The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom Anime Confirmed for 12 Episodes This Winter

The upcoming fantasy romance TV anime, The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom, has confirmed its broadcast length. The series is set for a 12-episode run, establishing it as a standard single-cour adaptation for the Winter 2026 season.

The premiere is scheduled for January 11, 2026, airing at 23:00 JST in Japan. Crunchyroll will handle the international streaming of the series.

The anime adapts Punichan’s popular light novel series, which has sold over 5.6 million copies. The story centers on Tiararose, who realizes she has been reincarnated as the villainess of the otome game The Ring of Lapis Lazuli. Her expected downfall via a broken engagement is derailed when Prince Aquasteed of the neighboring kingdom proposes marriage instead.

Studio Deen is producing the animation. Takayuki Hamana directs the series, with Yoshimi Narita handling series composition. Majiro is credited with character designs. Music composition is managed by Satoshi Hono and Karin Nakano.

The voice cast returns from the visual novel adaptation. Mai Fuchigami stars as Tiararose, alongside Yūichirō Umehara as Aquasteed. Takuya Satō voices Hartknights, and Yumiri Hanamori plays Akari. Ayahi Takagaki and Yu Shirota perform both the opening theme, "Ai no Fanfare," and the ending theme, "Mahō no Oto." The manga adaptation runs in B’s-LOG COMIC.