Red River is heading into its next major chapter. The long-awaited anime adaptation of Chie Shinohara’s historical fantasy will continue with a second cour on September 29, bringing the series to a confirmed total of 24 episodes.
The announcement also expands the cast with two notable additions. Soma Saito will voice User Ramses, while Shun Horie will play Juda Haspasrupi, with both characters scheduled to appear from Episode 8 onward. Crunchyroll is streaming the series as it airs.
A 30-Year Wait Finally Pays Off
For longtime shoujo manga readers, the adaptation carries particular weight. Shinohara’s Red River began serialization in Shogakukan’s Shojo Comic magazine in January 1995 and concluded in June 2002. The story was later collected into 28 tankobon volumes, and the manga was reported to have surpassed 20 million copies in circulation in 2019.
The anime’s official website now describes the series as Shinohara’s first television anime adaptation, arriving roughly three decades after the manga’s debut. It also lists the work as having exceeded 20 million copies in circulation, including digital editions, as of January 2026. That milestone helps explain why the project has remained one of the more closely watched adaptations among classic shoujo properties.
Rather than treating the manga as a forgotten period piece, the anime brings its sweeping romance, palace intrigue, and ancient-world adventure to a new audience. The second cour gives the adaptation additional room to develop its increasingly dangerous political landscape while continuing Yuri’s transformation from an ordinary modern teenager into a figure of legend.
Yuri’s Journey Through the Hittite Empire
Red River follows Yuri, a Japanese teenager whose life changes when a mysterious hand pulls her beneath a puddle. She awakens in the Hittite Empire of the 14th century BCE, far removed from everything she knows and immediately caught in a struggle involving the imperial succession.
Yuri finds protection with Prince Kail, but safety is never guaranteed. Assassins, royal conspiracies, and military conflicts make the ancient empire a perilous place, forcing Yuri to rely on more than a desire to return home. As her courage and actions earn her the name Ishtar—the goddess of war—she becomes increasingly important to the people and politics around her.
At the center of the story is Yuri’s difficult choice between her former life in modern Japan and the uncertain future she is building alongside Kail. That tension gives the series its distinctive mix of historical drama, fantasy adventure, and romance.
Tatsunoko Production Leads the Adaptation
The anime is directed by Kosuke Kobayashi, known for The Master of Ragnarök & Blesser of Einherjar, with animation produced by Tatsunoko Production. Yoriko Tomita, whose credits include The Elusive Samurai, handles series composition, while Kenji Fujisaki of Blood Lad provides the character designs.
Music comes from Yoshihisa Hirano, whose work includes Ouran High School Host Club and Hunter x Hunter. The creative lineup reflects the adaptation’s balancing act: it needs to sell the scale of a historical epic while preserving the emotional focus and character-driven storytelling associated with Shinohara’s manga.
The arrival of Saito and Horie should add another layer to the court and military conflicts ahead. Their characters are confirmed to enter the story beginning with Episode 8, making the episode a natural point to watch as the series moves into its next phase.
With the second cour beginning on September 29, viewers can expect Red River to continue building on Yuri’s status as Ishtar and her complicated relationship with Kail. The bigger question is how far the anime will take her conflict between home and destiny—and whether the remaining episodes can capture the full ambition of a 28-volume classic.
Sources
crunchyroll.com
vap.co.jp
