A mysterious creature invites the kids in for a sleepover in Dara-san of Reiwa.
Haruomi Tomotsuka’s occult comedy manga Dara-san of Reiwa is set to get a TV anime adaptation in 2026, with a trailer and the first details released today through its official website.
The trailer functions more as a teaser, showing realistic first-person footage that looks like it was recorded on an older video camera. The sounds of rain and footsteps can be heard as the person filming moves through what appears to be a forest. When they reach the front of a torii (a traditional Japanese temple gate or archway), an ominous noise occurs, accompanied by some shaking. The person recording then flees back into the forest, eventually dropping the camera into a puddle. Before the screen fades to the title, an anime-style silhouette of Dara-san briefly appears, followed by a few visuals and further details about the anime.
Alongside the official visuals, Tomotsuka shared a celebratory illustration to mark the announcement.
Anime staff and production details
The anime will be produced by Asahi Production, with Masato Suzuki (Gushing over Magical Girls) directing. Koichi Kikuta (KONOSUBA - God’s blessing on this wonderful world!) is handling character designs, while Rei Ishizuka (KING OF PRISM - Shiny Seven Stars) will provide the music, produced by Lantis.
Dara-san of Reiwa began as a webcomic on Tomotsuka’s social media in October 2021 and later started official serialisation on KADOKAWA’s webcomic platforms Kadokomi and Nico Nico Seiga from 30 March 2022.
The series has six collected volumes so far, with the seventh scheduled for release in Japan on 23 December 2025. Yen Press publishes the English-language edition of the manga.
Official synopsis
Yen Press provides the following description of the series in its official website:
“Two young children stand before the veil of life and death, and a many-armed terror opens a breach, stretches wide its many-fanged maw…and invites them in for a sleepover! And that’s not all, folks! Dara-san’s gonna have some fun in the sun at summer festivals, try toy-model making, and more! Somehow, an unknowable horror from beyond the black woods of untold history has ended up as the straight man in this silly spookfest!”
The anime adaptation will follow the established story and characters created by Tomotsuka, bringing the manga to television in 2026.