Ugoku Neko Mukashi Banashi Anime Adds Idol Group Member as Guest Voice

Kadokawa has announced that Yūjirō Shirakawa, a member of the boy band Junretsu, will appear as a guest voice actor in Ugoku! Neko Mukashi Banashi. The anime is a web series based on Pandania’s four panel manga Neko Mukashi Banashi, which reimagines folktales and children’s stories from around the world with one whimsical twist: what if there was a cat in the story?

Shirakawa joins Snow Man member Daisuke Sakuma, who was previously announced as a guest voice actor for the series. The show made its debut on October 15, 2025 at 8:00 p.m. JST on its official YouTube channel, with new episodes releasing every Wednesday.

Kazumi Nonaka is directing the anime at Studio Comet. Kenichi Yamashita is handling series scripts, and Narumi Shimoji is designing the characters.

The manga has four volumes in Japan, with the latest titled Yo! Neko Mukashi Banashi releasing on October 16, 2025. Pandania has a dedicated fanbase for their cat themed manga work, which also includes Cats With Jobs, The Evil Secret Society of Cats, Yokai Cats, and Monster Cats. Seven Seas Entertainment is publishing all four of those titles in English. Dark Horse Comics is separately releasing Pandania’s Cthulhu Cat manga in English.

The series is a lighthearted watch for fans of cute, low stakes comedy anime, and the guest voice casting from popular idol groups suggests Kadokawa is aiming for a broad audience.

My take: The concept of dropping a cat into classic folktales is the kind of simple, charming idea that just works. If the anime captures even half the warmth of Pandania’s manga art style, this should be a genuinely enjoyable short to unwind with on a Wednesday evening.