Production company Genco, Inc. announced the launch of the campaign crowdfunding to fund the production of a new animated video of the franchise Please Teacher!.
This announcement marks a new step for the romantic comedy series also known as Onegai Teacher the project. In the official statement, the production included a note that this project is a “reboot” of the “Onegai” series.
Funding Target and Campaign Duration Please Teacher!
The campaign is officially opened through the website Motion Gallery. Genco, Inc. set a funding target of 25,000,000 yen, equivalent to approximately US$160,000.
The organizers are giving supporters plenty of time to participate. The fundraising period is scheduled to end on March 28, 2026. This duration provides an opportunity for fans to contribute to the realization of this latest animated video project.
Video Production Schedule and Distribution Plan
Based on the latest schedule released, the production phase of the new animated video is planned to start next month, in December 2025. The process is expected to take around five to six months.
The production team projects that the video will be completed around April or May 2026. This completion time coincides with the Spring in Japan next year.
Once production is complete, the video is planned to get a limited airing. The viewing locations include the Tokyo area and the Lake Kizaki area in Nagano Prefecture. Lake Kizaki is the location that serves as the setting for the story of anime original.
In addition to the limited viewing, the video is also planned for a physical release. Bandai Namco Filmworks is producing the Blu-ray Disc release for this project.
The Return of the Original Staff in Project Please Teacher!
The new video project brings back a number of key staff from the original series. Yasunori Ide returns as director for the new video. He will be directing the production under Studio M2. Yasunori Ide was previously the director of the series Please Teacher! and Please Twins.
The position of original character designer was filled by Taraku Uon. He was responsible for the original character designs in the previous series. For the background or background art, Kusanagi studio was trusted to handle it.
Emi Yonezawa acted as a producer on this project. Meanwhile, GENCO is credited for the overall production.
Atsuko Nakajima is also involved in this project. She will be drawing special illustrations for the project. Atsuko Nakajima was previously known as key animator for the closing sequence and the 13th episode of the series Please Teacher!.
History of Franchise Viewing and Licensing
Romantic comedy anime series Please Teacher! debuted in 2001. The follow-up series, Please Twins, followed in 2003. Both anime were directed by Yasunori Ide.
The scripts for both series were written by Yosuke Kuroda. The original character designs were handled by Taraku Uon, while the animated character designs were done by Hiroaki Goda. Studio Daume was responsible for the animation of both works.
These two anime tell the story of a high school romance. The story takes place in the Lake Kizaki area.
For international distribution, Bandai Entertainment previously released both anime on DVD in English. Nozomi Entertainment later re-released both on DVD in 2015. The release in Blu-ray Disc format was done by Nozomi Entertainment in 2019.
Connection with Anime Waiting in the Summer
The franchise has a spiritual successor titled Waiting in the Summer which was released in 2012. Yosuke Kuroda returns to write the script for this series. Taraku Uon also returned to handle the original character designs.
The director position for this anime is held by Tatsuyuki Nagai. Masayoshi Tanaka handles the animation character design. Masayoshi Tanaka is currently widely known for his character designs for Makoto Shinkai's three recent films.
Although Waiting in the Summer not set in the Lake Kizaki area, the lake element still has a strong thematic importance in the anime.
Sentai Filmworks licensed this anime for distribution. They aired the series on stream on Crunchyroll. Sentai Filmworks later released it on DVD and Blu-ray Disc.
For those of you who missed Mizuho and Kei's love story, this project is certainly a highly anticipated moment to revisit the magic of Lake Kizaki in a new animated format.
Sources: Motion Gallery, GENCO X/Twitter
