A new High School! Kimengumi anime has been announced, and it’s just a few months away from premiering in January 2026.
The announcement came with a teaser visual that frames a few characters with a smartphone screen (the original anime premiered in the 80s). There’s also an “image MV” that has cast members Haruka Shiraishi and Ikumi Hasegawa covering the previous anime’s first opening theme song, “Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi,” which shares the name of the short-lived idol unit that originally performed it.
©新沢基栄／集英社・奇面組
High School! Kimengumi‘s cast includes Tomokazu Seki as Rei Ichido, Shunsuke Takeuchi as Go Reietsu, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Kiyoshi Shusse, Chiaki Kobayashi as Jin Daima, and Kikunosuke Toya as Dai Monohoshi. Shiraishi and Hasegawa’s characters are Yui Kawa and Chie Uru, respectively.
Meanwhile, the staff credits include:
• Director: Kazuaki Seki (Ranma 1/2 remake first opening director and co-storyboard artist, “Suki Da” music video director)
• Animation director (written in katakana): Takashi Nishikawa
• Series composer: Shigeru Murakoshi (Apocalypse Hotel series composer and scriptwriter)
• Character designer: Yuka Abe
• Animation production: Animation Studio Seven
High School! Kimengumi is based on the manga by Motoei Shinzawa. Shinzawa first created San-nen Kimengumi, which was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump from October 1980 to April 1982, with High School! Kimengumi being the title of the manga’s 1982 to 1987 sequel. The high-school comedy follows the members of The Funny-face Club.
The original anime series, which began airing in 1985, was directed by Hiroshi Fukutomi with Fuji TV and NAS credited with production (not written with the kanji that’s typically used to refer to planning and committee type). Studio Comet and Studio Gallop were credited with production assistance. Remow licensed the show and describes the premise as such:
The Funny-face Club are technically high school students, but that’s where the normal part ends. The five members (Rei Ichido, Go Reiketsu, Kiyoshi Duse, Dai Moroboshi, and Jin Ooma) all have unique faces and even more unique personalities. Whether you’re talking about temperaments, intellect, physical quirks, or behavior, they’re all complete weirdos!
Alongside them are other colorful groups at school like the Pretty-boy Brigade, the Buckle-down Bunch, and the Rebel Crew), alongside classmates like Yui Kasengawa and Chie Ururu, and all their teachers who also get caught up in the chaos. Together, they dive headfirst into a nonstop series of wacky, wild antics.
It’s a story packed with absurdity, nonsense, unpredictability, and utter madness, featuring five hopeless underachievers that will stay in your memory forever!
High School! Kimengumi has also inspired an anime movie and stage plays.
Source: @kimengumi_anime
