'Gloomy The Naughty Grizzly' Anime Series Announced

 

Nobody does cute mascot characters like the Japanese. Their national obsession with all things kawaii (cute) has caught the imagination of fans across the world. From Hello Kitty to Chiitan, Japanese creators have unleashed legions of cute critters on the world through merchandise, comics, video games, books, and animation. Created by Osaka-based artist Mori Chack and first appearing in 2000, Gloomy The Naughty Grizzly (also known as Gloomy Bear) is a somewhat subversive twist on the typical kawaii mascot character. After adorning all sorts of merchandise in the subsequent years, it has now been announced that Gloomy is to star in his first anime series.

Despite his cute appearance, the pink-furred Gloomy has a dark side and is prone to violence, often directed at his human owner Pity- Gloomy is often depicted as covered in blood from his many attacks. Gloomy and Pity have appeared before in short animated clips but this series will be his first full series, announced to celebrate the character's 20th anniversary.

 

Gloomy The Naughty Grizzly is set to air in Japan in April of 2021. International streaming has not yet been confirmed. Koichi Yamadera- the voice of Spike Spigel in the original version of Cowboy Bebop- has been cast as the voice of Gloomy. Natsuki Hanae (Tanjiro Kamado in Demon Slayer) will voice Pity. Takehiro Kubota will direct the anime. 

An announcement video has been released, complete with English subtitles. We wouldn't expect the style seen here will necessarily reflect the look of the finished series, however. A second video clip was also released, featuring Mori Chack discussing the character's journey to the screen, but unfortunately there's no translation.

For more on Gloomy, visit his official website.