Production company Kadokawa opened an official website for a television anime adaptation of Yasukiyo Kotobuki‘s Around 40 Kenja no Isekai Seikatsu Nikki (The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage’s Carefree Life in Another World) light novel on Wednesday, revealing the main staff and a teaser visual (pictured).

Staff

Director: Takayuki Inagaki (Re:Monster)

Series Composition: Hiroko Kanesugi (Mahoutsukai ni Narenakatta Onnanoko no Hanashi)

Character Design: Mariko Fujita (Koi to Yobu ni wa Kimochi Warui)

Studio: YANCHESTER

Kotobuki began penning the adventure fantasy novel on the Shousetsuka ni Narou website in February 2016. Kadokawa began publishing the novel under its MF Books imprint in September 2016, featuring illustrations by Johndee. The 20th volume was published in February 2025, with the 21st volume scheduled for an April 24 release. Around 40 Kenja no Isekai Seikatsu Nikki has a cumulative 4.15 million copies of its volumes in circulation.

A spin-off light novel titled Around 40 Kenja no Isekai Seikatsu Nikki Zero: Sword and Sorcery World began publishing under the same imprint in August 2023. The third volume was released in August 2025.

888 began drawing a manga adaptation on the ComicWalker website in April 2018. Kadokawa published the eighth volume in February 2025.

Maneki began serializing a second manga adaptation, titled Around 40 Kenja no Isekai Seikatsu Nikki: Kimama na Isekai Kyoushi Life, on the Manga UP! platform in October 2018. Square Enix published the 17th volume on January 7.

J-Novel Club licensed the light novel for digital release in English in September 2023 and published the ninth volume on March 11, with the tenth volume scheduled for a June 17 release.

Synopsis

Forty-year-old Satoshi Osako is a farmer in the Japanese countryside—and a hardcore player of Swords & Sorceries, an online VRRPG. The day he finally manages to defeat the game’s final boss, it curses him with its dying breath and kills him in real life! With a little help from a carefree goddess, Satoshi finds himself reincarnated into a mysterious new world as his in-game character, the incredibly powerful Great Sage known as Zelos Merlin. He accordingly decides to use his newfound powers to…continue living a quiet life on another farm! But first, he’ll have to fight his way out of the vast, dangerous forest he woke up in—thanks a lot, goddess—and it won’t be long before he’s running into bandits, getting roped into teaching a young noble girl magic, and more. Will the almighty Great Sage be able to conquer the toughest quest of all: getting some peace and quiet? (Source: J-Novel Club)

Official site: https://arafo-kenja.com/

Source: Press Release

Around 40 Kenja no Isekai Seikatsu Nikki on MAL