New Details on the Pan Dorobō Anime: Lead Voice Actor and Ending Theme Revealed!
The award-winning picture book series Pan Dorobō (Bread Thief), which has captured the hearts of both children and adults in Japan, is strengthening its cast as it prepares to hit television screens. With the release of the second promotional video, it has been announced who will voice the series' mischievous, bread-loving main character. Popular voice actress Ayaka Asai has joined the cast as the voice of this iconic character. The trailer allows us to hear the character's voice for the first time while also presenting the ending song, which reflects the cheerful atmosphere of the series, to fans.
The original book series, created by Keiko Shibata and published under the KADOKAWA label, has achieved tremendous success, selling over 5 million copies to date. The series, which has won many prestigious awards such as the "TSUTAYA Picture Book Award" and the "Libro Picture Book Grand Prize," tells the adventures of a small mouse who is actually in pursuit of the most delicious bread and camouflages itself as a slice of bread. The story follows this mischievous thief as he eventually turns into a baker, channeling his passion in a positive direction.
The technical staff of the anime also consists of quite ambitious names. Takahiko Kyogoku, known for successful productions such as Love Live! and Land of the Lustrous, sits in the director's chair. The animation production is handled by the Shin-Ei Animation studio, which has produced legendary series such as Doraemon and Crayon Shin-chan. Lead actress Ayaka Asai previously won the admiration of fans with her role as Valac Clara in the Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun series.
This adaptation is seen as one of the strongest representatives of the "surrealist children's literature" trend that has been rising in Japan in recent years. While there is curiosity about how the unique drawing style and visual humor of the books will be transferred to the screen, the new trailer has raised expectations with its animation quality. The Pan Dorobō anime is scheduled to premiere on NHK Educational TV in October 2026. Fans have already started counting down the days to watch the bread-filled adventures of this cute mouse.
