Re-Main - What We Know So Far
In recent years, Japanese animation studio MAPPA has gained a reputation for its stellar work. The studio's name is attached to premium anime like "Jujutsu Kaisen" and the final season of "Attack on Titan," and it has Japanophiles buzzing about its upcoming adaptation of the brutal manga "Chainsaw Man." However, that's not the only project MAPPA is in the process of mapping out at the moment. Keep your eye on the ball, because studio MAPPA is bound to make waves with "Re-Main."
Anime fans may (or may not be) excited to know that "Re-Main" is yet another sports anime, though an undeniably unique one. It has a concept somewhere between the swimming anime "Free" and ball-based sports anime like "Haikyu" and "Kuroko's Basketball." By that we mean it focuses on water polo — a lesser-known sport that resembles soccer except it is played in a pool and athletes mainly use their hands. Like "Free," the show's main characters include several fit, sharp-looking high school boys and focuses on themes of male camaraderie.
Those excited to see another masterfully rendered sports anime break out of Japan will be excited to learn that "Re-Main" is right around the corner. Here's what we know so far about the show's release date, cast, and plot.
What is the release date for Re-Main?
As we said before, fans of sports anime won't have to wait long. According to Anime News Network, "Re-Main" has been in production since at least April 2021, if not longer. Given that studios and distributors often abstain from announcing projects until they are at least part-way through completion, there's not much of a doubt that MAPPA has been making "Re-Main" for quite a while. The show's second trailer (which is regrettably only available in Japanese) marks its release date as July 3, 2021.
As of now, it seems like "Re-Main" is only due for a single season. More could come if the show proves successful, but presently, fans shouldn't expect anything more than what they already see. The only problem is that most of what will be seeable will be in Japanese only. In other words, nothing official indicates any sort of English localization for the show. An article on Funimation's website implies the show might come out in English by virtue of the article being in English itself, but it never directly mentions if, or when, a proper translation of "Re-Main" might be released. Of course, fansubs are often an option on some of the anime world's legally gray streaming sites.
Who is in the cast of Re-Main?
Given that "Re-Main" is just a hair shy of releasing, studio MAPPA has released a fair amount of information about the cast and characters set to star in the show. Granted, a good amount of it is difficult to parse due to most of this information being in Japanese. Furthermore, the short character descriptions provided on the official "Re-Main" website are obscured by the background when translated into English.
We know, both from the official site and from trailers, that the show's protagonist is Minato Kiyomizu, a talented junior high water polo player who leaves the sport after getting injured in a car accident. Minato is played by actor Yuto Uemura (via My Anime List). The supporting characters are mainly Minato's teammates, rivals, and other important figures in the water polo world. They are portrayed by fellow Japanese voice actors including Kotaro Nishiyama, Subaru Kijima, Daisuke Hirose, Tasuku Hatanaka.
What is the plot of Re-Main?
When Minato Kiyomizu was caught in a catastrophic automobile accident during his time in junior high school, his life changed forever. Waking up in a hospital bed, Minato learns that the crash put him into a coma. Furthermore, he now suffers from amnesia and is incapable of remembering the last year of his life. Once an up-and-coming water polo star on his school's team, Minato abandons his favorite hobby following the accident.
However, that soon changes. "Re-Main" is not a show about someone learning to live without their passion. It is a show about a character rediscovering that passion after life gets in the way. After certain events that aren't made entirely clear in trailers (either intentionally or through lack of translation), Minato vows to return to his old stomping grounds and compete in water polo again. What follows is sure to be an exciting and enlightening journey for the main characters, as Minato dives back into one of his favorite activities.