Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia anime revealed its main staff led by Naoko Yamada as executive director, along with the first trailer and a July 2026 premiere date. The anime was announced in April 2025.
Yamada is well known for her work on K-On!, A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird, and The Heike Story. The director’s most recent work was the The Colors Within movie, on which we had the chance to interview her. Joining her as director on Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia is Abel Góngora, who co-directed the second season of DAN DA DAN. The full main staff includes:
- Executive Director: Naoko Yamada (The Heike Story, The Colors Within, A Silent Voice)
- Director: Abel Gongora (DAN DA DAN Season 2, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Star Wars: Visions – T0-B1)
- Character Design And Sakuga Chief: Kenichi Yoshida (Eureka Seven, Overman King Gainer, The Orbital Children)
- Series Composition: Kanichi Kato (The Eminence in Shadow, Teasing Master Takagi-san, Black Clover)
- Music: Koshiro Hino, acclaimed for his unique musical sense and deep knowledge of traditional
- instruments, making his debut as an anime composer
- Animation Production: Science SARU
The main staff members also left comments:
Naoko Yamada (Executive Director)
I found Tomato Soupʼs story to be so fresh, so engaging, so full of surprises. The characters that appear, like Sitara, were thrust into times of great upheaval. But I can say for sure they lived their lives, sometimes dramatically and sometimes more delicately; they thought, and they believed in the power of love. Iʼm trying my best to depict this tale respectfully and carefully. To show the characters as both strong and cute. I hope you enjoy it!
Abel Gongora (Director)
The cultures of the Mongol and Persian empires are extraordinary, and offering an interpretation of their histories – whether rooted in truth or legend – is a privilege we approach with deep respect for the peoples who carry those traditions. The manga is truly unique, with heroines that are fierce and resilient; let us follow their luminous trail on this epic journey!
Kenichi Yoshida (Character Design And Sakuga Chief)
This is my first time doing an adaptation. Iʼm trying my best!
Kanichi Kato (Series Composition)
I tried my best to capture the charm of the original manga in my series composition. This story takes place far in the past, in the 13th century, amongst the nomads and the beautiful night skies of the Mongolian steppe, following our protagonist, who grows wiser as she survives in this unfamiliar environment. I hope that her struggles, her encounters, and her hopes for the future resonate with all of us in the modern day as well.
Koshiro Hino (Music)
All of the characters are compelling, but among them, portraying the complex emotions of Sitara, who lives tenaciously and resiliently while carrying resentment and sorrow, was both the greatest challenge and the most rewarding experience. I also feel that depicting a theme like this in the present day is deeply meaningful. I sincerely hope for a peaceful world where no children, regardless of the country or place they are born, have to carry the kind of sorrow that Sitara bears. This project marked many firsts for me: it was my first time composing music for an animated production, as well as my first time creating Persian and Mongolian music. Despite these new challenges, I feel I was able to see it through thanks to the two directors and the entire production team, who patiently worked alongside me throughout the process. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks once again.
Tomato Soup writes and draws the A Witch’s Life in Mongol (Tenmaku no Jadugaru) historical manga series, which began serialization on Akita Shoten’s Souffle website in September 2021. Five volumes have been released as of April 2025. The manga earned the first spot in Takarajimasha’s “This Manga is Amazing! 2023” (Women’s Edition) and ranked in the Manga Taisho Awards for two consecutive years (2023 and 2024). Yen Press licensed the manga in English.
The story follows a young slave girl who arrived in the city of Tus during the last years of the Islamic Golden Age. Even in slavery, she found ways to learn. Then the Mongols came, destroying Khwarazm and taking whatever they wanted, including the girl. It aims to show a true story of how a “witch,” with nothing but her knowledge, came to influence the most powerful empire in the world.
Studio Science SARU, recently acquired by TOHO, is well known for their anime, including hits like Devilman: Crybaby, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken, DAN DA DAN, and the recent SANDA.
Source: Press Release, Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Official Website
©Tomato Soup(AKITASHOTEN)/Jaadugar Committee
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