There's something incredibly special about anime bringing back original voice actors decades later. High School! Kimengumi is getting a full remake that premieres January 9, and they've brought back Kenichi Ogata to reprise his role as Kocho-sensei, the very old principal - the same role he voiced in the 1985 original. That's nearly 40 years of continuity right there. If you know Ogata's work as Professor Agasa in Detective Conan or Genma Saotome in Ranma ½, you know this is going to be perfect casting. The nostalgia factor alone makes this remake worth checking out.

Class returns for schoolchildren all over Japan later this week, and that includes the kids of High School! Kimengumi, for which a remake anime is starting on January 9. The official accounts for the new adaptation of Motoei Shinzawa's comedy manga series revealed tonight that returning from the original 1985 series would be Kenichi Ogata as Kocho-sensei, the very old principal of the junior high school.

Kenichi Ogata

Kenichi Ogata is best known for voicing Professor Hiroshi Agasa in Detective Conan, Genma Saotome in Ranma ½, and the Narrator in the Ranma ½ remake, as well as Gran Torino in My Hero Academia. He originally voiced Kocho-sensei in the original 1985 High School! Kimengumi anime, appearing in the first episode, is likely to do the same again this week.

Staff

Kazuaki Seki (Perfume, Gen Hoshino music videos) directs High School! Kimengumi at Animation Studio Seven with series composition written by Shigeru Murakoshi (ZOMBIE LAND SAGA), character designs from Yuka Abe and in-show song production by Night Tempo. It is set to premiere on January 9 in the noitaminA block.

About the Series

High School! Kimengumi is the second installment in Shinzawa's Kimengumi (literally translated to "Funny Face Club") manga series. The first entry, Sannen Kimengumi ("Third Year Funny-face Club"), was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from October 1980 to April 1982. When the main characters entered high school, the title changed to High School! Kimengumi and the sequel was serialized in the same magazine from April 1982 to July 1987.

The remake series premieres January 9.

Are you excited for High School! Kimengumi? Let us know in the comments!