Netflix has announced historical coming-of-age anime Love Through a Prism, which will debut on the platform on January 15, 2026.
The 20-episode show, which will follow Japanese student Lili Ichijoin (Atsumi Tanezaki) in the early 20th century as she goes to London to study art, is directed by Kazuto Nakazawa (B: The Beginning and Fena: Pirate Princess, Terror in Resonance character designer) at WIT STUDIO. The story and original character designs come from Boys Over Flowers manga creator Yoko Kamio, who is also co-writing the scripts.
Here’s how the story is described:
Love Through a Prism is centered on Lili Ichijoin (voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki, SPY x FAMILY), a Japanese exchange student who travels to England to enroll in the prestigious Saint Thomas Art Academy. Determined to become a painter, she arrives under pressure: her parents expect her to rise to the top of her class within six months or return home.
Lili’s drive intensifies when she encounters Kit Church (voiced by Koki Uchiyama, Jujutsu Kaisen), a gifted aristocratic student known for his talent and detachment. While Kit has devoted himself entirely to painting, Lili’s sincerity and resilience begin to shift something in him. The two share little beyond their love for art, yet their relationship quickly becomes central to life at the academy over the 20 episodes.
Image source: @NetflixAnime
Aside from Tanezaki and Uchiyama, the cast includes Yuki Kaji as Shinnosuke Kobayakawa, Megumi Han as Dorothy Brown, Yohei Azakami as Joffrey O’Brien, Shogo Sakata as Peter Anthony, Sumire Uesaka as Catherine Astor, Akari Kito as Sakura Kobayakawa, Hochu Otsuka as Charles Brant, Yuhko Kaida as Take Ichijoin, and Junichi Suwabe as Richard Church.
Meanwhile, some of the other staff credits include:
• 2nd director: Tetsuya Takahashi
• 3rd director and co-scriptwriter: Saki Fuji
• Character designer: Yasuko Takahashi (Fena: Pirate Princess)
• Sub-character designer: Aiko Minowa
• Chief animation director: Yasuko Takahashi
• Chief animation director: Aiko Minowa
• Background art director: Bamboo’s Yusuke Takeda (Chainsaw Man, Yaiba: Samurai Legend)
• Music composer: NAOKI”naotyu-“CHIBA
• Animation producer: Keita Yoshinobu (Kizuna no Allele co-animation producer)
Source: @NetflixAnime
