DIVE!!
Background
Dive!! began as a light novel series written by author Eto Mori (creator of Colorful, screenwriter on the Black Jack OVA and Black Jack the Movie) that was published by Kadokawa from April 20, 2000 to Aug. 8, 2002 in four tankobon volumes. The series was later released in two bunkobon volumes on May 26, 2006 by Kodansha, and a combined version of the bunkobon volumes was released in June 2016 as an e-book. A manga adaptation illustrated by Masahiro Ikeno was published in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shonen Sunday from 2007 to 2008, with a second adaptation illustrated by Ruzuru Akashiba slated to begin in Kadokawa’s Young Ace in July.
Summary
Middle schooler Tomoki Sakai is an average student with a liking for diving who joins the Mizuki Diving Club (MDC), but with the team having not been able to produce any good recent talent it’s fallen on hard financial times, and the prospect of the club disbanding looms if new coach Kayoko can’t train and send a team member to the Olympics as part of Japan’s Olympic team within a year. Seeing vast potential in Tomoki, who’s at first only a mediocre diver, Kayoko is determined to awaken his talent, but will it be enough to keep the club from closing for good?
Get ready for heart-pumping 1.4-second aerial battles from 10 meters up in this first anime about the sport of diving!
Characters
Tomoki Sakai:
An average middle schooler who has been diving for six years and has hidden talent according to his coach Kayoko which is awoken during team training in Beijing.
Yoichi Fujitani:
MDC’s star member and a stoic perfectionist who’s seemingly a prodigy at the sport.
Shibuki Okitsu:
A diver from northern Japan who trains in the sea near Tsugaru.
Kayoko Asaki:
The new coach of MDC and granddaughter of the club’s founder. She believes Tomoki possesses a latent talent for diving and helps him awaken it.
Ryo Ohira:
The mood-setter of the team who specializes in exciting dives.
Reiji Maruyama:
The calm, cool-headed, and analytical member of MDC.
Broadcast Information
The anime adaptation will begin airing on July 6, 2017 during Fuji TV’s Noitamina programming block. The anime will also be available to stream exclusively through Amazon Prime Video in Japan and other countries, with the first episode to be available ahead of the TV broadcast on July 6. Each subsequent episode will be available on the service the morning after the airing in Japan.
Music
- Opening Theme: “Taiyo mo Hitoribocchi” by Qyoto
- Ending Theme: “New World” by Kento Hayashi
Other Media
Aside from the original light novel, manga adaptation, and TV anime, the series was also adapted into a live-action film in 2008, and a VR experience based on the series titled “Dive!! Lesson~Tomoki-hen” will open in July 2017.
Cast
Yuuki Kaji as Tomoki Sakai
Notable roles: Issei Hyodo in High School DxD, Haruyuki Arita in Accel World, Tatara Totsuka in K, Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan, and Phoenix Wright in Ace Attorney
Takahiro Sakurai as Yoichi Fujitani
Notable roles: Griffith and Femto in Berserk, Rohan Kishibe in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable, Akiteru Tsukishima in Haikyu!!, Kazuhito Harumi in Dog & Scissors, and Shogo Makishima in Psycho-Pass
Yuichi Nakamura as Shibuki Okitsu
Notable roles: Shimazu Toyohisa in Drifters, Daisuke Higashida in WWW.Working!!, Basara Tojo in The Testament of Sister New Devil, Guren Ichinose in Seraph of the End, and Renji Yomo in Tokyo Ghoul
Kaori Nazuka as Kayoko Asaki
Notable roles: Nunnally Lamperouge in Code Geass, Eureka in Eureka Seven, Yui Kotegawa in To Love-Ru, Miyu Edelfelt in Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, and the heroine in Amnesia
Ryota Ohsaka as Ryo Ohira
Notable roles: Marco Bodt in Attack on Titan, Sadao Mao in The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, Eijun Sawamura in Ace of Diamond, Mutsumi Hachioji in All Out!!, and Nagate Tanikaze in Knights of Sidonia
Koki Uchiyama as Reiji Maruyama
Notable roles: Soul Eater Evens in Soul Eater, Banagher Links in Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, Ichika Orimura in Infinite Stratos, Yu Otosaka in Charlotte, and Raku Ichijo in Nisekoi
Tomokazu Sugita as Atsuhiko Yamada
Notable roles: Gintoki in Gintama, Kyon in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Ragna the Bloodedge in BlazBlue, Joseph Joestar in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Saint Giorgio in Sekko Boys
Yusuke Kobayashi as Sachiya Yoshida
Notable roles: Arslan in The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Subaru Natsuki in Re:Zero -Starting LIfe in Another World-, Kazuki Kurebayashi in Selector Infected Wixoss, Honoka Takamiya in Witch Craft Works, and Subaru Uchimaki in This Art Club Has a Problem!
Kensho Ono as Kiyotaka Matsuno
Notable roles: Tetsuya Kuroko in Kuroko’s Basketball, Raichi Todoroki in Ace of Diamond, Takato in Charlotte, Ryunosuke Akutagawa in Bungo Stray Dogs, and Phichit Chulanont in Yuri!!! on Ice
Shouta Aoi as Toshihiko Tsuji
Notable roles: Ai Mikaze in Uta ni Prince-sama, Ryunosuke Matsushita in Kimi to Boku, Cagliostro in Symphogear, Rui Minaduki in Tsukiuta: The Animation, and Daiki Tomii in Shonen Hollywood
Kengo Kawanishi as Jiro Hirayama
Notable roles: Kisaki Matsuribi in Aldnoah.Zero, Mikakuki Augus in Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, Rei Kiriyama in March Comes in like a Lion, and John Steinbeck in Bungo Stray Dogs
Ryohei Kimura as Hiroya Sakai
Notable roles: Ryota Kise in Kuroko’s Basketball, Bokuto Kotaro in Haikyu!!, Akira Takizawa in Eden of the East, and Shoma Takakura in Mawaru Penguindrum
Staff
- Original Creator: Eto Mori
- Director: Kaoru Suzuki
- Series Composition: Touko Machida
- Original Character Designer: Suzuhito Yasuda
- Chief Animation Director/Animation Character Designer: Miyako Yatsu
- Music: Kohta Yamamoto & Yuuki Hayashi
- Animation Studio: Zero-G