Kentaro Kumagai will voice MM in BLESS, and the new character preview gives viewers their first chance to hear him in the role. The October 1 announcement adds the working adult to an anime cast built around young people learning makeup, modeling and how to put their work in front of others.
The adaptation of Yukino Sonoyama’s manga is scheduled for January 2027 in Japan, on Fuji TV’s Noitamina block. MM belongs to Mirror, the group that also includes the Sumeragi sisters. He is older than the people around him, a difference the character’s profile—and Kumagai’s announcement—both acknowledge.
MM is the adult in the group
The Sumeragi sisters gave MM his nickname. His profile describes someone who notices other people and treats them considerately, even while feeling a little out of place among younger students. That makes him different from a newcomer who is still deciding whether makeup or modeling could become a career.
Credits
©園山ゆきの・講談社／ブレス製作委員会The official artwork gives him a restrained outfit: a gray long-sleeved top, dark trousers and brown shoes. He is posed with one arm across his body and the other hand near his face. The character preview introduces his voice; it is a short first look, not a full episode or an explanation of everything that happens to him.
Kumagai had already encountered BLESS as a reader. In the comment accompanying the casting announcement, he recalled a moment from the manga that stayed with him. In translation, he said:
“I still vividly remember the excitement and shock of turning the page to a certain scene.”
He did not identify the scene. He also said he was happy to be connected with MM and intended to give his best to portraying the character. His comment singles out MM’s position as the more adult member of Mirror rather than giving away a later development from the story.
The story starts with a school runway contest
BLESS begins with Aia Udagawa, a former model who has put aside his wish to become a makeup artist, and Jun Sumisaki, a classmate who wants to model but keeps that ambition to herself. Their school festival gives them a reason to work together.
Kodansha describes a runway competition entered by stylist-and-model pairs. One person handles the clothes, hair and makeup; the other presents the finished look. Aia works on Jun’s makeup and discovers a side of her that their classmates have not noticed. The collaboration asks both of them to show an interest they have been holding back.
Credits
©園山ゆきの・講談社／ブレス製作委員会Jun’s height and freckles are things she has tried to hide. Her wish to model is not new: she practices the runway walk she learned from watching her mother. Aia’s makeup gives that private practice somewhere to go, while Jun gives him someone to work with instead of keeping his own interest private.
Who’s who in BLESS
Two lead voices were announced before MM
Tomohiro Ono voices Aia, and Chiyuki Miura voices Jun. Their separate September 12 announcements each came with a character preview, so Kumagai’s reveal follows the introduction of the pair whose school contest starts the story.
The wider voice cast includes Nobuhiko Okamoto as Ginga Yoyogi, Yoshino Aoyama as Oroka Sumeragi and Momoka Terasawa as Shitataka Sumeragi. The sisters are part of Mirror alongside MM. BLESS is an ensemble story, not only a succession of looks presented on a runway.
When BLESS is coming
A-1 Pictures is making the anime, directed by Shotaro Kitamura. Fukuro Kamiza handles series composition and scripts, with character designs by Honoka Yokoyama. Sonoyama’s manga runs in Kodansha’s Monthly Shonen Sirius.
January 2027 is the confirmed Japanese broadcast window. An exact premiere day and an international streaming service have not been announced. For now, the new MM preview offers the first voice performance to accompany a character viewers will meet when the series begins.
