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Over the weekend, Toho Animation, one of the biggest names in Japanese entertainment and anime, decided to tease us all with a new announcement. The company, which is responsible for producing and distributing Studio Ghibli films, the Godzilla franchise, and My Hero Academia anime, used their social media to hint that a new anime would be confirmed bright and early Monday morning (well, in the evening in Japan). The wait is over and now we know what the company’s next big anime project will be.

As promised, Toho announced that they were producing an anime series based on Nakamura Souki’s Though I'm an Inept Villainess light novel series. Also known as Futsutsuka, the story is described as a “harem body-swapping reversal drama” by the anime’s official site.

It follows the frail and beautiful Kou Reirin, who was expected to marry the crown prince until she is suddenly trapped in the body of the "court rat" Shu Keigetsu during a festival. Though she is doomed to be executed, she manages to use her new body and health to overcome any obstacle before her. The series combines romance, comedy, and a clever reversal of tropes to keep things fresh throughout.

The announcement also included the main staff involved in the series.

• Character Design: Yukinari and Oyo Hide
• Director: Yamazaki Mitsue
• Series Composition: Nakamura Yoshiko
• Character Design: Kikuchi Ai
• Animation Studio: Doga Kobo

Although it isn’t particularly well-known in the West, Though I am an Inept Villainess (or Futsutsuka, as it is often called) has a strong following in Japan and Asia, making it a big announcement for Toho Animation. No release date has been confirmed for the Though I'm an Inept Villainess anime.

Each week, Popverse's resident anime expert Trent Cannon runs down the latest and, dare we say "greatest," in anime and manga in Popverse Jump. Some recent columns have included... 

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