A Kingdom Reunion Behind the Scenes
The anime adaptation of Omae, Tanuki ni Naranee ka? — roughly "Would You Like to Be a Tanuki?" — brings together a crew with shared history on one of anime's biggest historical epics. Director Jun Kamiya helmed the first season of Kingdom and also directed Hikaru no Go and Let's Make a Mug Too. He's joined by screenwriter Masaki Wachi on series composition, who scripted episodes across Kingdom's first two seasons, and composer Minako Seki, who scored those same seasons. That's three Kingdom alumni steering a show about... shape-shifting tanuki recruiting burnt-out humans. Comic Natalie first reported the full staff lineup on May 20.
Rounding out the core team, Cocoro Takemoto (武本心) handles character design, with credits on Genbanojō and the 2020 Hakushon Daimaō reboot.
What's Omae, Tanuki ni Naranee ka? About?
The manga, serialized on comic POOL — a web manga platform run jointly by Ichijinsha and pixiv — bills itself as a "heartful tanuki story." A mysterious young man named Koganemaru appears out of nowhere in people's lives. His true identity: a shape-shifting tanuki on a mission to grow the mountain's population by scouting humans and convincing them to become tanuki themselves.
It's not as unhinged as that pitch sounds. Each encounter plays out as a gentle character study. Koganemaru finds people weighed down by overwork, strained relationships, or the general grind of modern life, and through the tanuki lens, the story nudges them toward rediscovering what actually matters. Think less supernatural thriller, more cozy fable with fur.
Creator Tomo Nagawa has been serializing the manga since its launch on comic POOL, and volume 10 hits shelves on May 25, 2026. In a comment released alongside the announcement, Nagawa expressed deep gratitude for the Nippon Animation partnership: "Having grown up learning so many things through Nippon Animation's works since childhood, I am deeply honored to have this kind of connection with them." Nagawa added a hope that the anime "can gently be there for the viewers' hearts, and when they happen to think of it, bring them a slightly warm feeling."
The Studio Fit
Nippon Animation is a natural home for this material. The studio built its reputation on warm, character-driven storytelling through decades of the World Masterpiece Theater series — adaptations of classic literature like Rascal the Raccoon and Anne of Green Gables — along with Chibi Maruko-chan, one of Japan's longest-running and highest-rated anime. A heartwarming tanuki story about finding your place in the world sits comfortably in that lineage.
A teaser visual and teaser trailer dropped alongside the announcement, with the trailer showing the tanuki characters darting through lush natural scenery.
Looking Ahead
No broadcast window, cast, or streaming partners have been announced yet. With a teaser visual and trailer now public and the staff locked in, a fuller reveal — likely including voice cast and a premiere season — should follow in the coming months. The manga does not currently have an official English-language release, so international readers can follow the Japanese serialization on comic POOL via pixiv. For anime fans, the official site at omatanu-anime.com and the show's X account (@omatanu_anime) are the places to watch for updates.