Bless anime reveals its main cast ahead of January 2027 debut
Yukino Sonoyama’s fashion-focused manga heads to Fuji TV’s Noitamina block, with Tomohiro Ōno and Chiyuki Miura leading the cast.
The runway is set for Bless. Yukino Sonoyama’s manga is being adapted into a television anime, and the latest Aniplex One Focus livestream has revealed its two lead voices, a teaser visual and a January 2027 debut. The series will air on Fuji TV’s Noitamina programming block, according to Anime News Network’s report on the announcement.
A new look at *Bless*
Tomohiro Ōno will play Aia Udagawa, while Chiyuki Miura will voice Jun Sumisaki. The livestream also included short character videos for both characters, giving the pair their first animated spotlight before the series arrives. That is a suitably fashion-conscious introduction for a story built around image, confidence and the pressure to look the part.
Shōtarō Kitamura, director of Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!, is directing at A-1 Pictures, with Takayuki Kikuchi serving as assistant director. Fukurou Kamiza is writing and overseeing the scripts. Honoka Yokoyama is handling character designs and serving as chief animation director, alongside Tetsuya Kawakami and Reina Iwasaki. Ryō Yoshimata is composing the music.
The wider creative team includes costume designer Akane Takeda, prop designer Takayuki Kidou, and a group of named main animators and department leads listed in the announcement. In other words, Bless is not arriving as a bare-bones adaptation: its production has a sizeable team shaping everything from costumes and hair to colour, backgrounds, photography, editing and sound.
What the story is actually about
Kodansha USA describes Aia as someone destined to become a model, while Jun has been bullied for her freckles. Together, they try to reclaim the power to define themselves in an industry and culture that can value apparent talent over hard work. That premise gives the anime a sharper hook than a simple makeover story: it is about who gets to decide what beauty means, and who gets dismissed before they have a chance to prove themselves.
Sonoyama launched the manga in Kodansha’s Shonen Magazine Edge in 2022, and it now runs in Monthly Shonen Sirius. The manga has more than 1.25 million copies in circulation, while Kodansha plans to publish its ninth volume on 8 October. Kodansha USA has released volume seven in English, and the series is also available digitally through K MANGA.
Our opinion
Bless has the right ingredients for a thoughtful winter anime: a clear visual identity, a creative-industry setting and a central conflict that is about far more than looking good in a photo. A-1 Pictures is bringing a substantial staff to the project, but the real test will be whether the adaptation treats Aia and Jun as people rather than fashion-show props. The January 2027 debut is worth keeping on the radar; for now, the cast reveal has earned Bless a place on the watchlist.
Sources: Anime News Network, “Bless TV Anime Reveals Main Cast, January 2027 Debut” (published 12 September 2026); Aniplex One Focus livestream on YouTube.