The official website of anime studio Doga Kobo revealed on April 6, 2022, that the production of the upcoming romcom anime Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie (Kawaii Dake Ja Nai Shikimori-san) may see delay due to the temporary closure of the company following a rapid increase of COVID-19 infections between staff members.

Doga Kobo closed on April 6, and it will remain closed until April 17.

They said they are “currently discussing how to handle future broadcasts [of episodes]”. Originally, the anime was scheduled to air on April 2 but was postponed to April 9 due to “organizational reasons.”

Anime studio employees who haven’t tested positive for COVID-19 will be able to work one-on-one with other employees during this time, allowing some production to continue.

According to the production committee for Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie, while there may be complications with future episodes, the first episode will still air on April 9 on Asahi Broadcasting, TV Asahi, and 22 affiliated networks on the ANiMAZiNG!!! TV block.

They stated that “the Shikimori production committee is determined to carry on with the production of the show with the health and safety of the staff and cast as our top priority.”

At Doga Kobo, Ryota Itoh is directing the anime, with Shōhei Yamanaka serving as an assistant director. The series scripts are handled by Yoshimi Narita. The characters are designed by Ai Kikuchi. The opening theme song will be performed by Nasuo, and the ending theme song will be performed by Yuki Nakashima.

Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie is a Japanese romantic comedy manga series by Keigo Maki. It has been serialized on Kodansha’s Magazine Pocket website and app since February 2019. The manga is licensed in North America by Kodansha USA.

Kodansha Comics describes the story as:

Shikimori seems like the perfect girlfriend: cute, fun to be around, sweet when she wants to be… but she has a cool dark side that comes out under the right circumstances. And her boyfriend Izumi loves to be around when that happens! A fun and funny high school romance with a sassy twist perfect for fans of Nagatoro-san and Komi Can’t Communicate!

Source: Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie official website, Doga Kobo website