Sarazanmai Season 1
01. I Want to Connect, but I Want to Lie
After accidentally breaking a statue of a kappa at a shrine in Asakusa, middle school student Kazuki Yasaka encounters Keppi, heir to the throne of the Kappa Kingdom. He, along with his classmates Toi Kuji and Enta Jinnai, enrage Keppi by calling him a frog; he steals their shirikodama, a mythical organ located in the anus that stores an individual's desires, and transforms them into kappas. Keppi informs them they must defeat a zombie by extracting its shirikodama in order to become human again. They are successful, but the act of "Sarazanmai" to transfer the shirikodama to Keppi exposes Kazuki's secret to the group: that he cross-dresses as the idol Sara Azuma. In a post-credits scene, police officers Reo Niiboshi and Mabu Akutsu extract the desires of a man they are questioning.
Ayumu Murase
Kazuki Yasaka
Koki Uchiyama
Toi Kuji
Shun Horie
Enta Jinnai
Mamoru Miyano
Reo Niiboshi
Yoshimasa Hosoya
Mabu Akutsu
Ryo Kato
Box Zombie / Nekoyama Mokichi
Teiko Kagohara
Sara Azuma
Junichi Suwabe
Keppi
Kimiko Saito
Enta's Grandmother
Rie Kugimiya
Haruka Yasaka
Kunihiko Ikuhara
Storyboard
Nobuyuki Takeuchi
Storyboard
Katsunori Shibata
Storyboard
Maimu Matsushima
Storyboard
Masato Jinbo
Director
Maimu Matsushima
Assistant Director
Nobuyuki Takeuchi
Director
Kunihiko Ikuhara
Director
Ayaka Fujii
Art Direction
Katsunori Shibata
Conceptual Design
Seina Yaguchi
Assistant Art Director
Nobuyuki Takeuchi
Storyboard Artist
Maimu Matsushima
Storyboard Artist
Kunihiko Ikuhara
Storyboard Artist
Takeo Ogiwara
Cinematography
Teruko Utsumi
Compositor
Masayuki Kurosawa
Editor
Yukari Hashimoto
Music
Kanako Arima
Sound Technical Supervisor
Kunihiko Ikuhara
Sound Director
Tomokazu Mitsui
Sound Effects
You Yamada
Sound Director
Toshihiro Funahashi
Music Producer
Yukari Hashimoto
Original Music Composer
Kunio Tsujita
Color Designer
Kayoko Ishikawa
Animation Director
02. I Want to Connect, but I Want to Take
Keppi gives the group a Dish of Hope as thanks for helping him, which grants one wish to whomever possesses it, and informs them that they can earn more plates by defeating more zombies. Kazuki explains that he cross-dresses for his younger brother Haruka, a fan of Sara's, and that he wishes to earn a dish for him. Toi wishes to earn a dish for his older brother Chikai, a yakuza for whom he sells cannabis. Kazuki and Toi are later forced to pursue Nyantaro, a feral cat cared for by Kazuki and Haruka, after he steals a bag of cannabis from Toi's grow-op. Nyantaro is suddenly captured by a kappa zombie who, upon being defeated, exposes Kazuki's secret that Nyantaro is domestic cat that he stole. In a post-credits scene, Enta encounters a sleeping Kazuki dressed as Sara, and kisses him.
