Adapting a story where the protagonist doesn’t speak a single word seemed like an impossible mission, but the anime industry always finds a way to surprise us. The producer King Amusement Creative confirmed this Friday that the popular mystery and romantic comedy manga written by Shinichi Sawaragi and illustrated by tank Gasuyama, A Pen, Handcuffs, and a Common-Law Marriage (Pen to Wappa to Jijitsu Kon), will receive an animated adaptation for television. The announcement was made official with the release of a first teaser video and a commemorative illustration that gives us a taste of the visual style the project will have.

A challenge for animation: A mute heroine

The news surprised even the creators themselves. In a message shared with fans, writer Shinichi Sawaragi confessed that he thought an anime would be “absolutely impossible” due to the muteness of his main character, but he was eager to see how they would resolve the lack of dialogue on screen. For his part, artist tank Gasuyama celebrated the opportunity to see his work with movement, soundtrack, and voices (at least for the rest of the cast).

Since the announcement is very recent, the production committee has not yet revealed the technical team, animation studio, or voice cast, so the mystery about how this series will sound will remain for a while longer. What is certain is that the source material is solid: published in Hakusensha’s Young Animal magazine since 2022, the manga has already surpassed 400,000 copies in circulation and is about to release its seventh volume on April 28.

What happens when the only clue is a marriage drawing?

If the premise and age difference make you curious, here’s the plot explained. The story follows Eiji Kirisame, a serious and dedicated 40-year-old detective whose world revolves solely around his work. Everything changes during a criminal investigation when he encounters Tsugumi Kuchinashi, a silent high school girl who was present at the crime scene.

Tsugumi has a particularity: she doesn’t speak at all, and her only way of communicating is by making quick doodles in a sketchbook. Eiji, accustomed to assembling puzzles with minimal clues, takes each of the girl’s strokes very seriously to try to solve the case. However, his detective instinct goes overboard when one of Tsugumi’s drawings turns out to be a direct proposal: “Will you marry me?!”

Knowing Tsugumi’s vocal limitation, do you think the anime will opt to give her an off-screen voice to narrate her internal thoughts, or will the studio risk keeping her completely silent, relying purely on the animation of her drawings and facial expressions?