Anna Nagase Takes On a Discarded Vampire Noble
According to a report from Japanese entertainment news site Comic Natalie, Anna Nagase (永瀬アンナ) voices Mercedes Grünewald, the vampire noble girl at the center of the story. Mercedes is the reincarnation of a Japanese office worker who died with regrets. Reborn into aristocracy but pushed aside by her father and left to live in the countryside with her mother, she sets out to conquer dungeons as a "seeker" and claim the strength and wealth her family never gave her. The full Japanese subtitle spells the setup out plainly, and the official English edition keeps that energy: The Dungeoneering Feats of a Discarded Vampire Aristocrat.
Nagase is a strong get for the lead. She voiced Ushio Kofune, the lead of Summer Time Rendering, and headlines Akane-banashi as rakugo prodigy Akane Ōsaki. Both are recent, widely streamed roles, so international viewers will recognize her voice the moment Mercedes opens her mouth.
The announcement came with a teaser visual and the first promotional video, which confirms the January 2027 broadcast window.
A Yu-Gi-Oh! Veteran Directs at Studio Teddy
Kunihisa Sugishima (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters) directs the series at Teddy, with Jun Kumagai handling series composition, Nami Shōyama on character design, and music composed by R.O.N and Shūhei Mutsuki.
The source novel by Firehead (炎頭), illustrated by KeG, began as a web serial in 2018 before publisher TO Books picked it up in print. Five novel volumes are out in Japan as of July 2026. A manga adaptation drawn by Pochi Edoya (江戸屋ぽち) runs on TO Books' Comic Corona web manga site and has reached six volumes.
The original creators shared celebratory comments alongside the reveal. Per Anime! Anime!'s coverage of the announcement, the manga's artist said the enthusiasm on the anime production side is so high that falling behind isn't an option.
Looking Ahead
The TV anime premieres in January 2027 in Japan. No international streaming partner has been announced yet, so keep an eye out as the broadcast window approaches.
English readers don't have to wait to meet Mercedes, though. J-Novel Club publishes both the light novel and the manga in English under the title Mercedes and the Waning Moon. The first promotional video is already up on YouTube, and the official site is live with the full staff and cast rundown.