A brand-new short anime initiative titled “Light-novel Anime” has officially launched, bringing together top light novel authors and renowned illustrators for a bold new storytelling experiment. The project will feature bite-sized anime episodes, each around five minutes long, based on original stories crafted by celebrated writers from the light novel scene.
All episodes will be streamed vertically on YouTube, offering a smartphone-native viewing experience. A special landscape-edited version will also be broadcast on television within the ‘ANiMAZiNG!!!’ late-night programming block under the title “Weekly Light-novel Anime” starting Saturday, July 12, 2025.
The project debuts with four unique series, each featuring different genres, tones, and creative teams, but all produced by Ziine Studio and united by the same ambition: delivering gripping, compact storytelling like a light novel you can watch.
The first series, Shoushin Time Leap, written and composed by nigozyu and designed by tanu, is a time-jumping tale directed by Tomoyasu Murata. The cast includes Tomoyo Takayanagi, Shogo Sakata, Miyari Nemoto, and Reiji Kawashima.
Shoushin Time Leap anime visual
Shoushin Time Leap episode 1 part 1
Shoushin Time Leap episode 1 part 2
Next up is Femme Fatale Ikusei Keikaku, created by Natsu Hyuuga with designs from Kamoku Okeno, and co-directed by Masayuki Kitamura and Kazuya Shiraishi. Featuring a robust voice cast including Daiki Yamashita, Yuya Hirose, and Sayumi Suzushiro, this story promises intrigue and sharp character drama.
Femme Fatale Ikusei Keikaku anime visual
Jack the Reaper, penned by Tappei Nagatsuki (Re:Zero), explores dark fantasy themes with visuals by Minori Chigusa and direction by Daisuke Nakano. Voice talents such as Kaito Ishikawa and Kaede Hondo bring the world to life.
Jack the Reaper anime visual
Rounding out the launch lineup is the historical reincarnation comedy Marie Antoinette ni Tensei Shita no de Zenryoku de Guillotine wo Kaihi shimasu, created by Shoko Amano with art by Takuya Fujima and direction from Kaoruko Murakami. Fairouz Ai stars as the reincarnated royal who’s determined to escape the guillotine.
Marie Antoinette ni Tensei Shita no de Zenryoku de Guillotine wo Kaihi shimasu anime visual
All series feature a main theme by Misaki Umase and will be distributed by Ziine Studio. The project aims to deliver short-form, emotionally engaging stories, like a light novel, compact yet powerful, directly to your phone, anytime, anywhere.
Source: Light-novel Anime official website
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