Anime Expo 2025 in Los Angeles not only featured trailers and panels for established franchises, but also highlighted the light novels that will make the leap to anime in the coming months and years.
Below, we review the four titles that made headlines, using confirmed sources, detailing the authors, studios responsible, approximate dates, and the core plot of each work.
Though I Am an Inept Villainess:
Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court
- By Satsuki Nakamura, with illustrations by YukiKana.
- Studio and adaptation: Doga Kobo Anima; directed by Mitsue Yamazaki, composed by Yoshiko Nakamura, and character designed by Ai Kikuchi.
- Expected release date: No public date, but the production company confirmed it's targeting late 2025 if the internal schedule isn't delayed.
- Latest news: The Expo showcased a “birthday” illustration dedicated to Shu Keigetsu (July 5) and confirmed that voice recordings will begin in the fall.
- Plot Summary: Noblewoman Kou Reirin awakens in the body of her rival, the commoner Keigetsu, after being pushed off a balcony. With execution hanging over her new identity, she fights to regain her place at court through ingenuity and forbidden magic.
The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom
- By Puni chan and illustrated by Akeno Naruse; 14 volumes edited by B's Log Bunko.
- The studio responsible remains unannounced. The publisher is preparing an open casting call to select new voice actors.
- Expected release: September 2026, according to the roadmap leaked by B's Log during the show.
- Latest news: they confirmed that the adaptation will be based on both the novel and the visual novel released on Switch and Steam (March 2024).
- Plot Summary: Tiararose is reincarnated in the otome Lapis Lazuli Ring as the villain. Her fate changes when the neighboring prince proposes to her, unleashing a romantic comedy where the genre's clichés turn against the game itself.
Sentenced to Be a Hero
- Written by Rocket Shokai and illustrated by Mephisto; with 5 volumes under Dengeki no Shin Bungei.
- By Studio KAI; with lead vocals by Yōhei Azakami (Xylo Forbartz) and Mayu Iizuka (Teoritta).
- Expected release: April 2026 (estimated date confirmed on the Crunchyroll panel).
- Latest news: New poster showing Xylo facing off against a corrupted beast; script team to be revealed in October.
- Plot Summary: In this world, heroism is a punishment imposed on criminals. Xylo, a goddess killer, leads a unit of "penal heroes" who revive after each death to combat demonic plagues. A pact with a deity could change everything.
Yuusha Party ni Kawaii Ko ga Ita no de, Kokuhaku Shitemita
- By Suisei with illustrations by La na. The manga is illustrated by Kairi.
- Studio and adaptation: Gekkou; directed by Tomonori Mine, scripted by Yukie Sugawara, designed by Mina Osawa, and scored by Satoru Kosaki & MONACA.
- Cast: Kōhei Amasaki (Youki) and Kana Hanazawa (Cecilia).
- Planned release: No date set, but the production company is considering May 2027 as a tentative date to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the original publication.
- Latest news: first promotional image showing Youki's confession to Cecilia; confirmed that the romantic comedy will combine light fantasy with adventurous slice-of-life.
- Plot Summary: After defeating the Dark Lord, young adventurer Youki realizes he likes his companion Cecilia more than he thought. Determined to declare his love, he discovers that love can be more complicated than saving the kingdom.
Light novel adaptations continue to be a bountiful source of income for the anime industry. Doga Kobo, Studio KAI, and Gekkou spearhead projects ranging from court drama to dark fantasy, while titles like The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom prove that the isekai-otome phenomenon continues to thrive.
With releases staggered between 2025 and 2027, readers will have time to catch up on the published volumes before the series hit the screen.
Anime Expo 2025 demonstrates, once again, that the convergence of light literature and animation continues to set trends and expand the medium's thematic horizon.
Don't forget to check out our store and all our anime, manga, series, movies, historical replicas, and much more.
