The newly established boys-love label BALLOON has announced that Toworu Miyata's manga Aoharu Once More is slated for a light anime adaptation. The project is currently in production under the direction of Rikako Machida at IMAGICA Infos and Imageworks Studio, with Morrigan handling the musical score and Kazuya Takahashi serving as production supervisor.
This adaptation represents the third entry for BALLOON, a collaborative venture between Dai Nippon Printing, CYBIRD, and BLUE RIGHTS. The label utilizes a "light anime" production strategy, a model designed to bypass the lengthy, traditional animation pipeline in favor of a more agile, cost-effective schedule. The initiative is currently scaling its output, with a goal of producing at least ten projects per year by 2028.
For those interested in the source material, Tokyopop has secured the English-language rights to the manga. The story centers on Hayato Kobayashi, a man haunted by memories of his high school years and his intense connection to a classmate named Ritsu Onishi.
Given the label's rapid expansion, it is worth noting that this is the second boys-love manga adaptation from the group this year, following the July debut of Perfect Addiction. With four titles targeted for the 2026 fiscal year, the studio's ability to maintain this pace will be the key factor to watch as they build out their library.
