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Ikoku Nikki TV Anime Unveils Main Cast, More Staff, January 2026 Debut in 1st Promo Video
posted on by Joanna Cayanan
The staff for the television anime adaptation of Tomoko Yamashita's Ikoku Nikki (Diary of a Strange Land) manga revealed on Wednesday the anime's first key visual and promotional video, main cast, additional staff, and January 2026 debut on the ABC TV, Tokyo MX, and BS Asahi channels.
The anime will star:
The newly announced staff includes:
- Sub-Character Designer: Toshie Kawamura
- Prop Setting: Miyako Kanō
- Costume Setting: Kaede Aizawa
- Art: Eriko Takahashi
- Color Design: Miho Tanaka
- Direcctor of Photography: Tomo Namiki
- Editing: Kazuhiko Seki
- Sound Director: Takahiro Ōmori
The manga centers on 35-year-old novelist Makio Kōdai, and her 15-year-old niece Asa, who live together under one roof. Makio took Asa in on a sudden impulse after Asa's parents, which included Makio's older sister, passed away. The next day, Makio returns to her senses and remembers that she does not do well in the company of other people. So begins their daily life, as Makio attempts to acclimate to a roommate, while Asa attempts to get used to an adult who never acts like one.
Yamashita (The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, Don't Cry Girl, Mo'some Sting) launched the manga in June 2017 in Shodensha's Feel Young magazine, and ended it in June 2023. The manga's 11th and final compiled book volume shipped in August 2023. The manga was nominated for the 28th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize earlier this year. The manga also ranked at #5 on the women's list of the 2024 edition of Kono Manga ga Sugoi!, topped Da Vinci's 23rd annual "Book of the Year" list for manga in December, and was nominated for the 13th Manga Taisho awards in 2020.
The manga also inspired a live-action film adaptation that premiered in Japanese theaters in June 2024.
Sources: Ikoku Nikki anime's website, Comic Natalie
