By the way, isn't Japan trying really hard to make Sumo relevant again since it's their National sport and because of the recent negative attention surrounding matchfixing? I don't think it's impossible for NHK to help fund at least a two cour season for HZ or for the Sumo organization association(if it exists) to directly help fund an anime to raise interest in the sport amongst young people, HZ is probably the best chance they'll ever have to make sumo look super cool.
Yeah, it wouldn’t surprise me if the series is being heavily sponsored by the Sumo Association. HZ is one of the only Sumo manga in history that has a wide appeal to both young and old audiences and has the potential to really spark new interest in the sport. It certainly has done so for me at least. These later chapters in part 2 especially almost seem like they’re advertising sumo, and they’re doing a bloody good job of it. I’ve already seen personally that it’s advertised at sumo tournaments, and it’s had crossovers, so they must be involved somehow.
From what I’ve found, there are only like 2 full length Sumo anime ever created (Matsutaro and Aah Harimada), with Matsutaro hardly even focusing on the sumo aspect, and Aah Harimada not being the kind of thing they’d want as promotion for the sport. Not to mention they have little appeal to the masses, and Aah Harimada, the only proper sumo anime, is quite old now.
HZ is probably one of the associations only chances to promote sumo in the form of anime/manga ever, so it really would feel like a waste if they did nothing. Considering the series is still going despite everything, and the direction it’s been taking, I just can’t imagine any other possibility. Garnering new interest into the sport is surely the number one objective for the association atm due to the general stigma sumo has in the country, and HZ even references that fact on multiple occasions. HZ holds such massive potential for the sport, I feel they have to at least try to make an anime out of it, even if it flops hard.
On the topic of Kimetsu anime, I really don’t think the character designs are going to be a problematic as people think. Rough manga art is translated to an anime form while still respecting the original way more often than you’d think, and it’s kind of their job...
Akuma no Memumemu-chan Anime Short, 2018 looks pretty HYPE now.
