It was revealed on January 12th that "Hotaru no Yomeiri," a manga by Tachibana Oreco, who is also known for the manga "Promise Cinderella," will be adapted into a TV anime and will begin airing in October on Fuji TV's anime slot "Noitamina." The final episode aired on Shogakukan's manga app "Manga One" on the same day, and the announcement of the TV anime adaptation was made. The anime will be directed by Kamei Takahiro, known for "Urusei Yatsura" and "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind," and will be produced by David Production, the studio behind the "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" series.
"Hotaru no Yomeiri" began serialization on "Manga One" in January 2023. Set in the Meiji era, when modernization was gaining momentum, this is a story of mad love between Kirigaya Satoko, a young lady with only a short time left to live who dreams of marrying into a prestigious family and making her father proud, and Goto Shinpei, a hitman who dotes on her, and their forbidden contract marriage. The series has been gaining popularity, winning the Grand Prize in the "Everyone's Choice!! Digital Comic Awards 2024," first place in the "Recommended Comics of 2024 Selected by Booksellers Nationwide," and third place in the "Manga Ranking for 2025 to See Adapted as an Anime." Ten volumes of the manga have been released, with a total circulation of over 3.5 million copies.
The original author, Tachibana, commented, "I can't believe that 'Hotaru no Yomeiri' is being made into an anime... I can't contain my excitement. I'm looking forward to seeing how the characters, entrusted to David, who is known for his captivating action scenes, will move on screen. I'm also very much looking forward to being supported by the director, who is gentle and pours his love into the work, and character designer Aike (Yukiko), who carefully picks up on even the smallest nuances. I'd really like to watch the anime on TV for the first time with all the readers, but I guess I'll have to supervise it first. I'll discuss it with him. I hope everyone will enjoy it together!"
Director Kamei said, "It's a story of two opposing characters, an assassin and a young lady. It depicts their respective ways of life, their delicacy and madness, the subtleties of the heart and the fierce battles. And it's also suspenseful. I feel that this is a profound work filled with many charms. The animation production team is trying new things every day to ensure that this charm isn't lost even in the slightest. We will do our best with all our heart to meet everyone's expectations, so please look forward to it!"
Yukiko Aike, who is in charge of character design, said, "The most appealing thing about Tachibana-sensei's drawings from my perspective is their delicacy and boldness. I think it's the richness of his expressions that change depending on the emotions. We're still experimenting in the production process, but we'll do our best to convey as much of the charm of the original work as possible in the anime!!"
A teaser visual drawn by Aikei has been released. It depicts Shinpei with a seductive smile and Satoko with a quiet strength within her, accompanied by the copy, "My love may be a little heavy, but I'll make you happy."
