The official website of the animated adaptation of Suu Morishita's manga 'A Sign of Affection' (Yubisaki to Renren) unveiled the anime's key visual on Thursday, along with the introduction of two new cast members and the announcement of opening and ending themes.
The Japanese band Novelbright will perform the captivating opening theme titled 'Yuki no Oto' (The Sound of Snow), while the musical group ChoQMay will handle the emotional closing theme called 'snowspring.'
The highly anticipated anime is set to premiere in Japan on January 6, 2024, and will be broadcast on Tokyo MX, MBS, and BS NTV. Crunchyroll premiered the anime exclusively at the Anime NYC event on November 19. Additionally, Crunchyroll will handle the series' streaming in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, and the CIS from January 2024.
According to Crunchyroll, the anime's plot unfolds with the message: 'With these hands, I want to tell you that I love you...' Suu Morishita's manga has achieved notable sales, surpassing 3.4 million copies to date, including digital copies, and has received recognition in various award rankings, sparking strong reactions on social media.
The story follows Yuki, a deaf university student, who finds support in Itsuomi, a senior student at her school. Despite Yuki's hearing impairment, Itsuomi treats her naturally, gradually opening up a new world for her. Over time, Yuki begins to develop feelings for Itsuomi, marking the beginning of a pure love story between a deaf university student and her senior companion traveling the world.
Sumire Morohoshi brings the character of Yuki Itose to life, while Yū Miyazaki portrays Itsuomi Nagi. The cast also includes Takeo Ōtsuka as Ōshi Ashioki, Ryota Ohsaka as Kyoya Nagi, and Kaede Hondo as Rin Fujishiro.
The creative team behind the anime includes Yūta Murano as director and scriptwriter, Yoko Yonaiyama as supervisor and scriptwriter, Kasumi Sakai as character designer, and Yukari Hashimoto as the music composer. Additional staff members include chief animation directors, prop designers, sign language animators, among others, contributing to bringing this romantic story to life.
Suu Morishita's original manga debuted in Kodansha's Dessert magazine in July 2019 and has sold over 3.4 million copies to date, including digital versions. Kodansha USA will release the manga in English, both digitally and through Kodansha's K MANGA service.