Ayumu Murase
Kazuki Yasaka
Koki Uchiyama
Toi Kuji
Shun Horie
Enta Jinnai
Mamoru Miyano
Reo Niiboshi
Yoshimasa Hosoya
Mabu Akutsu
Teiko Kagohara
Sara Azuma
Junichi Suwabe
Keppi
Kimiko Saito
Nyantaro
Mariya Ise
Otone Jinnai (voice)
Akinobu Imai
Official
Ryo Kato
Cat Zombie
Taishi Murata
Kazuki's Dad
Aina Yasukuni
Kazuki's Mom (voice)
Kenjirou Tsuda
Chikai Kuji (voice)
Rie Kugimiya
Haruka Yasaka
03. I Want to Connect, but It's Not Meant to Be
Enta, who has a crush on Kazuki, wishes to earn a dish so that Kazuki will return to playing soccer with him. Reo and Mabu extract the desires of Otone's boyfriend (who, unbeknownst to her, is a serial killer targeting women) and turn him into a zombie. The group defeats the zombie, exposing the secret of Enta's crush, and causing Otone to forget her boyfriend ever existed. In a post-credits scene, Enta visits Haruka in a hospital, who is revealed to be a wheelchair user.
Ayumu Murase
Kazuki Yasaka
Koki Uchiyama
Toi Kuji
Shun Horie
Enta Jinnai
Mamoru Miyano
Reo Niiboshi
Yoshimasa Hosoya
Mabu Akutsu
Teiko Kagohara
Sara Azuma
Junichi Suwabe
Keppi
Takaya Kuroda
Imperial Boss (voice)
Mariya Ise
Otone Jinnai (voice)
Junya Enoki
Player A (voice)
Yūki Shin
Player B (voice)
Masato Niwa
Announcer (voice)
Ryo Kato
Kisu Zombie (voice)
Yasuhiro Kikuchi
Police Director-General (voice)
Aina Yasukuni
Kazuki's Mom (voice)
Rie Kugimiya
Haruka Yasaka
04. I Want to Connect, but You're So Far Away
Kazuki asks for Toi's help to kidnap Sara and so that he can take her place during a meet-and-greet that Haruka plans to attend. Toi's backstory is revealed through a flashback – after his parents died from suicide upon being conned into crippling debt, the family's soba shop was saved from closure through Chikai's intervention. When a yakuza came to collect the family's debt, he was shot by Toi, which was subsequently covered up by Chikai.
Ayumu Murase
Kazuki Yasaka
Koki Uchiyama
Toi Kuji
Shun Horie
Enta Jinnai
Mamoru Miyano
Reo Niiboshi
Yoshimasa Hosoya
Mabu Akutsu
Teiko Kagohara
Sara Azuma
Junichi Suwabe
Keppi
Kōsuke Echigoya
Toi's Uncle
Ryo Kato
Soba Zombie
Taishi Murata
Kazuki's Dad
Yasuhiro Kikuchi
Police Director-General (voice)
Aina Yasukuni
Kazuki's Mom (voice)
Kenjirou Tsuda
Chikai Kuji (voice)
Rie Kugimiya
Haruka Yasaka
05. I Want to Connect, but I Can't Be Forgiven
Toi attempts to kidnap Sara, though she evades him by transforming into a kappa, exposing Kazuki's crossdressing to his family. Kazuki reveals that he is adopted, and that he blames himself for Haruka's disability when he was hit by a car after they had a fight. Kazuki's turmoil causes him to fail in defeating the episode's zombie; an angry Keppi subsequently refuses to transform the group back into their human forms.
Ayumu Murase
Kazuki Yasaka
Koki Uchiyama
Toi Kuji
Shun Horie
Enta Jinnai
Mamoru Miyano
Reo Niiboshi
Yoshimasa Hosoya
Mabu Akutsu
Teiko Kagohara
Sara Azuma
Junichi Suwabe
Keppi
Akinobu Imai
Kazuki's Grandfather
Kimiko Saito
Enta's Grandmother
Toshihiko Seki
Yuri Kamome
Yuji Murai
Sara Azuma's Manager
Taishi Murata
Kazuki's Dad
Aya Endo
Kazuki's Biological Mother
Ryo Kato
Sachet Zombie
Aina Yasukuni
Kazuki's Mom (voice)
Rie Kugimiya
Haruka Yasaka
06. I Want to Connect, so I'm Not Giving Up
The group rescue Haruka after he is kidnapped by Reo, and are transformed back into human form. Keppi explains that Reo and Mabu are agents of the Otter Empire, who have been at war with the Kappa Kingdom for generations over the energy of the shirikodama; with the Kappa Kingdom now defeated, the Otter Empire has begun to extract the shirikodama of humans. In a post-credits flashback set during the Otter-Kappa war, Mabu sacrifices himself to protect Reo in battle.
