Hirayasumi rounded out its cast on October 13. Per Anime News Network, Daisuke Namikawa, Yōko Hikasa, Yume Miyamoto and Yūichirō Umehara join the NHK adaptation of Keigo Shinzō's manga, with TV announcer Yūko Naitō narrating. The show premieres on NHK General in January 2027, and the first episode already had its world premiere at Japan Society in New York on October 7.
Quick answer
Hirayasumi premieres in January 2027 on NHK General. It's animated by Production +h. and directed by Kei Suezawa, adapting Keigo Shinzō's slice-of-life manga from Shogakukan's Weekly Big Comic Spirits (serialized since April 2021). Viz Media is a co-producer and has an English release planned for 2027, but no streaming partner has been named yet. SenpaiRanks already lists the show; its score opens once episodes air and votes come in.
The setup
Hiroto Ikuta is 29, freelancing, and in no rush about any of it. When an elderly woman he'd befriended dies and leaves him her old house in a Tokyo residential neighborhood, his 18-year-old cousin Natsumi, an art student, moves in. That's the whole hook. ANN's preview of the first episode calls it pure iyashikei: no monsters, no twist, just a nice show about ordinary days, and it says the manga's soft linework and watercolor covers carry over well.
The full cast
- Yūma Uchida — Hiroto Ikuta
- Mayu Takahashi — Natsumi Kobayashi
- Rikako Aikawa — Hanae Wada
- Daisuke Namikawa — Hideki Noguchi, Hiroto's high school friend who works at a furniture store
- Yōko Hikasa — Yomogi Tachibana, a career woman
- Yume Miyamoto — Akari Yokoyama, Natsumi's first friend
- Yūichirō Umehara — Ryō Ishikawa, a struggling novelist
- Yūko Naitō — narrator
Who's making it
Naoyuki Asano handles character design, Mika Nishimura is art director, and Kaori Sawada composes the music. The manga has award pedigree: a Manga Taisho nomination, a Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize nomination, and consideration at the American Manga Awards. It's also wrapping up in Japan; we covered the manga's final chapter date last week.
Hirayasumi — Production +h.
Worth a slot?
If you liked Barakamon, Flying Witch or Natsume's Book of Friends, yes. NHK General plus Viz behind the English side is a sign this is meant to travel. For the shows it'll be measured against, see our best slice-of-life anime ranking; for what's airing right now, the trending fall 2026 board has the current leaders. Hirayasumi's own ranking page opens for votes in January.
Frequently asked questions
Q: When does the Hirayasumi anime come out?
A: Hirayasumi premieres in January 2027 on NHK General in Japan. The first episode screened early at Japan Society in New York on October 7, 2026.
Q: Where can I watch Hirayasumi?
A: No streaming partner has been announced yet. Viz Media is co-producing and plans an English release in 2027.
Q: Who is in the Hirayasumi anime cast?
A: Yūma Uchida voices Hiroto Ikuta and Mayu Takahashi voices Natsumi Kobayashi, with Rikako Aikawa, Daisuke Namikawa, Yōko Hikasa, Yume Miyamoto and Yūichirō Umehara. Yūko Naitō narrates.
Q: What studio is making Hirayasumi?
A: Production +h. animates it, with Kei Suezawa directing.
Q: Is Hirayasumi good?
A: The manga is award-nominated, and ANN's first-episode preview calls the anime a gentle iyashikei that translates the art well. Its SenpaiRanks score opens once it airs.