It has been announced that Shinohara Chie's manga "Akai Kawa no Hotori," which was serialized in "Shojo Comic" (Shogakukan, now Sho-Comi) from 1995 to 2002, will be adapted into a TV anime series and will begin airing this summer. This is the first time that this popular work, which boasts a total of approximately 20 million copies in circulation, will be adapted into a TV anime series. Approximately 31 years after its serialization began, this landmark of shojo manga will once again be made into a TV anime. Kobayashi Kosuke, who has also worked on "Waccha Puri Magi!", will serve as director, and the series will be produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The announcement was made on February 15th, Shinohara's birthday.
A newly drawn illustration by Shinohara has been released. Regarding the TV anime adaptation, Shinohara said, "Thank you for making 'Akai Kawa no Hotori' into an anime!! I'm so happy!! It's been 24 years since the serialization ended. To think that there are people who remember it after all this time and are making an anime out of it!! And to be able to share it with everyone, what a joy. And what a wonderful work it is. I hope that fans from the original serialization will feel nostalgic and that their memories will be even more vivid... I sincerely hope that anime fans who are unfamiliar with the original will be able to enjoy it in a new light. More than anything, I myself am really looking forward to it. I can't wait for it to air."
A teaser visual for the anime has been released, depicting the main character, Yuri, clad in combat gear and with a determined look on her face, looking out over the Malashantia, the "red river" that flows through the Hittite Empire, and Kyle, the empire's prince, who will greatly change her fate.
"The Sky is Red on the Banks of the River" is a historical fantasy by Shinohara, who is celebrating his 45th anniversary as an artist this year, having produced numerous masterpieces such as "Purple Eye of Darkness" and "Darkness of the Sea, Shadow of the Moon." The story follows Suzuki Yuri, a young girl living in modern Japan, who one day suddenly travels back in time to the Hittite Empire in the 14th century BC, where she meets Prince Kyle, the leading candidate to inherit the throne of the empire. Yuri carves out her own destiny. The work won the 46th Shogakukan Manga Award in the Girls' Category, and was also a hot topic when it was adapted for the stage by the Takarazuka Revue in 2018.
*Staff (titles omitted)
Director: Kobayashi Kosuke ▽ Series composition: Tomita Yoriko ▽ Character design: Fujisaki Kenji ▽ Historical research: Matsumura Kimihito, Yoshida Daisuke (Institute of Anatolian Archaeology, Middle Eastern Culture Center) ▽ Animation production: Tatsunoko Productions
