Miyu Irino, Hiroshi Kamiya, Ai Kayano, Rina Hidaka Lead Captain Earth Anime

The February issue of Gakken Publishing's Animedia magazine is unveiling the cast for the Captain Earth television series from anime studio BONES on Friday:
Miyu Irino as Daichi Manatsu, a 17-year-old second-year high school student who becomes a pilot of Earth Engine, a general-purpose manned Impacter
Hiroshi Kamiya as Teppei Arashi, a 17-year-old boy who harbors powers beyond those of humans, as well as a sense of alienation
Ai Kayano as Hana Mutō, a girl who looks 17 years old, but whose true identity is unknown
Rina Hidaka as Akari Yomatsuri, a 17-year-old genius hacker

The story begins when second-year high school student Daichi Manatsu suddenly spies a mysterious circular rainbow floating in the skies over Tanegashima island on television, on the evening before summer vacation begins.

"I've seen that rainbow before…" Moved by intense foreboding, he heads to Tanegashima, the home of Japan's Tanegashima Space Center, by himself.

The mystery of his father's accidental death. Memories of mysterious boys and girls he met during childhood. Daichi arrives at the island full of complex emotions, and as alarms sound at the center, he encounters the robot "Earth Engine."

Daichi is asked, "Are you the Captain?" The target is the mysterious all-mechanical lifeform "Kirutogangu" that is invading from Uranus. Now, when the stars in the skies are ablaze, the curtains open on their battle….

BONES is reuniting Star Driver's director Takuya Igarashi and series script supervisor Yoji Enokido for this project. The two also collaborated in Ouran High School Host Club and Sailor Moon Super S. Enokido said that, whereas Star Driver was a "school robot" story, they are now doing a conventional robot anime.

Satoshi Ishino is adapting Fumi Minato's original character designs for animation, and he is also the chief animation director. A Star Driver veteran, Shigeto Koyama, designed the Earth Engine and other Engine Series mecha, while Takayuki Yanase handled the Machine Goodfellow designs and other mecha. Shinji Aramaki and Takeshi Takakura are the other mechanical designers. Masaki Asai and Takeshi Yoshioka designed the enemy Kirutogangu, and the artist okama is contributing concept designs. Tsuyoshi Kusano is the graphic designer, and Masatsugu Saitō is credited for design works.

Yasushi Muraki is directing the effects, while Masaru Yanaka and Koji Eto are in charge of the art with art designer Takeshi Takahashi. Shihoko Nakayama is the color key artist, and Tsuyoshi Kanbayashi is the director of photography. Kōki Ōta is directing the CGI, and Yoshiyuki Asai is serving as the director's assistant. Shigeru Nishiyama is the editor.

Kazuhiro Wakabayashi is the sound director, and Shizuo Kurahashi is handling the sound effects. Satoru Kousaki of monaca is scoring the soundtrack.

The television series will premiere in April.