Murciélago Manga Gets 2027 TV Anime on HIDIVE
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- HIDIVE announced exclusive streaming rights to the 2027 "Murciélago" TV anime for the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, marking a notable English-language pickup for AMC Global Media's anime-focused service.
- Yoshimura Kana's manga has sold more than 2.3 million copies worldwide and runs 28 volumes in Japan (26 internationally), having been serialized in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine since August 2013 — roughly 13 years before the anime adaptation was unveiled.
- Satelight and Staple Entertainment are jointly producing the series, with Naoya Takashi as chief director and Asami Matsuo directing; this marks their second collaboration following the recent "Übel Blatt" adaptation.
- The story follows Kuroko Koumori, a former death-row inmate recruited under an unusual legal arrangement to serve as a state executioner, paired with her unassuming partner Hinako Tozakura, a young woman with exceptional driving skills.
- Director Asami Matsuo disclosed that the team is "pushing the erotic and grotesque elements right up to the limits of broadcast standards" to capture what she called the original work's "stylish crime-action spirit," with voice recording already underway.
- The adaptation was unveiled at Anime Expo 2026, accompanied by a teaser, key visual, commemorative illustration, and messages from Yoshimura and both directors.
Why it matters: HIDIVE, AMC Global Media's anime-focused streamer, has landed exclusive English-language rights to a 28-volume, 2.3 million-copy-selling dark crime manga across six major markets — a competitive win against larger anime rivals. With directors openly pushing erotic and grotesque content "to the limits of broadcast standards," the 2027 series is positioned as an adult-niche play built around a death-row-executioner premise, not a mainstream shonen offering.
