The previously teased mysterious collaboration between Sunrise and SHAFT has finally been revealed. Popular manga Fool Night by Yasuda Kasumi is receiving an anime adaptation, which will be streamed exclusively worldwide on Netflix in 2026.
Alongside the announcement, the official website has released a teaser visual and teaser trailer for the upcoming anime adaptation.
The anime will be produced by the first-ever collaboration between Sunrise, known for the Gundam franchise, and SHAFT, the studio behind March Comes Like a Lion and Monogatari Series.
The official teaser trailer has also been released:
Main Cast Revealed
The anime’s main cast has also been announced.
Toshiro Kamiya will be voiced by Koki Uchiyama, while Yomiko Horai will be voiced by Minako Kotobuki.
Comments have also arrived from the cast members:
Fool Night depicts people living on a future Earth that has become a harsh environment. One of them, Toshiro Kamiya, finds hope in a certain possibility amidst his difficult circumstances. In order to express the complexity of his changing emotions, I challenged myself with various forms of expression in every episode. I hope many people will watch the anime Fool Night.
Koki Uchiyama (Toshiro Kamiya)
I am Minako Kotobuki, and I will be voicing Yomiko Horai. I was drawn to the intense world created by Yasuda-sensei and Director Yukawa’s sensibilities from the audition stage. I felt that if I could fully portray Yomiko in this work, I would have no regrets. It is an honor to be playing Yomiko now.
Yomiko loves eating and may seem like an ordinary person at first glance, but as an employee involved in the “flower conversion” process, perhaps the shape of her heart is still somehow distorted. Because the happiness we feel and the happiness that Yomiko and the others feel are surely different, I was careful not to overlook those differences while performing.
This is a story that may not be impossible in our not-so-distant future. I am truly happy that this story will be distributed worldwide through Netflix.
Minako Kotobuki (Yomiko Horai)
Main Staff Revealed
The production staff working on the anime have also been announced.
- Director: Atsushi Yukawa
- Series Composition: Jin Tanaka
- Character Design: Robert Sato
- Assistant Director: Ryo Shimura
- Visual Development: Ryo Kikuchi
- Background Director: Maki Takano (J.C.STAFF)
- Color Design: Hitoshi Hibino
- Compositing Director: Mana Ishikawa (Animocaramel), Chiaki Tokuda (TERAEFFECT), Takayuki Aizu (SHAFT)
- CG Director: Naoki Yamamoto, Junya Hirano
- Editing: Rie Matsubara (Seyama Editorial Office)
- Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka
- Music: Tatsuya Kato
- Animation Production: SUNRISE × SHAFT
Director Atsushi Yukawa, who previously worked as a unit director on Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume, has also shared a comment regarding the adaptation:
The anime Fool Night began when a single former hikikomori(social recluse) submitted a proposal. After that, a twist of fate brought together people from SUNRISE and SHAFT, and I was approached for the project because a certain director and Mr. Suzuki from SHAFT recommended me.
Those who have read the original manga probably already know this, but this work is extremely multifaceted. Despite this, unlike manga, the pace at which one advances through video is passive, and you cannot hit pause. So, at first, I struggled with how to present it, but in the end, I put my trust in the viewers — in you. Free from any distractions, I focused solely on meticulously capturing the passage of time.
Tarkovsky once said that cinema is the art of sculpting time, and working on this project made me realize those words are only possible when you truly trust your audience. We are on the side of those who want to think.
Please rest assured that everyone creating, supporting, and delivering the anime Fool Night is doing absolute top-tier work! If there’s anything you don’t like, that’s entirely on me. Look forward to it!
Atsushi Yukawa
Original Creator Shares Comment
Fool Night creator Yasuda Kasumi has also released a special illustration to celebrate the anime announcement alongside a comment.
The architecture of Fool Night began from a desire to see a scene where potted plants are lined up inside an inorganic office. Without any real plan, I kept building rooms that I personally loved. The structure became distorted, yet somehow never collapsed, and eventually reached the point of receiving an anime adaptation.
It is all thanks to readers around the world who have continued to support Fool Night. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Now that the altitude has become higher, I would be delighted if even more distant audiences discover this story through the anime. Please enjoy the speculative fiction that I have created.
More information about the anime, including additional cast members, release schedule, and theme songs, is expected to be revealed in the future. Bookmark Otaku Mantra for more updates.
About Fool Night
Fool Night is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yasuda Kasumi. The manga began serialization in Shogakukan’s seinen manga magazine Big Comic Superior in November 2020.
The story takes place on a future Earth where sunlight has become scarce, causing vegetation and natural ecosystems to collapse. In order to survive, humanity has developed a controversial technology that allows people to transform into plants, creating a society where life itself has become a commodity.
The manga has received praise for its unique world-building, mature themes, and thought-provoking exploration of environmental collapse and human existence. With the anime adaptation now officially announced, Fool Night is set to reach a much wider global audience through Netflix’s worldwide distribution.
The official website of this anime describe the story of this anime as:
“A young man, Toshiro Kamiya, lives in poverty and works hard to pay taxes, cover living expenses, and afford medication for his mentally ill mother.
However, the cruel reality around him gradually eats away at his hope.
Living… there isn’t a single thing fun about it. In this dark world full of despair, he chooses the path of the “Spiriflor” — the plants that humans transform into. Should he continue living as a human being, or cast off his suffering and start a new life as a plant?
Which path would you choose in his situation?“
Source: Official Website
