VIZ Media and Japan Society will host the first public screening of the Hirayasumi anime’s Episode 1 on October 7, 2026, in New York City. The event will take place at Japan Society at 7:00 PM ET and will give fans an early look at the anime ahead of its 2027 launch.
Following the screening, composer Kaori Sawada and producer Junichi Katsutani will join VIZ Media’s Godswill Ugwa for a special discussion about bringing the manga to the screen.
Teaser Visual:
STAFF:
Director / Series Composition / Script: Kei Suezawa
Character Design: Naoyuki Asano
Art Director: Mika Nishimura
Music: Kaori Sawada
Animation Production: Production ＋h.
The series has received strong critical acclaim and has sold more than 1.7 million copies worldwide. It has also won several major awards, including the Grand Prize at the Kagayake! Bros Comic Awards, the Best Serial Comic Award at Lucca Comics & Games 2024, and the 71st Shogakukan Manga Award.
Hirayasumi is a manga by Keigo Shinzo that has been serialized in Weekly Big Comic Spirits since 2021. The English version of the manga was released by VIZ Media in May 2024.
STORY:
At 29 years old, carefree Hiroto Ikuta doesn’t have a girlfriend, a full-time job, or a plan for the future—and he couldn’t be happier. Hiroto’s breezy attitude isn’t easy for everyone to understand, though. In a world filled with anxiety, confusion, and grief, Hiroto and the people around him are all just doing their best to figure out this thing called life.
About Keigo Shinzo:
Keigo Shinzo debuted as a manga creator in 2008 with Nankin, and has since created several award-winning works, including Bokura no Funkasai (Our Eruption Festival). His 2016 series Moriyamachuu Kyoushuujo (Moriyamachu Driving School) was adapted into a feature film, followed by a live-action adaptation of Tokyo Alien Bros. in 2018. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Shinzo chronicled his recovery from lymphoma in the autobiographical one-shot Akusei Rinpashu de Nyuuin shita Toki no Koto (About the Time I Was Hospitalized for Malignant Lymphoma), which also inspired the creation of Hirayasumi.
About VIZ Media:
Wherever manga and anime fans are, we are! VIZ Media is No. 1 in Japanese pop culture, introducing fans to what’s now, new, and next. Home to the world’s most influential and groundbreaking storytellers and artists, who today drive multiple industries from publishing and animation to film and gaming. If it’s big in Japan, you can find it at VIZ.
Source: Press Release
©Keigo Shinzo/Shogakukan/Hirayasumi Project
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