It has been announced that the light novel "The Pure and Lovely Girl at My New School Turns Out to Be My Childhood Friend Whom I Thought Was a Boy When We Used to Play Together" (Tenbin), published by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko (KADOKAWA), will be adapted into a TV anime in 2026. It was also announced that voice actress Ikumi Hasegawa will play the main character, Haruki Nikaido.
This work is a light novel written by Hibari-yu and illustrated by Shiso. The story follows a boy who transfers to a high school in the city and reunites with a male friend he made an important promise with in his childhood, after seven years, only to find that his friend has grown into a beautiful young girl. It depicts a romantic comedy between the boy and his childhood friend, who was once his "male friend" but is now a "beautiful girl." The manga adaptation has also gained popularity, and the series has sold over 400,000 copies in total.
A teaser visual and teaser PV featuring the protagonist, Haruki Nikaido, in a white dress have been released.
Original author Hibari Yu commented, "When I was asked if there was a good real-life location that could be used as the background for the teaser visual, I immediately sent a photo of this place. When I first started writing Tenbin, I took a photo of a rural landscape in Nara that I thought was perfect for the image I had in mind (although there aren't actually any sunflowers blooming there...). It's very moving to see it used as the teaser visual! This is a work filled with things I love. I'm looking forward to the broadcast. Meow!"
