Masaaki Mizunaka: "'I Want All of Humanity to See This'—The Cat-Loving Cast Talks About the New Anime 'Nyaight of the Living Cat'"

A special program for the new summer anime "Nyaight of the Living Cat," titled "The Nyan-demic Can't Be Stopped! 'Nyaight of the Living Cat' Episode 1 Pre-ABEMA Special," was broadcast live and exclusively on ABEMA on Wednesday, July 2.

The program featured live appearances by Masaaki Mizunaka (Kunagi), Reina Ueda (Kaoru), and Reiji Kawashima (Arata). In addition to cast-led explanations and behind-the-scenes talk about the show, the hour before the TV anime premiere was filled with cat-themed variety segments, making it an all-cat extravaganza fitting for the occasion.

■ Reina Ueda: "Find Your Favorite Cat!"—Cast Shares Highlights of 'Nyaight of the Living Cat'

"Nyaight of the Living Cat" (abbreviated "Nyairibi") is a unique survival comedy set in a world where a virus that turns anyone who touches a cat into a cat themselves has caused a worldwide "Nyan-demic." The story follows cat lovers struggling to resist the temptation to touch cats, depicting their battle for survival. Appropriately, since cats are at the heart of the story, the cast made their entrance with a lively "Konban —nya~" in cat-speak, setting off an energetic start to the program.

The show wasted no time transitioning to character introductions. Masaaki Mizunaka, speaking about his role as Kunagi, shared, "He’s really straightforward, and his love for cats is almost too intense." He added, "But it's that intensity that makes him interesting, and I worked to channel the manga's energy directly into my voice for the recording." His comments were met with enthusiastic agreement from Ueda and Kawashima, who responded, "You really brought a ton of presence to the role!" and "It was perfect!"

However, there were some challenges working with Mizunaka's performance. Ueda recalled the recording sessions with a laugh, "Even in scenes where we're not supposed to laugh, whenever Kunagi speaks I couldn't help but chuckle. It was tough to hold it in!" Kawashima also shared, "During the test recordings, I just couldn’t help but burst out laughing," creating a light and humorous atmosphere.