The official website for the television anime of Chie Shinohara’s Red River (Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori) shōjo manga announced five more cast members for the anime on Thursday. The five cast members are:
Aya Uchida as Queen Nakia, the queen of the Hittite Empire
Image via Red River anime’s website
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Shōya Chiba as Zannanza Hattušili, the fourth-born prince of the Hittite Empire
Image via Red River anime’s website
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Tomoaki Maeno as Ilbani, Prince Kail’s aide and advisor
Image via Red River anime’s website
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Kōji Yusa as Urhi, Nakia’s servant
Image via Red River anime’s website
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Kōsuke Toriumi as Prince Mattiwaza, the Prince of Darkness of the chariot-riding Mitanni kingdom
Image via Red River anime’s website
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Previously announced cast members include:
Mirai Tachibana as Yuri
Image via Red River anime’s website
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Wataru Katō as Kail Muršili (later King Muršili II)
Image via Red River anime’s website
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Hiroki Nanami voices Yuri’s classmate and boyfriend Satoshi Himuro, and also narrates the anime.
Image via Red River anime’s X/Twitter account
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The anime will premiere on NTV and BS NTV in July.
Kōsuke Kobayashi (Waccha PriMagi!, Alice or Alice) is directing the anime at Tatsunoko Production. Yoriko Tomita (The Elusive Samurai, My Dress-Up Darling) is overseeing the series scripts, and Kenji Fujisaki (YU-NO: A girl who chants love at the bound of this world., Blood Lad) is designing the characters. Yoshihisa Hirano is composing the music, while Hiroto Morishita is the sound director. Team Kawadon is credited for sound production. Hiroki Nanami will perform the anime’s opening theme song “Akatsuki no Sora” (Dawn Sky).
Historical researchers include Kimiyoshi Matsumura and Daisuke Yoshida, who are members of the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology as part of the Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan.
Viz Media started releasing the manga in English in 2004, and released all 28 volumes between 2004 to 2010. The company then started re-releasing the manga in 3-in-1 omnibus editions in October 2024, and will release the seventh omnibus volume on April 21.
Viz Media describes the manga’s first volume:
Yuri, a pretty Japanese girl, is ecstatic after passing her college entrance exam and having her first kiss with her childhood friend-turned boyfriend. However, her luck soon changes. She starts to notice that water becomes agitated whenever she goes near it. One night, hands appear out of a puddle on the street and drag her into the water! Transported to an ancient village in the Middle East, she is then captured by armed troops and taken to the Queen’s palace for a human sacrifice.
Shinohara originally serialized the manga from 1995 to 2002 in Shogakukan’s Shōjo Comic (Sho-Comi) magazine.
The manga inspired a stage play by the famed all-female Takarazuka Revue troupe in 2018.
Sources: Red River anime’s website, Comic Natalie
