The television adaptation of Sumiko Arai's music-themed manga Kininatteru Hito ga Otoko ja Nakatta is officially heading to the small screen on January 8. Revealed during the Crunchyroll Showcase at New York Comic Con, the series is slated to air as part of NTV’s Friday Anime Night block. A newly released promotional video offers a first look at the production’s visual style under the direction of Masashi Ishihama at CloverWorks.
The project has tapped a veteran creative team, with Rino Yamazaki overseeing series composition and Kanna Hirayama providing character designs. Musical duties have been assigned to Kousuke Noma and Takayuki Sasaki. The voice cast features Kenjirou Tsuda as Joe, Tasuku Hatanaka as Narita, Yurina Amami as Chizuru, Fairouz Ai as Mao, and Maiko Nomura as Kanna.
Originally serialized on X (formerly Twitter) starting in 2022, the story has seen a rapid expansion into print, with Kadokawa publishing the fourth volume earlier this year and a fifth volume expected shortly after the anime's premiere. Yen Press currently manages the English-language release, bringing the series to a broader international audience ahead of the show's debut.
With the premiere date now locked, the focus shifts to how the studio will adapt the distinct aesthetic of the original social media-based panels. Given the series' roots in music-centric storytelling, the collaboration between the composers and the animation team will be a key element to watch as the January launch approaches.
