Exploring the dilemma of love and identity from
a totally unusual perspective is a formula that always manages to captivate
lovers of good drama. Tsumuji Yoshimura's celebrated
work, Just Like Mona Lisa (Seibetsu "Mona Lisa"
no Kimi e.), has officially confirmed that it will make the big leap to
television with its own animated adaptation. The news came with the
first promotional trailer, the reveal of its main cast and the confirmation
that the acclaimed Shaft studio will be at the helm of the
animation.
The story takes us to a fascinating reality
where all human beings are born without a defined gender. When they reach the
age of twelve, each person's body begins to change naturally according to the
sex they decide to adopt for their adult life. However, the protagonist Hinase
Arima reaches the age of eighteen while remaining neutral, feeling completely
comfortable living without any label with his childhood friends, Ritsu and
Shiori. All this apparent calm suddenly crumbles when both friends confess their
romantic feelings to her on the same day, forcing Hinase to reflect on what she
really wants and what it means to love someone.
Shaft's talent backing up the work
The project will be directed by Kana
Shundo within the facilities of the Shaft studio,
famous for its impeccable art direction. Character design and lead animation
direction will fall to Nobuhiro Sugiyama, while the talented Yuki
Hayashi will compose the soundtrack and the overall production will be
handled by the company CyberAgent. The original manga began
publication in May 2018 through Square Enix's Gangan Online portal,
concluding in December 2022 with ten compilation volumes and more than a
million copies in circulation, already emerging as a real dramatic gem for
the community.
Voice cast
- Chika Anzai como Hinase Arima.
Taking into account the deep narrative about
the search for identity and the unique visual signature that the Shaft studio
usually imprints on its works
