Hayato Kirishima said goodbye tearfully to his childhood friend Haruki Nikaido when the Nikaido family moved away seven years ago. They finally reunite in high school when Hayato and his family move to the same big city. He didn’t recognize his friend at first, because the person he thought was a boy was really a girl. The tomboy Haruki is now the beautiful school idol. We’ll see how their reunion unfolds when Tenko-saki no Seiso Karen na Bishojo ga, Mukashi Danshi to Omotte Issho ni Asonda Osananajimi Datta Ken (lit. The Neat and Beautiful Girl at My New School Was My Childhood Friend Whom I Thought Was a Boy and I Played Together With), or Tenbin for short, premieres sometime in July 2026.
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Yu Hibari released the original Tenbin novel series on the user-generated website Shosetsuka ni Naro on June 13th, 2020. Shiso provided art for the light novel adaptation, which debuted on February 27th, 2021. Kadokawa Shoten published nine volumes in the Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko imprint. Kina Oyama provided art for the manga adaptation, which ran from September 2nd, 2021, to June 26th, 2025. Fujimi Shobo published all seven volumes in Niconico Seiga (Dra Dra Flat).
Tenbin Cast
The new transfer student, his childhood friend, and his sister are as follows:
- Hayato Kirishima — Shun’ichi Toki (Kiyoshi from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba). Hayato is a kind country bumpkin who doesn’t even have a phone.
- Haruki Nikaido — Ikumi Hasegawa (Ciel from Tsukihime). Haruki is a pretty girl who hides a tomboy personality behind closed doors.
- Himeko Kirishima — Miharu Hanai (Twin Turbo from Uma Musume Pretty Derby). Himeko is Hayato’s fashion-conscious younger sister.
Studio Project No.9 maintains a home page and a Twitter (X) page to promote Tenbin. You can find more information about the series and the key visuals at those sites.
From the Village to the City, Childhood Friends Reunite in Tenbin
Hayato Kirishima and Haruki Nikaido were close childhood friends. They did everything together in the countryside. Their time together came to an abrupt ending when Haruki’s parents announced their plans to move from the backwater countryside to the city. These two best friends wouldn’t reunite for another seven years when Hayato’s family moved to the same city. Hayato meets a pretty girl who has the same family name as his childhood friend, but it takes him a while to make the connection.
Hayato was surprised to discover that his childhood friend was a girl the entire time. She dressed and acted like a boy when they were younger, and now she’s the complete opposite. Haruki is the kind, polite idol who seems too distant to her admirers. However, Haruki hasn’t really changed, especially behind closed doors. She’s still a tomboy at heart who treats Hayato like a good friend. Whether they become more than friends down the line is anyone’s guess.
Will you set off fireworks when you watch the premiere of Tenbin in July? Have you read the original novel? Will Hayato and Haruki become more than friends? Let us know in the comments below.
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No girlfriend? No problem! April 14 is Black Day in South Korea, when single men mark the occasion by eating black noodles. They missed out on Valentine’s Day chocolate on February 14, and had no one to give white chocolate to on White Day, March 14, but so April 14 is their day! J-List is celebrating with a huge 15% sale on all Japan-based products through April 20. Start browsing now!
