Kadokawa has revealed a new promotional video and visual for the Shibou Yuugi de Meshi o Kuu (Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table/ 死亡遊戯で飯を食う。) TV anime, and it confirmed that the show will premiere on January 7th, 2026.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqp_JkzslnM]

Shibou Yuugi de Meshi o Kuu Anime Key Visual

The anime’s first episode, which will be 60 minutes long, will debut on the Tokyo MX channel on January 7th, 2026, and it will then air on ABC TV on January 8th, and on WOWOW on January 13th. Netflix will stream the anime as it airs, along with other distribution services, which have yet to be named.

Ueno Takeshiro is directing the anime at Studio DEEN, Ikeda Rintarou is in charge of the series composition, Osada Eri is in charge of character design, and Konuma Noriyosho is in charge of sound. The anime will star:

  • Miura Chiyuki as Yuuki
  • Satou Haruka as Kokuto
  • Minase Inori as Kinko
  • Tamara Mutsumi as Beniya
  • Motomura Rena as Aoi
  • Kawaguchi Rina as Momono

Shibou Yuugi de Meshi o Kuu Anime Visual 2

The anime is based on the Shibou Yuugi de Meshi o Kuu light novel series by Ukai Yuushi and illustrator Nekometal. Kadokawa released the first novel by Ukai and Nekometal in November 2022 and the eighth novel in February 2025. The ninth novel is scheduled for release on January 23rd, 2026.
Shibou Yuugi de Meshi o Kuu Novel Cover 1

Shibou Yuugi de Meshi o Kuu Novel Cover 9

The novels were also adapted into a manga in April 2023 by manga artist Kotobuki Daienkai Banzai. The manga started serialisation in Kodokawa’s Comic Ace magazine, and Kodokawa published the manga’s first tankoubon volume in December 2023 and the fourth volume in September 2025.  The fifth volume is scheduled for release on January 23rd, 2026.

Shibou Yuugi de Meshi o Kuu Manga Cover 1

Shibou Yuugi de Meshi o Kuu Manga cover 5

 

Yen Press publishes the novel series in English under the name Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table, and it will release the fifth novel on February 10th, 2026. Yen Press describes the novel series below:

“Yuki wakes up to find herself in an unfamiliar manor, wearing a maid uniform and lying on a luxurious bed. Soon, she discovers five more girls, all dressed the same as her. This is the Ghost House, and the only way they can survive is to make it through the traps that lie in wait-deadly games full of blowguns, buzz saws, locked rooms, and weapons. It’s a hopeless, terrifying situation for everyone there…well, everyone except Yuki. After all, this is her career at seventeen. Do you think that’s odd? She would agree. But that’s how some people are-they earn their living playing death games.”