Some anime fans may love a good romance while others prefer anything and everything else. For those somewhere in between, Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun might fit the bill. The story follows Sakura Chiyo, a high school student with a crush on her oblivious schoolmate Nozaki Umetaro. When Sakura tries to confess her feelings, he misinterprets her actions and ends up giving her an autograph signed under another name. It turns out that Nozaki is a shojo manga artist who uses Yumeno Sakiko as a pen name. In an unexpected turn of events, Sakura becomes one of his assistants. Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun puts a comedic twist on the typical shojo tropes, making it an entertaining romance anime that’s fun for everyone.
For fans who have seen enough anime to the point that they recognize familiar voices in various series, certain characters in Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun will ring a bell. The Japanese cast, which includes some recognizable actors, features voices from shonen favorites such as Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Academia and Hunter x Hunter. Here are the Japanese voice actors of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun and where you’ve heard them before.
Nakamura Yuichi (MHA, Jujutsu Kaisen) as Nozaki Umetaro
Nakamura Yuichi plays the seemingly aloof Nozaki, who is a shojo manga artist despite having no firsthand romantic experience or past relationships. To make it even more ironic, it seems he’s oblivious to Sakura’s feelings. This results in a series of chaotic and supposedly romantic situations with Sakura that get lost in translation. For veteran anime fans who follow voice actors, Nakamura Yuichi’s name will be pretty familiar. His other iconic roles include Gojo Satoru in Jujutsu Kaisen, Hawks in My Hero Academia, Kuroo Tetsuro in Haikyuu!! and Soma Shigure in Fruits Basket.
Ozawa Ari (Kaguya-sama, Promised Neverland) as Sakura Chiyo
Ozawa Ari is the voice of Monthly Girls' Nozaki Kun's kind and bubbly protagonist, Sakura. After trying to confess to Nozaki, she finds herself becoming one of his assistants instead. A member of the school’s art club, Sakura is skilled in coloring, making her perfect for the manga job.
As the two become closer by working together, Sakura hopes to eventually set the record straight with Nozaki regarding her feelings for him. Ozawa also played Hikawa Hina in BanG Dream!, Tsuguha in Noragami, Fujiwara Moeha in Kaguya-sama: Love is War and the infamous Conny in The Promised Neverland.
Sawashiro Miyuki (Hunter x Hunter, SAO) as Seo Yuzuki
Sawashiro Miyuki plays the bold Seo Yuzuki, whom Sakura befriends since they sit next to each other in class. Seo’s character in Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun is a combination of opposing traits. She’s excellent in sports but misses a lot of social cues, so she lacks any sense of teamwork whatsoever. As such, she’s also seen as blunt and impolite.
Despite this, Seo has an amazing singing voice which is even described as angelic -- earning her the choir club title of Lorelei. Sawashiro Miyuki also voices Kurapika in Hunter x Hunter (2011), Asada Shino in Sword Art Online, Bishamon in Noragami, and Koyanagi Hanako in Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku.
Okamoto Nobuhiko (Haikyuu!!, Food Wars!) as Mikoshiba Mikoto
The familiar Okamoto Nobuhiko voices Mikoshiba, also known as the beloved Mikorin. A friend of Nozaki’s who helps draw the manga's background elements, Mikorin is pretty popular with the girls at school due to his good looks, but he also becomes easily flustered and embarrassed.
Mikoshiba is the character model for Mamiko, the heroine in Nozaki’s story. Okamoto Nobuhiko also voices Bakugo Katsuki in My Hero Academia, Usui Takumi in Maid Sama!, Nishinoya Yuu in Haikyuu!! and Kurokiba Ryou in Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma.
Nakahara Mai (Fairy Tail, Clannad) as Kashima Yuu
Nakahara Mai plays Kashima, also known as the “Prince of the School” in Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun. Kashima was originally Mikoshiba’s rival, but they eventually became friends after Mikoshiba couldn’t win against her. Aside from being the usual lead at drama club, Kashima is also the apple of every girl’s eye in school. Her antics often cause the club president, Hori, to resort to violence in order to discipline her.
Kashima's Japanese voice actor, Nakahara Mai, is also Furukawa Nagisa in Clannad, Juvia Lockser in Fairy Tail and Ryugu Rena in Higurashi: When They Cry.
Ono Yuki (Beastars, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) as Hori Masayuki
Ono Yuki is the voice behind Nozaki-kun's school drama club president, Hori, who is also one of the assistants with Nozaki's manga. In the drama club, he’s mainly in charge of directing and creating sets and props. Kashima teases him for his height, and while the two may bicker a lot, Hori remains a good senpai to Kashima. Ono Yuki has also voiced Higashikata Josuke in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable, Kagami Taiga in Kuroko no Basket, Louis in Beastars and Isami Aldini in Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma.
Kimura Ryohei (Angel Beats!, Dorohedoro) as Wakamatsu Hirotaka
Kimura Ryohei voices Wakamatsu, Nozaki’s junior from his basketball days. He remains part of the basketball team at present, which results in him constantly getting stressed over Seo’s chaotic behavior during training sessions. Because of this, Wakamatsu also has trouble sleeping -- that is, until he hears Lorelei’s singing.
He eventually helps out with Nozaki’s manga by working on the screentones. In other anime, Kimura Ryohei has voiced Kise Ryota in Kuroko no Basket, Bokuto Kotaro in Haikyuu!!, Hinata Hideki in Angel Beats! and Johnson in Dorohedoro.
