Actress Yu Aoi will play the lead voice in a special Fuji TV anime production that airs this summer. Titled "Miyori no Mori," it boasts a staggering production cost of more than 200 million yen.

"Miyori no Mori" is based on the manga of the same name by Hideji Oda. The original comic was serialized in Akita Shoten's Mystery Bonita magazine in 2003. The story is about an 11-year-old girl named Miyori (Aoi) whose parents leave her with her grandparents in the countryside. Because of her family situation, she naturally closes herself off, until she encounters the spirits in a nearby forest. The plot also incorporates a modern theme in the issue of environmental destruction.

The special, which has a running time of 130 minutes, cost approximately 210 million yen to produce. By comparison, a typical anime work costs only about 13 million yen for 30 minutes.

Actress Etsuko Ichihara will play the voice of Miyori's grandmother. Other members of the voice cast include Hiroyuki Amano and several Fuji TV announcers, such as Aya Takashima, Midori Matsuo, Toshihiro Ito, Noriko Yoshizaki, and Kyoko Sasaki. Nizo Yamamoto is in charge as director.

The anime will air on August 25 at 9:00pm.