by Another popular work is the anime “Darwin Incident” (original work by Shun Umezawa), in which Charlie (voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki), a half-human, half-chimpanzee “humanzee,” confronts the ALA. This terrorist organization advocates animal liberation.
The original work has received high praise both domestically and internationally, winning the Grand Prize at the 2022 Manga Awards and the Asia section of the BDGest’Arts at the 50th Angoulême International Comics Festival.
In this work, Charlie confronts modern-day sensitive issues such as terrorism, discrimination, and human rights as he confronts the ALA. For this reason, rumors had circulated that adapting the work into an anime would be challenging, and many fans were surprised when it was finally made.
There was also a lot of attention on who would play the challenging role of “Humanzee.” When it was announced that it would be Tanezaki Atsumi, who has played roles ranging from young girls to young boys, there were voices of praise and relief, with comments such as “I was wondering who could play such a difficult role that is neither monkey nor human, so I’m relieved that it’s Tanezaki,” and “Her acting range is so wide, it’s really amazing!” “Darwin Incident” will be broadcast on TV Tokyo affiliates from midnight on Tuesday, January 6th, 2026. The correct spelling of the “崎” in Tanezaki’s name is “立”, not “大”.
