looking for her father on Christmas Day. Kazuki, Rei, and Miri unexpectedly end up living together.

The main cast members include:

Toshiyuki Toyonaga as Kazuki Kurusu, a man running away from love, despite having good communication skills and a penchant for women and gambling

Kouki Uchiyama as Rei Suwa, a man who has never known love, as he was raised to be an assassin since childhood

Hina Kino as Miri Unasaka, a four-year-old girl whose father is the kingpin of a human-trafficking mafia, and whose mother is the kingpin's lover

Yoshiyuki Asai (Charlotte, The Day I Became a God, Fate/Apocrypha) is directing the anime at P.A. Works. Vio Shimokura (Tokyo 24th Ward, Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi, scenario collaborator on Steins;Gate) from Nitroplus drafted the original story, and is also overseeing the series scripts with Yuuko Kakihara (Aikatsu! franchise, Cells at Work!, Digimon Adventure tri., Persona 4 The Animation) . Katsumi Enami (Baccano!, Star Ocean anamnesis, Restaurant to Another World) drafted the original character designs, and Round Table's Katsutoshi Kitagawa (songs in Aria the Animation, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Chobits, Tamayura) is composing the music.

Other staff members include:

• Character Design, Chief Animation Director: Souichirou Sako (Go! Go! 575, Magi: Adventure of Sinbad, Ronowe Sensei no Akuma na Kami Jugyō, Sirius the Jaeger)
• Chief Animation Director: Sanae Satō
• Costume Design: Kaori Ishii
• Prop Setting: Kayoko Nabeta
• Firearms Setting: Hiyori Denforword Akishino
• Art Setting: Shiho Takeuchi, Hiromi Makino
• Art Director: Miho Sugiura
• Color Key Artist: Naomi Nakano
• Compositing Director of Photography: Teruyuki Kawase
• 3D Director: Haruki Suzuki
• 2D Works: Yoshihide Mukai (J.C.STAFF)
• Special Effects: Masahiro Murakami
• Editing: Ayumi Takahashi
• Sound Director: Satoki Iida
• Sound Effects: Yasumasa Koyama
• Sound Effects: Bit Grooove Promotion

The tagline on the visual (on right) is, "Starting today, the buddy assassins are raising a daughter." (The main male leads Kazuki and Rei are not only assassin partners, but also roommates.)

The series will premiere on Tokyo MX, Tochigi TV, Gunma TV, and BS11 on January 6 at 12:00 a.m. JST (effectively, January 7) before airing on other channels. In Japan, the anime will simultaneously premiere on the ABEMA TV service on January 6. Outside Japan, Crunchyroll will stream the anime.

Sources: Buddy Diaries anime's website, Comic Natalie