Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 short stories anime adaptation set to release in November 2025

Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26, an anthology anime series adapting eight of Fujimoto’s early one-shot manga, is about to bring another side of the acclaimed Chainsaw Man creator’s career to life on screen. Amazon Prime Video has announced that the series will premiere worldwide on November 7, 2025 (November 8 in Japan).

Many of these works are eccentric, provocative, and even awkward, yet they clearly foreshadow the themes that would define Fujimoto’s later masterpieces: mortality, absurdity, the struggle for human connection, and the collision between tenderness and brutality.

Visual from the anime (Image credit: Flagship Line)

For instance, Nayuta of the Prophecy connects directly to Chainsaw Man. Mermaid Rhapsody foreshadows Fujimoto’s ability to tell tragic love stories like Look Back. And Love is Blind and Sisters reveal his penchant for exploring human relationships in strange, uncomfortable, yet revealing ways.

By animating these works, the industry is not only celebrating Fujimoto’s present success but also preserving and elevating his creative origins.

Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 is a high-profile anthology project

Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 is structured as an anthology, with each of the eight stories directed by a different creative lead and produced across six leading animation studios. The participating studios are:

ZEXCS (Diabolik Lovers, Backflip!!)
Lapin Track (Sarazanmai)
GRAPH77 (a rising studio best known for experimental projects)
100studio (Blue Lock)
Studio Kafka (The Ancient Magus’ Bride)
P.A. WORKS (Angel Beats!, Shirobako)

Supervised by Flagship Line, the production enlists seven directors, each bringing their unique vision to Fujimoto’s surreal, heartfelt, and often unpredictable stories.

The anthology format: Eight stories, eight styles

Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 anime (Image credit: Flagship Line)

Each of the eight episodes is handled by a different creative team, giving each story a unique visual and narrative approach. Here’s a breakdown of the episodes:

Episode	Title	Director / Screenplay	Character Design	Studio	Main Cast
1	A Couple Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin’ in the Schoolyard	Seishiro Nagaya	Moaang	ZEXCS	Kensho Ono, Shion Sakurai, Kazuki Ura, Kimiko Saito, Mitsuo Iwata
2	Sasaki Stopped a Bullet	Nobukage Kimura / Teruko Utsumi	Naho Kozono	Lapin Track	Toshiki Kumagai, Chika Anzai, Yoichi Okano
3	Love is Blind	Nobuyuki Takeuchi / Teruko Utsumi	Tomoko Mori	Lapin Track	Shun Horie, Shion Wakayama, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Junichi Suwabe, Mamiko Noto
4	Shikaku	Naoya Ando	MYOUN	GRAPH77	Kana Hanazawa, Tomokazu Sugita
5	Mermaid Rhapsody	Tetsuaki Watanabe / Tatsuo Kobayashi	Nozomi Shimazaki	100studio	Chiaki Kikuta, Eri Yukimura
6	Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome	Kazuaki Terasawa	Kohei Tokuoka	Studio Kafka	Yuki Sakakihara, Maki Kawase, Seiichiro Yamashita
7	Nayuta of the Prophecy	Tetsuaki Watanabe	Hisashi Higashijima	100studio	Hitomi Sasaki, Yohei Matsuoka
8	Sisters	Osamu Honma / Yoko Yonaiyama	Haruka Sagawa	P.A. WORKS	Runa Nakashima, Tomo Nakai, Tomohiko Imai

Why this matters: More than just fan service

Visual from the Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 anime trailer (Image credit: Flagship Line)

On the surface, adapting Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 might seem like a niche project aimed at superfans. But there’s more significance here:

Preserving artistic growth - Rarely do we see a mainstream anime adaptation dedicated to a creator’s early experiments. This project showcases the journey of a mangaka from raw sketches to cultural phenomenon.
Anthology trend - Anime anthologies (Star Wars: Visions, Memories, Neo Tokyo) often become cult classics. Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 might revive this tradition for a new generation.
Prime Video’s big bet - With global distribution, this marks another step in streaming platforms investing in niche but artistically ambitious anime. Fujimoto’s name guarantees buzz.

Fan Reactions: Excitement, skepticism, and memes

The announcement of Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 being animated has already lit up online communities. Fans are thrilled but also amused:

Many are surprised these obscure one-shots are getting anime before Fire Punch or Goodbye, Eri.
Discussions are brewing over how controversial stories like Sisters and Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome will be received by mainstream audiences.
Fujimoto fans are joking that if 17-26 is possible, then Fire Punch is “inevitable.”

Some fans even note that projects like this mirror a broader trend: once a creator’s breakout hit finds success, their earlier, less popular works often get adapted to ride the momentum.

Final thoughts

Come November 7, 2025, the world will get to step into Fujimoto’s early imagination, one short story at a time. And if this project is any indication, Fujimoto’s wild ride through anime adaptations is just getting started.

Edited by Sarah Nazamuddin Harniswala

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