"Something amazing has arrived" "This is 100% going to be good": Original anime LONA from screenwriter Akiko Nogi and WIT STUDIO draws eager reactions ahead of spring 2027 broadcast

LONA, a completely new original TV anime with original concept and screenplay by Akiko Nogi—the screenwriter known for Unnatural and MIU404—and planning and animation production by WIT STUDIO, has been confirmed to air from spring 2027, with three teaser visuals and two teaser videos now unveiled. The announcement has prompted eager reactions on social media and beyond.

The series is a brain-science adventure in which Nogi, who has long depicted people and society, takes "brain science" as a new motif. The director is Takashi Katagiri of SPY x FAMILY CODE: White, the original character design is by Posuka Demizu, the manga artist and illustrator known for The Promised Neverland, and the music is by Hiroko Sebu.

Set in a broken world in the near future, the series follows an unprecedented situation in which "people are attacked by humans who are supposed to be dead." The setting is the Laboratory of Optics and Neural Analysis, known as "LONA" and modeled on RIKEN's large-scale synchrotron radiation facility "SPring-8." It depicts researcher Ao and trainee Sango as they analyze the brains of the dead to approach the mystery. The cast includes Minako Kotobuki as Ao, Anna Nagase as Sango, and Fuka Izumi as Mugen, the facility's mascot.

On the broadcast announcement, Nogi, who handles the original concept and screenplay, commented: "In pursuit of expression that only anime can achieve, we take on the brain and the world, set in the large-scale synchrotron radiation facility I had long admired." Director Katagiri also expressed his joy, saying, "Something that happens only once in a lifetime has occurred. I got to make an anime written by Nogi." In addition to production staff including Demizu and Sebu, cast members Kotobuki, Nagase, and Izumi have also shared their enthusiasm for the work.

Along with the announcement of the anime adaptation, the full set of three teaser visuals was revealed following a countdown on social media. In addition, two videos were released: a teaser commercial portraying a near-future image, and a teaser PV depicting Ao and Sango confronting the lingering thoughts of the dead. On social media, comments eagerly awaiting the broadcast have poured in, such as "Screenplay by Nogi! Directed by Katagiri! A WIT original! Something amazing has arrived," "This is 100% going to be good," "An anime written by Akiko Nogi—I can't wait," and "I absolutely have to survive until next year."