A new monthly seasonal visual for September has been unveiled for the upcoming Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court TV anime series, showcasing the theme of “moon viewing.” The anime will premiere in 2026.
Mitsue Yamazaki (Zenshu, Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle) is directing the anime, with Yoshiko Nakamura (RPG Real Estate) as series screenwriter and Ai Kikuchi (Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie) as character designer. Doga Kobo is handling the animation production.
Meanwhile, the anime’s main voice cast stars Manaka Iwami as Kou Reirin and Natsumi Kawaida as Shu Keigetsu.
The series is based on the fantasy romance light novels, written by Satsuki Nakamura and illustrated by Kana Yuki. It was first published under the Ichijinsha Novels imprint on December 28, 2020 and has released 11 volumes as of September 2025. It also inspired a manga adaptation by Ei Ohitsuji in December 2020. The series began as a web novel on Shosetsuka ni Naro on July 15, 2020.
Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the Though I Am an Inept Villainess light novels and manga series for release in English, describing the main premise of the former as:
In the Kingdom of Ei, five clans put forth their maidens as imperial consorts—but only one will be crowned empress. Just when frail and beautiful “court butterfly” Kou Reirin seems poised to marry the crown prince, jealous “court rat” Shu Keigetsu steals her body! Reirin wakes up in the dungeons as the conspirator, and things look dire…or do they? Now that she’s got a robust new body, not even the looming threat of execution can stop her!
Sources: Though I Am an Inept Villainess Official Twitter, Crunchyroll News
