Draw This, Then Die! Anime Reveals July 3 Premiere, Opening Theme
The July 3 premiere places Draw This, Then Die! in NTV's newly expanded one-hour Friday night anime block, a programming slot that signals the network's increased investment in anime adaptations.
Reporting from 2 sources: Anime News Network, AnimationXpress Anime.
The television anime adaptation of Minoru Toyoda's manga Draw This, Then Die! will premiere on July 3. The first promotional video, released on Friday, reveals and previews the opening theme song "Isho" by Tatsuya Kitani. The series will air on NTV's "Friday Anime Night" programming block at 11:30 p.m. JST. The anime is directed by Hiroaki Akagi at Shinei Animation, with series scripts overseen by Hiroko Fukuda. The cast includes Akira Sekine as Ai Yasumi, Saori Hayami as Rei Teshima, and Inori Minase as Hikaru Sekiryū, among others. The manga, which launched in Shogakukan's Monthly Shonen Sunday in November 2021, won an award at the 70th Shogakukan Manga Awards in January 2025 and the 16th Manga Taisho awards in 2023. Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the manga for English release.
The first promotional video also confirms additional cast members for Draw This, Then Die!. Saya Hitomi plays Kokoro Fujimori, Kanon Fujimura plays Sachi Akafuku, Noriko Hidaka voices Pokota, a character from Ai's "bible manga" Robota to Pokota who also appears as her imaginary friend, Atsumi Tanezaki plays Nana Teramura, the manager of a manga rental shop Ai visits, Yukana voices Hana Kongōji, an editor at Shogakukan and Rei Teshima's former editor, and Kikuko Inoue plays Hebichika-sensei, the creator of a manga that sold over 1 million copies.
Hiroko Fukuda is not only overseeing series scripts but also writing them alongside Aki Itami, who worked on Teasing Master Takagi-san season 3, and Kanichi Katō, who worked on The Eminence in Shadow 2nd Season. Takekazu Segawa, the sub-character designer for The Dangers in My Heart, is designing the anime's characters. Additional staff includes color key artist Kumiko Yanagisawa, art director Reiji Kasuga, compositing director of photography Shigemitsu Hamao, editor Aya Hida, music composer Hiroaki Tsutsumi, sound director Tatsuhiro Amano, and sound production by Bit Grooove Promotion.
The manga ranked at #6 for male readers in the 2023 edition of Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook. The eighth compiled volume shipped in October 2025. The series is available on Sunday Webry in addition to Monthly Shonen Sunday.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime News Network 'Draw This, Then Die!' Anime's 1st Promo Video Reveals Opening Theme Song, July 3 Premiere
- AnimationXpress Anime ‘The World Is Dancing’ trailer drops with a new theme song