Japan’s irradiated wasteland is getting ready to speak. The upcoming Tsugumi Project anime has revealed its three main voice cast members, offering fans a first taste of its post-apocalyptic world through a voiced comic preview.
Masaaki Mizunaka voices Leon, a soldier falsely convicted and sent on a near-suicidal mission into a devastated Japan. Misaki Watada joins as Tsugumi, a half-human girl with bird-like features, while Haruki Ishiya voices Doudou, a fellow convict and former underground boxer.
The cast announcement arrived via the anime’s official X account, alongside the first part of a voiced comic featuring Leon and Doudou. The preview offers an early listen to the characters as they navigate a world where survival is no walk in the park.
Based on Ippatu’s manga, Tsugumi Project unfolds more than 200 years after nuclear war devastated Japan. Cut off from the rest of the world, the island has become a deadly maze of irradiated monsters, forgotten technology and buried secrets.
Leon is given one year to recover a powerful weapon known as Toratsugumi in exchange for his freedom. But the mission takes a turn when Tsugumi, a mysterious girl with talons, swoops in to save him. The weapon’s true nature and its connection to her, remains part of the mystery.
The manga first appeared in France, published by Ki-oon across three volumes, before moving to Kodansha’s Weekly Young Magazine. Its serialisation ran from January 2021 to November 2023, with the chapters collected into seven volumes. Kodansha USA publishes the manga in English.
Creator Ippatu has also contributed character designs to Mamoru Hosoda’s films Belle and Scarlet, adding another notable credit to the creative talent behind the manga.
For now, the anime’s production staff and release date remain under wraps. But with its voice cast stepping into the wasteland, Tsugumi Project has made its first move and the road to Japan’s buried secrets is already sounding dangerous.
