The official website for The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten anime series has revealed a stunning Tanabata visual featuring the two main characters Mahiru Shiina and Amane Fujimiya. Take a look above.
The Tanabata festival is celebrated on July 7 — learn more about the occasion below.
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten release date in 2023
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten (お隣の天使様にいつの間にか駄目人間にされていた件, Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsu no Ma ni ka Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken) TV anime series will premiere in 2023. No precise date has been announced yet, so stay tuned!
Studio Project No.9 is producing the series and the staff is, as follows:
- Kenichi Imaizumi — director
- Keiichiro Ochi (The Quintessential Quintuplets) — series composition
- Takayuki Noguchi— character design
- Moe Hyuga — soundtrack
The cast has also been disclosed:
- Amane Fujimiya — Taito Ban
- Mahiru Shiina — Manaka Iwami
- Itsuki Akasawa — Taku Yashiro
- Chitose Shirakawa — Haruka Shiraishi
The anime adaptation was first announced in January 2022; a teaser PV followed in March. In May, the second teaser visual introducing the four main characters was released (see below).
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten light novel series
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten anime is an adaptation of the eponymous light novel series written by Saekisan and illustrated by Hanekoto. Originally published on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō (小説家になろう, “Let’s Become a Novelist”) user-generated website, the novel has since been licensed by SB Creative.
Five volumes of the series have been so far released by SB Creative, under its GA Bunko label. As for international audiences, the light novel series is licensed by Yen Press.
Yen Press describes the plot thusly:
“Mahiru is a beautiful girl whose classmates all call her an “angel.” Not only is she a star athlete with perfect grades—she’s also drop-dead gorgeous. Amane‚ an average guy and self-admitted slob‚ has never thought much of the divine beauty‚ despite attending the same school. Everything changes‚ however‚ when he happens to see Mahiru sitting alone in a park during a rainstorm. Thus begins the strange relationship between this incredibly unlikely pair!”
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten manga
Following the success of The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten light novel series, a manga adaptation has emerged. Illustrated by Wan Shibata with composition provided by Suzu Yūki (Eromanga-sensei: Yamada Elf Daisensei no Koisuru Junshin Gohan), the manga has been serialized in Manga UP! (Square Enix’s online manga magazine) since January 2022.
What is Tanabata?
The majority of anime fans are vaguely familiar with common Japanese holidays present in Japanese pop culture. In addition to (O)bon (お盆), Tanabata is arguably the most prominent one in manga and anime, so let’s dive a bit deeper into the matter.
Tanabata (たなばた or七夕), a.k.a. the Star Festival (星祭り, Hoshi matsuri) falls on July 7 every year. It is a popular festival in both Japan and China, where it is known as the Qīxì festival (七夕). Note the same kanji in both renderings (七夕): Tanabata literally means “the evening of the seventh,” and, yes, the holiday originates in China.
In Japan, Tanabata celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime (織姫) and Hikoboshi (彦星), represented by the stars Vega and Altair, respectively (hence the Star Festival analogy). The legend, introduced to Japan by Empress Kōken (755), gained popularity in the early Edo period (1603-1867).
The legend has it that Hikoboshi (the Cowherd Star) and Orihime (the Weaving Princess) fell in love a long time ago and became husband and wife. However, they were so enchanted with one another that they completely neglected their divine duties. This led to people’s kimonos crumbling and the cows getting sick, so the god wouldn’t overlook the matter. As a punishment, he forced them to live separately on the opposite sides of the Heavenly River (Amanogawa, which symbolizes the Milky Way).
Orihime was so devastated by this punishment that she begged her father to allow her to meet Hikoboshi again. He was moved; hence, he allowed her to meet her husband on the 7th day of the 7th month provided she finished her weaving.
However, the first time they tried to meet, they discovered they could not cross Amanogawa — there was no bridge. Orihime was so saddened that she started crying and a flock of magpies, moved by her tears, promised they would make a bridge with their wings.
It is said that if it rains on Tanabata, Orihime and Hikoboshi cannot meet since the magpies cannot cross the river. Thus, they have to wait another year to reunite. When it’s raining on Tanabata, the rain is called “The tears of Orihime and Hikoboshi.”
Tanabata is traditionally celebrated by writing a wish (romantic souls may even write poetry) on colored strips of paper called tanzaku (短冊) and hanging them on bamboo with additional decorations. The bamboo is often floated down a river or even set on fire after the festival ends (various regions of Japan observe different customs).
The origin of Tanabata
Like many other holidays and customs in the Sinosphere, Tanabata originates in China. In Korea, the festival is called Chilseok.
The Chinese original is inspired by the romantic tale “The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl” and the lovers’ names are Zhinü (Vega) and Niulang (Altair).
Qin Guan (1049–1100), a famous Chinese poet of the Song Dynasty, wrote a poem inspired by the tale that is one of the best-known literally works on the topic:
“Meeting across the Milky way
Through the varying shapes of the delicate clouds,
the sad message of the shooting stars,
a silent journey across the Milky Way.
One meeting of the Cowherd and Weaver amidst the golden autumn wind and jade-glistening dew,
eclipses the countless meetings in the mundane world.
The feelings soft as water,
the ecstatic moment unreal as a dream,
how can one have the heart to go back on the bridge made of magpies?
If the two hearts are united forever, why do the two persons need to stay together — day after day, night after night?”