Ayumu Murase
Kazuki Yasaka
Koki Uchiyama
Toi Kuji
Shun Horie
Enta Jinnai
Mamoru Miyano
Reo Niiboshi
Yoshimasa Hosoya
Mabu Akutsu
Teiko Kagohara
Sara Azuma
Junichi Suwabe
Keppi
Taishi Murata
Kazuki's Dad
Yasuhiro Kikuchi
Police Director-General (voice)
Aya Endo
Kazuki's Biological Mother
Aina Yasukuni
Kazuki's Mom (voice)
Rie Kugimiya
Haruka Yasaka
Katsunori Shibata
Storyboard
Noriko Hashimoto
Storyboard
Katsunori Shibata
Director
Noriko Hashimoto
Director
Noriko Hashimoto
Storyboard Artist
Katsunori Shibata
Storyboard Artist
Takatoshi Honda
Animation Director
07. I Want to Connect, but I Want to Betray
In a flashback, Mabu is brought back to life with a mechanical heart transplanted by Otter, though Reo believes that Mabu is merely a re-animated facsimile. Chikai's criminal dealings force him to flee the city, and Toi announces that he intends to join his brother. The group agrees to use the dishes to help Chikai, but discover they have been stolen. Upon defeating a kappa zombie, Enta is exposed as having stolen the dishes out of jealously over Kazuki's concern for Toi.
Ayumu Murase
Kazuki Yasaka
Koki Uchiyama
Toi Kuji
Shun Horie
Enta Jinnai
Mamoru Miyano
Reo Niiboshi
Yoshimasa Hosoya
Mabu Akutsu
Teiko Kagohara
Sara Azuma
Junichi Suwabe
Keppi
Kenjirou Tsuda
Chikai Kuji (voice)
Ryo Kato
Soccer Zombie
Takaya Kuroda
Otter
Rie Kugimiya
Haruka Yasaka
Yoshiyuki Ryunosuke
Storyboard
Yoshiyuki Ryunosuke
Writer
Noriko Hashimoto
Director
Yoshiyuki Ryunosuke
Storyboard Artist
08. I Want to Connect, but We'll Never Meet Again
Chikai and Toi make preparations to leave the city. Enta returns the Dishes of Hope to Kazuki, but they are confronted by Reo and Mabu, who intend to use the dishes to restore Mabu. Reo shoots Enta, and takes the dishes.
Ayumu Murase
Kazuki Yasaka
Koki Uchiyama
Toi Kuji
Shun Horie
Enta Jinnai
Mamoru Miyano
Reo Niiboshi
Yoshimasa Hosoya
Mabu Akutsu
Teiko Kagohara
Sara Azuma
Junichi Suwabe
Keppi
Nobuyuki Hiyama
Yasu Yasuda (voice)
Kenjirou Tsuda
Chikai Kuji (voice)
Takayuki Nakatsukasa
Policeman B (voice)
Masato Niwa
Policeman A (voice)
Rie Kugimiya
Haruka Yasaka
Shingo Kaneko
Storyboard
Masayuki Kurosawa
Storyboard
Shingo Kaneko
Director
Masayuki Kurosawa
Storyboard Artist
Shingo Kaneko
Storyboard Artist
09. I Want to Connect, but I Can't Express It
Keppi transforms a hospitalized Enta into a kappa so that he and Kazuki can recover the dishes. Reo witnesses Otter performing sexually-charged "maintenance" on Mabu's heart; when he intervenes, Otter appears in the form of Reo, and explains that he is a mirror of Reo's inner desires. Meanwhile, Chikai is shot and killed in a confrontation with the yakuza.
