Staff for the Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori (Red River/ 天は赤い河のほとり) TV anime have released a teaser promotional video, which confirms more staff and that the anime will premiere on TV in July 2026 on the NTV and BS NTV channels.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLmRzMmyYok]
Kobayashi Kousuke is directing the anime at Tatsunoko Production, and the anime will star Tachibana Mirai as Yuri, Katou Wataru as Kail Mursili, and Nanami Hiroki as the character of Satoshi Himuro and the narrator for the anime.
The anime is based on the Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori ( 天は赤い河のほとり) shoujo manga by Shinohara Chie. Shinohara started the manga in 1995 and ended it in 2002 in Shogakukan’s Shoujo Comic magazine. Shogakukan published the manga’s first tankoubon volume in May 1995 and the 28th and final volume in July 2002.
Viz Media has released all of the manga volumes in English under the name Red River. It has also started to re-release the manga in 3-in-1 omnibus editions, and will release the seventh omnibus volume on April 21st, 2026. Viz Media describes the manga’s story below:
“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. Adventure and good-looking boys fill this great first volume!”
