Matsurika Kanriden anime adds two cast members
The Matsurika Kanriden TV anime adds Takuya Sato and Hiyori Kono to its cast ahead of the January 2027 broadcast.
Matsurika Kanriden (茉莉花官吏伝) will add two more named cast members when its television anime begins in January 2027, with Takuya Sato voicing Akatsuki and Hiyori Kono voicing Lian Lo, according to a new announcement reported by Anime News Network.12
The new cast members
Sato will play Akatsuki, the emperor of Sekiso, while Kono will play Lian Lo, his empress. The official anime website lists both characters among the wider ensemble, alongside the returning leads Matsurika and Emperor Hakuyo.1
The announcement also confirms the show's January 2027 broadcast window in Japan. It is scheduled to air on Tokyo MX, MBS, TV Aichi and BS11. The series is being produced by Maho Film, with Yuichi Nakazawa directing and Takeshi Mori serving as supervising director.12
What is Matsurika Kanriden?
The anime adapts Rinne Ishida's light-novel series, illustrated by Izumi. Its full Japanese title is shown on the official site as 茉莉花官吏伝, while the English-facing title is Matsurika Kanriden. The story follows Matsurika, a palace lady-in-waiting whose remarkable memory draws the attention of Emperor Hakuyo after she is asked to act as a practice partner for a nobleman's marriage meeting.1
That premise puts court politics and personal ambition at the centre of the adaptation. Matsurika begins as a girl from a commoner background who is content with her position, but her ability to remember places, books and information perfectly changes the path open to her. The official site says the series has passed 2.68 million copies in circulation, including digital editions, and that the 19th novel volume shipped on October 15.1
The production has also released promotional material ahead of the broadcast. The official website hosts two PVs, including a visual that places Matsurika and Akatsuki together in a palace setting. KANA-BOON performs the opening theme song, Hana Hanashi, for the anime.1
Our opinion
The additional casting makes the adaptation's court setting feel more substantial before the January 2027 debut. Akatsuki and Lian Lo are not just extra names on a cast list: their imperial position gives the story another political relationship to explore alongside Matsurika's connection with Hakuyo. The official visual also points towards a series that wants its palace drama to feel warm and character-led rather than purely ceremonial. The important caveat is that the broadcast is still months away, so the newly confirmed cast and production details tell us what the anime is building towards, not how successfully it will translate the novels on screen.
For now, the announcement gives Matsurika Kanriden a clearer ensemble and a stronger sense of the world surrounding its heroine. More footage and the January 2027 premiere should reveal how much room the adaptation gives these court figures to develop.