The upcoming TV anime adaptation of Chie Shinohara’s classic shōjo manga Red River has locked in its Japan broadcast date: July 7, 2026.
The anime will air on NTV’s late-night AnichU block at 25:35, which basically means 1:35am on July 8 in Japan. For Malaysian viewers, that timing works out to around 12:35am MYT, so if this gets a same-night simulcast, expect it to land in proper midnight anime grind territory. BS NTV will also broadcast the series from July 8.
Alongside the premiere date, the official site revealed a new main visual and seven additional voice cast members. The new names include Tomohiro Ōno as Kikkuri, Prince Kail’s servant; Shiki Aoki as Hadi, a daughter of the Hatti clan and servant of Kail; Natsumi Kawaida as Ryui and Misato Matsuoka as Shala, Hadi’s younger twin sisters; Haruki Ishiya as Kash, leader of the Hittite chariot corps; Junya Enoki as Rusafa, leader of the Hittite archer corps; and Shinichirō Kamio as Mittannamuwa, leader of the Hittite infantry corps.
They join the previously announced cast led by Wataru Katō as Kail Muršili, who later becomes King Muršili II. The cast also includes Aya Uchida as Queen Nakia, Shōya Chiba as Zannanza Hattušili, Tomoaki Maeno as Ilbani, and Kōsuke Toriumi as Prince Mattiwaza of the Mitanni kingdom.
For newer anime fans in Malaysia and SEA who maybe only know recent shōjo hits, Red River is one of those older titles with serious legacy points. The manga originally ran from 1995 to 2002 in Shogakukan’s Shōjo Comic magazine, and it mixes romance, palace politics, ancient kingdoms, and time-slip drama. Basically, if your taste leans toward historical fantasy with danger, royalty, and messy power games, this one has the ingredients.
The adaptation is being produced by Tatsunoko Production, with Kōsuke Kobayashi directing. Yoriko Tomita, known for work on The Elusive Samurai and My Dress-Up Darling, is handling series scripts, while Kenji Fujisaki is designing the characters. Music comes from Yoshihisa Hirano, and Hiroto Morishita is serving as sound director. The opening theme, Akatsuki no Sora, will be performed by Hiroki Nanami.
One interesting detail: the production has historical researchers attached, including Kimiyoshi Matsumura and Daisuke Yoshida from the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology. That does not automatically mean the anime will be a history textbook, lah, but it suggests the team is at least trying to give its ancient Anatolian setting some proper texture.
The manga also has an English release history that matters for international fans. Viz Media began publishing the series in English back in 2004 and released all 28 volumes between 2004 and 2010. More recently, Viz started re-releasing the manga in 3-in-1 omnibus editions in October 2024, with the seventh omnibus volume scheduled for April 21.
No streaming platform has been mentioned in the provided announcement yet, so SEA fans will need to wait for official availability details. But with Summer 2026 shaping up, Red River could be one to watch if you want something with old-school shōjo energy instead of another standard isekai-of-the-week.
Source: Anime News Network