Last week, anime studios Sunrise (Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, Code Geass, Inuyasha) and Shaft (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, March Comes in Like a Lion) started teasing their first-ever collaboration on X. Fans quickly recognized the artwork and identified the project as an anime adaptation of Kasumi Yasuda’s Fool Night manga, which was borne out when Netflix officially announced the Sunrise x Shaft Fool Night anime during its presentation at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market today.
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#サンライズxシャフト 新作アニメ
解禁まで【 あと5日 】
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— 「フールナイト」アニメ公式 (@foolnight_anime) June 18, 2026
Fool Night takes place in a dystopian future where sunlight hasn’t reached the Earth for the last 100 years. With plant life dying and oxygen levels dropping precipitously, scientists invent a process called transfloration, in which a human being turns into a plant. The anime will be directed by Atsuyuki Yukawa, who previously worked as a unit director on Suzume.
To celebrate the announcement of Fool Night, Variety posted some exclusive first-look images, the series’ official X account posted some key visuals, and Bandai Namco Filmworks posted a teaser trailer on YouTube.
The anime’s official description reads:
Hurry up and turn me into a beautiful flower.
Transfloration—a technology that implants seeds into the bodies of those near death, transforming them into plants. It is the desperate measure humanity has chosen to ensure its survival.
In a distant future where thick clouds cover the sky, trapping Earth in constant winter and night, most of the planet’s vegetation has withered away. Facing a serious oxygen shortage, humanity has built a society that relies on the meager amount of oxygen provided by Transfloration.
A young man, Toshiro Kamiya, lives in poverty and works hard to pay taxes, cover living expenses, and afford medication for his mentally ill mother. However, the cruel reality around him gradually eats away at his hope.
Living… there isn’t a single thing fun about it.
In this dark world full of despair, he chooses the path of the “Spiriflor” — the plants that humans transform into.
Should he continue living as a human being, or cast off his suffering and start a new life as a plant?
Which path would you choose in his situation?
Fool Night will release on Netflix sometime in 2026.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
