Production company VAP opened an official website for a television anime adaptation of Chie Shinohara's Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori (Red River) manga on Sunday, revealing the main staff and a teaser visual (pictured). The anime series will debut in Summer 2026.

Staff
Director: Kousuke Kobayashi (Alma-chan wa Kazoku ni Naritai)
Series Composition: Yoriko Tomita (Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru)
Character Design: Kenji Fujisaki (Blood Lad)
Studio: Tatsunoko Production

Kimiyoshi Matsumura and Daisuke Yoshida from the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology are credited for the historical research.

Shinohara serialized the adventure fantasy shoujo manga in Sho-Comi from January 1995 to June 2002. Shogakukan published the 28th and final volume in July that year and reprinted the series in 16 paperback edition volumes between October 2006 and May 2007. The manga has a cumulative 20 million copies in circulation, including digital editions.

VIZ Media licensed the manga in English in February 2004 and published all 28 volumes from June 2004 to January 2010. The company began releasing 3-in-1 omnibus editions in October 2024 and shipped the sixth omnibus volume on January 20. The manga is also published in multiple foreign languages, including German, Italian, and Vietnamese.

Shinohara penned three spin-off novels spanning five volumes under Shogakuna's Lululu Bunko label between May 2007 and June 2010.

Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori won the 46th Shogakukan Manga Award in the Shoujo category in 2000.

Synopsis
Yuri, a pretty Japanese girl, is ecstatic after passing her college entrance exam and having her first kiss with her childhood friend-turned boyfriend. However, her luck soon changes. She starts to notice that water becomes agitated whenever she goes near it. One night, hands appear out of a puddle on the street and drag her into the water! Transported to an ancient village in the Middle East, she is then captured by armed troops and taken to the Queen's palace for a human sacrifice. (Source: VIZ Media)

Official site: https://www.vap.co.jp/sorahaakaikawanohotori/
Official X: @tenkawa_anime

Source: Press Release

Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori on MAL