Ikoku Nikki Anime Unveils Cast and Staff for January 2026 Release

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:

• Miyuki Sawashiro as Makio Kōdai
• Fuko Mori as Asa Takumi

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
• Director of Photography: Tomo Namiki
• Editing: Kazuhiko Seki
• Sound Director: Takahiro Ōmori

Miyuki Oshiro (episode director for Durarara!!×2 Ketsu, Natsume Yūjin-Chō Go, To Your Eternity) is directing the anime at Shuka. Kohei Kiyasu (Run with the Wind, My Home Hero) is in charge of composition and writing the scripts, Kenji Hayama (Princess Jellyfish, Tiger & Bunny) is designing the characters, and Kensuke Ushio (Chainsaw Man, A Silent Voice, Heavenly Delusion) is composing the music.

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.

Source: Anime News Network