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Yatagarasu Anime Delays Episode 15 by 3 Weeks Due to Olympics

The official website for the television anime of Chisato Abe's Karasu wa Aruji o Erabanai (The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master) novel, the second novel of her Yatagarasu novel series, confirmed on July 19 that the anime's 15th episode will be delayed by three weeks due to coverage for the 2024 Summer Olympics, which takes place in Paris from July 26 to August 11. The Olympics will preempt the anime in its time slot on July 27, August 3, and August 10. The anime' 15th episode will instead air on August 17.

The anime's 14th episode aired last Saturday, beginning the anime's new arc based on the third novel in the series Kin no Karasu (The Golden Raven).

The anime premiered on NHK on April 6 at 11:45 p.m. JST (10:45 a.m. EDT). Crunchyroll is streaming the series under the title YATAGARASU: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master.

Yoshiaki Kyougoku (Laid-Back Camp first two seasons and film) is directing the series at Studio Pierrot, and Yukiko Yamamuro (Touch (live-action movie)) is overseeing the series scripts. Takumo Norita (Lagrange - The Flower of Rin-ne, Broken Blade) is designing the characters, Eishi Segawa (Ushio & Tora both seasons, Gintama (live-action movie)) is composing the music, and Yuji Tange is the sound director. NHK, NHK Enterprises, and Pierrot are producing the anime.

The books center on the world of the yatagarasu (the Japanese name for a variant of mythical god-crows that appear in East Asian folk mythologies). The yatagarasu are able to shape shift between human and crow forms, and live in the world of Yamauchi, a parallel world created by the yatagarasu god Yamagami. Within Yamauchi, the yatagarasu live in a society evoking Heian-era Japan.

NHK describes the story of the anime:

Yamauchi, a fantastic world where the Yatagarasu live

Yukiya, a young Yatagarasu, is appointed as the personal attendant of the eccentric Crown Prince Wakamiya. Soon, he is entangled in a web of conspiracies attempting to overthrow the heir to the Imperial throne.

Abe launched the novel series with the first novel Karasu ni Hitoe wa Niawanai in 2012. The first part of the novel series has six novels (of which Karasu wa Aruji o Erabanai was the second novel, released in 2013) and one side story novel. The second part of the novel series has so far inspired three novels (the latest of which was released in October 2022), and one side story novel.

The first two novels in the series have inspired manga adaptations. Natsumi Matsuzaki drew the manga adaptation of Karasu ni Hitoe wa Niawanai, which ran in Kodansha's Comic Days app from June 2018 to April 2020. Kodansha is releasing the manga in English on its K MANGA service with the title A Raven for All Seasons. Matsuzaki launched the Karasu wa Aruji o Erabanai manga in Kodansha's Evening magazine in May 2020, and moved to Comic Days in December 2021, where it is ongoing.

Sources: Yatagarasu anime's website, NHK