Kadokawa unveiled the first key visual, main cast members, and the 2027 premiere for the television anime of Enma Akiyama‘s Noa Is My Senior, and My Friend. (Noa-senpai wa Tomodachi.) manga on Sunday. 

The anime will star:

Rina Kawaguchi as Noa Saotome

Tomoya Itō as Rihito Ōtsuka

The manga’s story centers on Rihito Ōtsuka — a laid-back and unbothered guy, and an employee in a game company, whose motto in life is to conserve energy — and Noa Saotome, his senior and an art director. Noa, a quintessential career woman, is deeply trusted by her superiors and admired by her juniors. But one day, Rihito accidentally discovers Noa’s secret side that she strictly keeps hidden. This starts the “friends only” after-work relationship between Noa and Rihito.

Shinsuke Yanagi (Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki, Senpai is an Otokonoko, High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even In Another World) is directing the anime at feel., Keiichirō Ōchi (I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class, The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting, The Quintessential Quintuplets) is in charge of series scripts, and Yumiko Yamamoto (Seven Senses of the Re’Union, Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld, Yohane the Parhelion -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR) is designing the characters.

Akiyama launched the manga in Shueisha‘s Weekly Young Jump magazine in 2023. Shueisha will publish the manga’s 12th compiled book volume on October 19.

Akiyama launched the Killer in Love (Kimi ni Koisuru Satsujinki) manga on Shogakukan‘s Manga ONE and Ura Sunday services in January 2021. The manga ended in 2022. Comikey publishes the manga digitally in English.

Source: Press release 

Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.

The official website for the i☆Ris voice actress idol unit announced on Sunday that the group will end its activities at the end of 2027, which also marks the group’s 15th anniversary. The announcement explained that all members and their staff have been discussing the future of the group and of each individual member since last year, and have come to the decision to end the group’s activities next year. The group expressed gratitude to all the fans who have supported them until now. 

The group will hold its 14th anniversary live on November 3 at the Yokohama Arena.

i☆Ris came together in July 2012 between six winners of avex and 81 Produce‘s AniSon Vocal Audition competition, and released the debut single “Color” that November. In addition to being musical performers, all members are also anime voice actresses. The unit now consists of Saki Yamakita, Yū Serizawa, Himika Akaneya, Yūki Wakai, and Miyu Kubota. (Former member Azuki Shibuya left the group on March 31, 2021.)

The group has performed theme songs for such anime as Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live, Mushibugyō, Fantasista Stella, Hantsu x Trash, Twin Star Exorcists, Akiba’s Trip: The Animation, PriPara, Idol Time PriPara, Magical Girl Site, Wise Man’s Grandchild, Magical Sempai, and more recently for Honō no Tōkyūjo: Dodge Danko dodgeball anime. All original six members were also in the main cast of the 2014 PriPara television anime.

The unit won the Singing Award in the 10th Annual Seiyū Awards in March 2016 and performed the group’s first concert at the famed Nippon Budōkan arena that November.

The anime film i☆Ris the Movie -Full Energy!!- premiered in Japan in May 2024, and the Live & Documentary Movie ～i☆Ris on STAGE～ documentary film opened in Japan in September that same year. Both films were part of the unit’s 10th anniversary celebration.

The group previously inspired a webcomic tentatively titled Shūkan i☆Ris (“Weekly i☆Ris“) in 2016.

Sources: i☆Ris‘ website, Comic Natalie