If you can’t resist a good fantasy and love fantasy, make space in your list for the summer season. The production committee behind The Cat and the Dragon (Neko to Ryu for Japanese purists) has just released its second promotional trailer and a new official image, reminding us that this animated gem by studio OLM will hit screens next July.

A cast blending legends and new stars

For bringing this peculiar world of magical creatures to life, we already knew they counted on industry titans like Takehito Koyasu (Nekoryu) and Kikuko Inoue (Mama-nyan), but the team decided to add three heavyweights for the supporting characters. The newly confirmed lineup includes:

• Atsumi Tanezaki as Gally.
  The unmistakable Anya Forger in Spy x Family and the legendary elf in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.
• Chika Anzai as Anne Rossa.
  Worldwide known for voicing Chisato Nishikigi in Lycoris Recoil and Reina Kousaka in Sound! Euphonium.
• Junya Enoki as Stan.
  Famous as Yuji Itadori in Jujutsu Kaisen and Nasa Yuzaki in TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You.

Veterans behind the magic on screen

Direction for this work falls on the shoulders of Jin-Koo Oh (who already proved his touch in Tonbo!), while scripts are being polished by Mitsutaka Hirota, the same one who adapted the madness of Edens Zero. And if the trailer sounded epic, it’s because the soundtrack is handled by Takahiro Obata, the musical genius behind the unforgettable tension of The Promised Neverland. Basically, they assembled a team that knows exactly how to handle fantasy world-building without losing pace.

Synopsis of The Cat and the Dragon

The story transports us to a fantasy world where a huge, solitary dragon, feared by many creatures, finds a small abandoned magical cat. Instead of devouring it, the imposing dragon decides to adopt and raise it, creating an unbreakable bond between two completely opposite beings. As the feline grows under the beast’s tutelage, it begins to explore the world on its own, interacting with human adventurers, elves, and other species, and showing that even the most fearsome creatures have a soft side when it comes to spoiling a cat.

Will you give this relaxing anime a chance, or prefer darker fantasy stories for the summer?