The court drama continues in January 2027
Good news for fans of palace intrigue, body-swap chaos, and elegant anime visuals: Though I Am an Inept Villainess is officially lining up its second cour for January 2027.
The next part of the TV anime adapts the “The First Royal Outing” arc, and the production team has also revealed a new key visual plus three additional cast members for this upcoming stretch of the story.
The fresh voice cast additions are:
- Yūichi Nakamura as Keikou, Rerien’s eldest brother
- Shunichi Toki as Keishou, Rerien’s second-eldest brother
- Chiaki Kobayashi as Unran, a young village leader
That lineup is honestly pretty stacked. Nakamura alone will get anime fans paying attention, especially if this arc leans harder into family politics and court tension.
What the anime is based on
The series adapts Satsuki Nakamura’s light novel series, known in English as Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court. Seven Seas Entertainment publishes both the light novels and the manga version in English.
The original novels launched under Ichijinsha in December 2020, with illustrations by YukiKana. A manga adaptation by Ei Ohitsuji began at the same time in Monthly Comic Zero-Sum.
Ichijinsha released the light novel’s 12th volume on March 31, while the series is set to move into its final arc, “Hoshi ni Negai o” or “Wish Upon a Star,” with volume 13 on September 30. On the English side, Seven Seas released the manga’s ninth volume on August 4 and is scheduled to release the 11th light novel volume in English on September 22.
The team behind the anime
The anime is directed by Mitsue Yamazaki, whose previous credits include How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? and Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun. Animation production is handled by Dōga Kōbō.
Series scripts are overseen by Yoshiko Nakamura, with character designs by Ai Kikuchi. The opening theme, “Sunny,” is performed by singer-songwriter milet, while Rokudenashi handles the ending theme, “Shooting Star” / “Hōkiboshi.”
Other listed staff include Seina Yaguchi of Studio Pablo as art director, Yui Fukuoka as compositing director of photography, Toshihiro Hayano as audio recording engineer, and Tohokushinsha Film Corporation on sound production.
Streaming and delay context
The anime first premiered on TV Tokyo and its affiliates on July 12. It also began streaming on Netflix in Asia on the same date. Crunchyroll streamed it as it aired across multiple regions including North America, Europe, Oceania, the Middle East, and the Indian Subcontinent.
An English dub launched on July 25 through TOHO on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Disney+, with the dub also available on Netflix in Asia.
One important bit of context: the anime was originally planned for an April premiere, but was pushed to July because of production progress delays. So this January 2027 second cour window will be something fans keep an eye on, especially if they are already invested after that delayed first run.
Why this matters for Malaysia and SEA fans
Analysis: For Malaysia and SEA viewers, the key point is that the first cour already had an Asia streaming route through Netflix, including its English dub availability in Asia. That does not automatically confirm where the January 2027 second cour will stream, but it does mean SEA fans have a clear reason to track official platform announcements closer to release.
Also, this is the kind of title that could land nicely with anime fans who enjoy shoujo-adjacent palace drama, reincarnation/body-swap setups, and character-heavy court politics rather than pure action. Not every seasonal anime needs to be loud to be worth watching, bro — sometimes the best hook is just messy royal family energy with pretty character designs.