More than 30 years after the original Oishinbo TV anime left the screen, one of Japan’s most recognizable food manga franchises is officially making its way back to television. The new project has arrived with a familiar name, a new title and plenty of unanswered questions that could shape the next chapter of the long-running series.
The announcement came during a major Shin-Ei Animation anniversary event, but the studio is still keeping much of the comeback under wraps. For fans wondering when Oishinbo will return, who will voice its iconic characters and which parts of the enormous manga could be adapted, there is plenty still to discover.
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Shin Oishinbo brings the classic gourmet anime back to television
The new anime, officially titled Shin Oishinbo, was announced on September 19 during the โShin-Ei Animation 50th Anniversaryโ special stage at ABEMA Anime Festival 2026.
The event celebrated 50 years of Shin-Ei Animation and revealed new information about both Atashin’chi NEXT and Shin Oishinbo. For the Oishinbo franchise, the studio confirmed that a new TV anime is in production and unveiled an ultra-teaser promotional video to mark the occasion.
The project was presented with the tagline:
โๅ็นใซใใฆใ้ ็นใ
โ็ฉถๆฅตโใฎโ้ฃโใขใใกใโโ ใใใซๅพฉๆดป๏ผโ
Translated in the announcement materials, the message positions the project as a return for the โUltimateโ food anime.
Shin-Ei Animation’s announcement also confirms that the new production is based on the manga created by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki, originally serialized by Shogakukan in Weekly Big Comic Spirits.
That confirmation is significant because the original television adaptation was also produced by Shin-Ei Animation. The studio is therefore bringing the franchise back under the same animation company responsible for its first TV run.
For now, though, the announcement is deliberately limited. A premiere date, television network, cast, complete staff lineup and other release information have not yet been revealed.
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What has officially been confirmed so far?
| Detail | Confirmed Information |
| New anime title | Shin Oishinbo |
| Format | New TV anime |
| Announcement date | September 19, 2026 |
| Announcement event | ABEMA Anime Festival 2026 |
| Event stage | โShin-Ei Animation 50th Anniversaryโ special stage |
| Animation studio | Shin-Ei Animation |
| Source material | Oishinbo manga by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki |
| Promotional material | Ultra-teaser PV |
| Premiere date | Not announced |
| Broadcast network | Not announced |
| Streaming platforms | Not announced |
| New cast | Not announced |
| Complete staff | Not announced |
| Episode count | Not announced |
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The original Oishinbo anime ran for 136 episodes
To understand why the announcement matters, it helps to look back at the franchise’s first television adaptation.
The original Oishinbo anime premiered in October 1988 and continued until March 1992, producing 136 episodes. Like the upcoming project, that series was produced by Shin-Ei Animation, with Yoshio Takeuchi directing.
The anime followed journalist Shirล Yamaoka and his colleague Yลซko Kurita, who are assigned an unusually ambitious task: creating an โUltimate Menuโ for the 100th anniversary of their newspaper company.
Yamaoka quickly established himself as an unusual central character for a food-focused anime. He appears cynical and seemingly unmotivated, but his personality hides an exceptionally refined palate and extensive knowledge of food.
Kurita becomes his partner as they investigate the huge range of subjects connected to the Ultimate Menu. Their work takes them beyond simple recipes and expensive dishes, leading them into ingredients, preparation techniques, regional traditions and the cultural meaning attached to food.
But the Ultimate Menu project also creates one of the franchise’s most important personal conflicts.
Yamaoka’s father, Yลซzan Kaibara, is a celebrated gourmet who leads the rival โSupreme Menuโ project. Their opposing approaches turn the competition between โUltimateโ and โSupremeโ into much more than a professional disagreement.
The rivalry repeatedly places Yamaoka and Kaibara against one another, while also exposing the strained relationship between father and son.
The original television series was later followed by two anime television films in the 1990s, extending the franchise beyond its initial 136-episode broadcast.
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Why Oishinbo became much more than a cooking anime
The central appeal of Oishinbo comes from the way food connects almost every part of its storytelling.
Yamaoka and Kurita are working on the newspaper’s Ultimate Menu as part of celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the Tลzai News. Their mission is not simply about finding the most luxurious meals.
Instead, their investigations examine ingredients, cooking methods, regional traditions and the wider cultural meaning of food.
Along the way, the characters encounter chefs, producers, restaurants, food experts and ordinary people. Individual stories can therefore approach food from very different perspectives, while the larger newspaper project gives those stories a continuing framework.
At the same time, Yamaoka’s relationship with Kaibara adds a personal storyline that runs through the culinary competition.
Kaibara’s involvement with the rival Supreme Menu means that food frequently becomes the setting for their father-son conflict. The result is a series that combines culinary knowledge, workplace drama, family conflict and episodic storytelling rather than functioning as a straightforward cooking series.
That foundation gives Shin Oishinbo a huge amount of existing material to draw from, although the September 19 announcement has not revealed exactly how the new anime will use it.
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The manga behind Shin Oishinbo has an enormous legacy
The television comeback is also tied to one of Japan’s longest-running gourmet manga properties.
Oishinbo began serialization in Big Comic Spirits in 1983, with Kariya writing the story and Hanasaki providing the artwork.
The manga ultimately reached 111 collected volumes. Shogakukan has previously reported that the series surpassed 135 million copies in cumulative circulation, underlining the extraordinary scale of the franchise’s popularity in Japan.
Serialization went on an indefinite hiatus in 2014 after years of publication.
Even during that hiatus, the franchise remained active through its existing manga volumes, older anime material and official digital distribution.
