It has been announced that "Tetsunabe no Jan!", a TV anime based on Shinji Saijo's manga serialized in "Weekly Shonen Champion" (Akita Shoten), will be broadcast on TV Tokyo and other channels in 2026. Kikunosuke Toya will voice the main character, Jan Akiyama. Ikumi Ikumi Hasegawa, and Kohei Amasaki will play Kohei Amasaki, Jan's only confidant, while Kenjiro Kenjiro Tsuda will provide the narration. A dynamic teaser visual depicting Jan has also been released.
To recreate the alluring Chinese cuisine, Takako Sato, a coordinator active in the Chinese food world, will be in charge of culinary supervision and coordination, while Naoya Higuchi, a popular food researcher, will be in charge of culinary science supervision.
Totani commented, "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!!! I'm sure many of you are wondering if this work can really be made into an anime, but it really is going to be made into an anime!!! To all the fans of the original work, rest assured. It will be exactly like the original. You'll be surprised. Just like the dishes that Jean makes for Akiyama, this anime is packed with surprises, skill, and attention to detail!!! Please look forward to the broadcast!!!"
Hasegawa said, "The voice cast has finally been revealed! I'm really looking forward to more information being released from here on out. This work is exciting and lively from start to finish, with the cast members who were there at the recording studio constantly making witty remarks! I can't wait to share this work with everyone as soon as possible! Don't miss it!"
Amasaki commented, "The role of Okonogi-kun was played by... Kohei Amasaki! This work is the kind that will make you wonder, 'Which part of this manga will be animated!?' But that's precisely why it's packed with fascinating scenes that can only be captured by animating it as is. Those of you who are familiar with the original work should definitely look forward to it. And! For those of you who will be discovering this work through the anime, it's a really interesting work, so please look forward to it! Everyone, please enjoy it!"
Sato, who supervised and coordinated the cooking, commented, "When I heard about the anime adaptation, I felt the same excitement I felt in the 90s when I was captivated by the techniques and ingredients of Chinese cuisine. At the same time, I was reminded of Keiko Oyama, the supervisor of the original work, with whom I often shared meals. So, for the recreation of the dishes in the story, I asked mainly Chinese chefs who were close to Ms. Oyama and were avid readers of the manga at the time to do so. We captured the wok handling and finger movements of these leading professionals on video and depicted that passion in the animation. Now, 30 years later, with a wide variety of Chinese cuisine being enjoyed in Japan, I would be happy if this work could serve as an opportunity to convey the profound charm of Chinese cuisine once again."
Higuchi, who is in charge of culinary science supervision, said, "The original Iron Pot Jean features French cooking techniques and incorporates Japanese ingredients into Chinese cuisine, giving a sense of the dynamism of the Chinese culinary world in the 90s. I am amazed by the foresight of incorporating culinary science descriptions when it was being serialized, and I think that is one of the reasons why this work remains timeless even now. Now, 30 years later, I am looking forward to the passionate cooking of Jean and his friends, which feels like madness, and the calm explanatory dialogue that supports it (my personal favorite character is Ohtani Nichido)."
"Tetsunabe no Jan!" is a manga depicting an unprecedented cooking battle. The protagonist, Jan, believes that victory is all about cooking, and anything goes. The heroine, Kiriko, is pure and innocent, and her heart is all about cooking. Together they unleash magical, deadly weapons (cooking). It was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Champion" from 1995 to 2000. The series has sold over 10 million copies in total.
This will be the first time the series is adapted into an anime, directed by Ei Aoki, known for his work on numerous popular titles such as "Fate/Zero," "Aldnoah.Zero," and "The Garden of Sinners: The Movie," and produced by TROYCA, known for "Aldnoah.Zero," "Overtake!," and "ATRI."
◇Staff and Cast (titles omitted)
Director: Aoki Ei▽Series Composition: Uezu Makoto▽Character Design/Chief Animation Director: Matsumoto Masako▽Cooking Animation Directors: Okuda Jun, Hanamura Chihiro▽Action Animator: Makino Ryuichi▽Art Director: Naito Ken▽Color Design: Shinohara Mariko▽Director of Photography: Tsuda Ryosuke▽CG Director: Iguchi Mitsutaka▽Editing: Ueyama Shota▽Cooking Supervision/Coordination: Sato Takako▽Culinary Science Supervision: Higuchi Naoya▽Music: Kikutani Tomoki▽Sound Director: Aketagawa Jin▽Sound Effects: Baba Masami▽Animation Production: TROYCA▽Production: "Tetsunabe no Jan!" Production Committee▽Cast: Kikunosuke Toya, Ikumi Hasegawa, Kohei Amasaki, Kenjiro Tsuda