Ayumu Murase
Kazuki Yasaka
Koki Uchiyama
Toi Kuji
Shun Horie
Enta Jinnai
Mamoru Miyano
Reo Niiboshi
Yoshimasa Hosoya
Mabu Akutsu
Teiko Kagohara
Sara Azuma
Junichi Suwabe
Keppi
Kenjirou Tsuda
Chikai Kuji (voice)
Hiroki Goto
Masa
Kazuyuki Okitsu
Taka
Kunihiko Ikuhara
Circle-Kero Clerk
Michiho Akutsu
Nurse
Masato Niwa
Policeman A (voice)
Rie Kugimiya
Haruka Yasaka
Nobuyuki Takeuchi
Storyboard
Nobuyuki Takeuchi
Director
Nobuyuki Takeuchi
Storyboard Artist
Moaang
Animation Director
10. I Want to Connect, but I Can't
Kazuki, Enta, and Keppi encounter Dark Keppi, the corporeal form of half of Keppi's shirikodama held by the Otter Empire. Otter, having learned of Reo's plan to use the dishes on Mabu, transforms Mabu into a zombie. Keppi transforms Reo into a kappa, who recovers Mabu's shirikodama and learns that Otter forced Mabu into giving up his connection with Reo in order to live. Mabu tells Reo that he loves him, causing his mechanical heart to explode. A grieving Reo attacks Kazuki, Enta, and Keppi, but is shot and killed by Toi, who wishes to use the dishes to bring Chikai back to life. Kazuki uses the dishes to save Enta's life, and Toi is absorbed by Dark Keppi.
Ayumu Murase
Kazuki Yasaka
Koki Uchiyama
Toi Kuji
Shun Horie
Enta Jinnai
Mamoru Miyano
Reo Niiboshi
Yoshimasa Hosoya
Mabu Akutsu
Teiko Kagohara
Sara Azuma
Junichi Suwabe
Keppi
Kenjirou Tsuda
Chikai Kuji (voice)
Takaya Kuroda
Otter
Rie Kugimiya
Haruka Yasaka
Katsunori Shibata
Storyboard
Shingo Kaneko
Storyboard
Masayuki Kurosawa
Storyboard
Shingo Kaneko
Director
Noriko Hashimoto
Director
Katsunori Shibata
Storyboard Artist
Masayuki Kurosawa
Storyboard Artist
Shingo Kaneko
Storyboard Artist
11. I Want to Connect, so Sarazanmai
Toi begins to destroy his connection to Kazuki and Enta, but ultimately chooses to preserve it. Keppi fuses with Dark Keppi, with assistance from the group and a revived Reo and Mabu, and defeats Otter and the concepts it represents. Upon performing sarazanmai, Kazuki, Toi, and Enta foresee a potential future in which their connections to each other are eventually severed. In the aftermath, Toi is sent to juvenile detention for three years. Upon his release, he jumps off of the Azuma Bridge, but is rescued by Kazuki and Enta. The three happily run "off to the future" together.
Ayumu Murase
Kazuki Yasaka
Koki Uchiyama
Toi Kuji
Shun Horie
Enta Jinnai
Mamoru Miyano
Reo Niiboshi
Yoshimasa Hosoya
Mabu Akutsu
Teiko Kagohara
Sara Azuma
Junichi Suwabe
Keppi
Yasuhiro Kikuchi
Prison Officer
Rie Kugimiya
Haruka Yasaka
Kunihiko Ikuhara
Storyboard
Maimu Matsushima
Storyboard
Shingo Kaneko
Storyboard
Maimu Matsushima
Director
Kunihiko Ikuhara
Director
Shingo Kaneko
Storyboard Artist
Maimu Matsushima
Storyboard Artist
Kunihiko Ikuhara
Storyboard Artist