Sasaki and Peeps – The Inside Scoop with Kosuke Arai @AnimeNYC 2023
Sasaki & Peeps is about a lonely Japanese salaryman who wants to live a better life. Thing is, he can’t even afford a pet!
For his 40th birthday however, he finally decides “screw it!” and visits a petshop where he picks up an adorable (and affordable) java sparrow; who proceeds to change his life in a magical way.
Sasaki’s adventures start after learning that his new sparrow, Peeps (or P-chan), is actually an exiled mage from another world – but is trapped in a bird’s body. They form a contract linking each other’s fates, and Peeps, finally able to use his magic, teleports them to his home world.
Sasaki and Peeps is a light-hearted anime comedy (at least for now; we expect many twists and turns) based on a manga of the same name. It mixes the modern world to a medieval time period, with the two protaganists bonding over a mutual desire to live a better life. What’s already funny is the meaning of “better life” – Sasaki, desires to make more money, and Peeps to eat Kobe beef Chateaubriand. But this is only the beginning!
Sasaki & Peeps is slated to air January 2024 on Crunchyroll in the United States.
But before officially airing, Crunchyroll premiered the first 30 minutes of episode 1 at AnimeNYC 2023, along with talks with special guest, Kadokawa (the animation house) producer, Kosuke Arai. In addition, there was a subtitled video message from voice actress Yuki Aoi. The discussion has been edited for readability below:
Panel Discussion
Host: Allie Norado, Crunchyroll
Guest: Kosuke Arai, Kadokawa Producer
Interpreter: Alice
NOTE: Kosuke is speaking Japanese. Interpreted into English by Alice.
Arai: This is my first time in New York City. I’ve been watching lots of shows based in NY like 24, Heroes and Gossip Girl. [I’ve] been looking so forward to being here.
Norado: Can you please introduce yourself to the audience?
Arai: I’m an animation producer from Kadokawa. I was introduced to the content [for Sasaki and Peeps] 3 years ago, and the editor was really keen to point out the potential of this content for an animation to inspire fan’s imaginations worldwide.
Norado: Barring spoilers, can you share some insight into Sasaki and Peeps?
Arai: This story is about a corporate employee (or salaryman), 40yrs old and his partner, a java sparrow in disguise (really a sage from a different fantasy world). You’ll see a lot of crossover between modern day real life and the other fantasy world.
Sasaki is a very typical salaryman, and the skillsets that have helped [him] navigate the businessworld of Japan is going to [aid in] helping boost [his] modern life and the fantasy life. That’s something we hope the worldwide audience will enjoy.
ABOUT THE VOICE ACTORS
Arai: [From the premiere,] the last character you saw is voiced by Rie Takahashi who you may know from Oshi no Ko’s Hoshino Ai, and Re:Zero’s Emilia. She’s a BIG name, we’re really fortunate to have her. The neighbor that you saw earlier as Sasaki heads home is voiced by Kito Akari, another big name (Demon Slayer’s Nezuko), so you can imagine these two characters are going to be quite important in the series.
(click image to enlarge)
Norado: What was your experience working with the [voice] cast?
Arai: [They’re] spectacular actors and it’s a true pleasure to work with them. What’s really interesting is [that] Yuki-san (Peeps) actually HAD a pet java sparrow [as a pet]. So when she makes java sparrow sounds, it’s so much like the real bird.
ABOUT THE MUSIC
Arai: Japanese animation really is defined by the music [with] the opening and ending songs being very special. For the opening, we’re happy to announce MADKID will be responsible for providing and composing the music for us. They did music for Rise of the Shield Hero series.
Norado: Are there any special scenes or moments the audience [should] pay attention to throughout the series?
Arai: So far you’ve seen the two worlds, the modern world and the fantasy life. Next you’ll be introduced to magical girls and… angels and devils. This [series] is [a smorgasbord] of elements CRAMMED into an organized tapestry of storyline. I hope you enjoy the richness of the world that Sasaki and Peeps is.
FINAL CLOSING MESSAGE
Arai: Thank you so much for joining us here today. When you see episode 1 in January, you’ll be treated to a whole hour show. We really hope you tune in and look forward to seeing [it]!
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More Info (in Japanese): https://sasapi-anime.com/
Article has been edited for readability.
