MAPPA Casts Shūichirō Umeda and Aya Gomazuru for 'Beat & Motion' Netflix Anime

MAPPA pulled back the curtain on its next major project during the studio's 15th anniversary lineup reveal, dropping a teaser visual, first trailer, full staff, and the two main voice actors for the upcoming Netflix exclusive.

Shūichirō Umeda voices Tatsuhiko Hirayama, a former punk bassist and aspiring animator who has grown jaded and resigned to a quieter life. Aya Gomazuru plays Nico Kashiwagi, the bubbly, talented singer-songwriter who reaches out after one of his animations goes viral and asks him to create a music video.

The story follows the unlikely pair as they collide over their shared creative passions, rediscover purpose, and push each other toward dreams neither could chase alone. It centers on the intersection of animation and indie music as two very different young creators find new direction.

The source manga by Naoki Fujita ran on Shonen Jump+ from 2023 to early 2025 across six volumes. It originated as the grand prize winner of Shueisha's MILLION TAG reality-style contest, which included a Netflix anime adaptation as part of the reward. MAPPA is producing with director Yuki Komada, series composition and scripts by Misaki Morie, and character design by Kazunori Aoki.

The project will stream worldwide exclusively on Netflix in 2027.

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