The upcoming anime adaptation of Hirokazu Yasuhara’s manga, Cultural Exchange With a Game Centre Girl, has revealed its debut date: July 6, 2025. Along with the premiere date, a main promotional video, a key visual, and additional cast members have been unveiled, offering fans a closer look at what to expect from this charming romantic comedy.
Story Premise
Cultural Exchange With a Game Centre Girl follows Renji Kusakabe, a young man working part-time at a game arcade. One day, he encounters Lily Baker, a British girl struggling with a crane game on Valentine’s Day. Lily is in tears because she cannot win the prize. Renji helps her, and she successfully gets the stuffed animal. Lily later gives Renji a message card with the message, “Be My Valentine!”. The series explores their budding friendship and cultural exchange.
Premiere Date and Where to Watch
The anime will premiere on July 6, 2025, on AT-X at 11:30 p.m. JST. It will also air later that evening on Tokyo MX, Sun TV, KBS Kyoto, and BS Asahi.
New Trailer and Key Visual
Kadokawa has released a main promotional video that previews the opening theme song. The show’s website also revealed a new key visual. The key visual features Lily, a young blonde girl, at a crane game machine.
The Cast and Characters
The cast includes:
- Renji Kusakabe voiced by Shoya Chiba.
- Lily Baker voiced by Sally Amaki.
- Aoi Kusakabe voiced by Reo Osanai.
- Karin Kaga voiced by Asaki Yuikawa.
- Hotaru Katsuragi voiced by Kaori Ishihara.
- Momoko Mochizuki voiced by Ai Kayano.
Lily Baker is a 13-year-old girl who moved to Japan from England. She enjoys playing at the game center but still lacks certain gaming skills.
Theme Songs
The opening theme song, “Futari no Start Button” (Their Start Button), is performed by Sally Amaki and Shoya Chiba as their characters. Amaki also performs the ending theme song “Amusing Flavor”.
Production Staff
The production staff includes:
- Director: Toshihiro Kikuchi
- Series Composition: Yasunori Yamada
- Character Design: Rikiya Okano
- Music: Takuro Iga
- Art Director: Isamu Nishiyama
- Art Setting: Kenta Masuda
- Color Design: Yukiko Shigemitsu
- Editing: Mutsumi Takemiya
- Sound Director: Yasunori Ebina
- Sound Effects: Kiyotaka Kawada
- Recording Adjustment: Shunpei Takeuchi
- Animation Production: Nomad
Manga Origins
The Cultural Exchange With a Game Centre Girl manga series is written and illustrated by Hirokazu Yasuhara. It began serialization online via Twitter and Pixiv in December 2019. Fujimi Shobo later acquired it and began publishing it on the Niconico Seiga website under their DraDra Sharp brand on May 15, 2020. As of December 2024, the series has been collected into nine tankōbon volumes.
Cultural Context
The series plays with cultural differences, particularly the differing Valentine’s Day traditions between England and Japan. In Japan, women typically give gifts to men on Valentine’s Day, while in England, it is the opposite. This misunderstanding sets the stage for the initial connection between Renji and Lily.
Where to Read the Manga
The manga is available on the Niconico Seiga website under Fujimi Shobo’s DraDra Sharp brand. It has been collected into nine tankōbon volumes as of December 2024.
Reception
The manga has gained popularity for its heartwarming story and charming characters. The anime adaptation is highly anticipated by fans of the series.
With its premiere just around the corner, Cultural Exchange With a Game Centre Girl promises to be a delightful addition to the Summer 2025 anime season.