The size of the original manga also gives the new TV anime a substantial amount of source material. However, there is currently no official information explaining which stories or portions of the manga Shin Oishinbo will adapt.
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Shin-Ei Animation reconnects with its own Oishinbo history
There is a particularly direct connection between the new series and the original anime.
Shin-Ei Animation produced the first Oishinbo television adaptation in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The studio is now celebrating its 50th anniversary, with Shin Oishinbo becoming part of an anniversary-related slate that also includes established works.
The studio is known for major long-running Japanese animation properties including Doraemon and Crayon Shin-chan. Its 50th-anniversary event placed attention on projects connected with some of its established franchises.
That makes the new Oishinbo announcement more than simply a revival of an older manga adaptation. It reunites the franchise with the same animation studio that brought Yamaoka, Kurita and Kaibara to television for the first time.
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Classic Oishinbo episodes are getting a new spotlight
Fans do not have to wait for the new series to begin production before revisiting the franchise.
The official Oishinbo YouTube channel distributes digitally remastered episodes and special compilation videos. Selected episodes and themed material have continued to be published during 2026.
There is also a special video being prepared alongside the Shin Oishinbo announcement.
Titled โ็พๅณใใใผๅ ฅ้ ๅไฝใจใใฝใผใใพใจใโ, the video is described as an introductory collection of classic Oishinbo episodes.
According to the official Shin-Ei Animation announcement, the special is scheduled to premiere on the official Oishinbo YouTube channel on September 25 at 8 p.m. Japan time.
That timing gives both newcomers and longtime viewers a chance to reconnect with the original anime while the new television production moves forward.
For viewers unfamiliar with the franchise, the compilation can serve as an introduction to the characters, culinary investigations and rivalries that made Oishinbo such a long-running property.
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Original Oishinbo voice cast and new staff remain unconfirmed
Despite the announcement of the new TV anime, many of the details fans are likely to be watching most closely have not been disclosed.
The production team has not announced whether the original voice cast will return.
The original anime featured Kazuhiko Inoue as Shirล Yamaoka, Mayumi Shล as Yลซko Kurita and Osamu Katล among its cast. At present, any involvement from the original performers in Shin Oishinbo remains unconfirmed unless the production team announces it later.
The new project’s director and complete production staff are also unknown.
There is likewise no confirmed information about the number of episodes, broadcast season, streaming services or the specific manga arcs that could form the basis of the adaptation.
The ultra-teaser therefore functions primarily as a confirmation that Shin Oishinbo exists and that production is moving forward.
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The unanswered release details
At this stage, the confirmed information does not include:
- A premiere date
- A broadcast season
- A television network
- Streaming platforms
- New cast announcements
- Returning voice actors
- The director
- The complete production staff
- The number of episodes
- Whether the anime will adapt specific existing manga arcs or use a different structure
These details will likely become increasingly important as Shin-Ei Animation provides more information about the production.
Shin Oishinbo marks a major return after more than three decades
The return of Oishinbo gives one of Japan’s landmark food manga franchises a new place in the modern anime landscape.
The original television adaptation ended in March 1992, more than three decades before Shin Oishinbo was announced. Since then, the franchise has retained its enormous manga legacy, its older anime material and its place in Japanese food-themed storytelling.
Now, Shin-Ei Animation has confirmed a new TV anime while keeping the most important release details under wraps.
The franchise enters this new era with a 111-volume manga history, more than 135 million copies in reported cumulative circulation and a 136-episode original television series behind it. Yet exactly how the new anime will approach that enormous legacy remains unknown.
For now, the title, production status and ultra-teaser are confirmed. The next announcements will determine when audiences can see Yamaoka, Kurita and the famous Ultimate-versus-Supreme culinary rivalry return to television.
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Conclusion
Shin Oishinbo is officially in production, bringing Shin-Ei Animation back to a franchise it previously adapted into a 136-episode TV anime. Announced on September 19 at the ABEMA Anime Festival 2026, the new series marks the return of Oishinbo to television after more than 30 years.
With the original manga’s 111 collected volumes, reported circulation of more than 135 million copies and a huge archive of existing anime material, the revival has a substantial legacy behind it. For now, however, Shin-Ei Animation is keeping the premiere date, cast, staff, broadcast plans, episode count and adaptation details under wraps.
The immediate next look at the classic franchise will arrive with โ็พๅณใใใผๅ ฅ้ ๅไฝใจใใฝใผใใพใจใโ on September 25 at 8 p.m. Japan time, while further information about Shin Oishinbo is still to come.
More Decades-Later Revivals: Franchises making their way back to screens after a long absence are having a real moment across anime right now. For more, see our coverage of Black Clover Season 2’s October 3 premiere finally ending a five-year wait.
Source Disclaimer
This article has been prepared based on thorough research of the sources provided below, including the official Shin-Ei Animation announcement, ORICON reporting, Shogakukan’s published circulation information, TV Asahi Channel’s Oishinbo information and the official Oishinbo YouTube channel. The article reflects information available as of September 19, 2026. Details about Shin Oishinbo, including its release date, cast, staff, broadcast plans and story coverage, may change or be announced later by the production committee or relevant rights holders
Sources
- Shin-Ei Animation official announcement via PR TIMES
- Japan Anime News / ORICON: New Oishinbo TV Anime Announced
- ORICON NEWS: New Oishinbo TV Anime Production Confirmed
- Shogakukan Comic: Oishinbo reaches more than 135 million copies in circulation
- TV Asahi Channel: Oishinbo anime information and broadcast schedule
- Official Oishinbo YouTube channel
Featured Image Credit:
- Shin-Ei Animation
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