Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle
Japanese light novel series
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Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle (Japanese: 千歳くんはラムネ瓶のなか, Hepburn: Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hiromu and illustrated by raemz. Shogakukan published the first volume under its Gagaga Bunko imprint in June 2019. A manga adaptation with illustrations by Bobcat was serialized in Square Enix's Manga Up! from April 2020 to February 2025. An anime television series adaptation produced by Feel premiered in split-cours, with the first cours from October 2025 to March 2026, and the second cours set for 2026.
| Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle | |
Cover of the first light novel volume, featuring Yuuko Hiiragi | |
| 千歳くんはラムネ瓶のなか (Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Romantic comedy[1] |
| Light novel | |
| Written by | Hiromu |
| Illustrated by | raemz |
| Published by | Shogakukan |
| English publisher | |
| Imprint | Gagaga Bunko |
| Original run | June 18, 2019 – present |
| Volumes | 9 + 3 short story collections |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Hiromu |
| Illustrated by | Bobcat |
| Published by | Square Enix |
| English publisher |
|
| Magazine | Manga Up! |
| Original run | April 12, 2020 – February 8, 2025 |
| Volumes | 8 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Yūji Tokuno |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by |
|
| Music by | Yoshiaki Fujisawa |
| Studio | Feel |
| Licensed by | |
| English network | AT-X, Tokyo MX, KBS Kyoto, SUN, FBC, TVA, BS11 |
| Original run | October 7, 2025 – present |
| Episodes | 13 |
Plot
Saku Chitose, a popular boy and class president, is the leader of a group of students named Team Chitose. Among its members is Yuuko Hiiragi, a female student who has feelings for him, though he does not reciprocate at all. One day, Saku is asked by a teacher to convince a shut-in student, Kenta Yamazaki, to return to school. The series follows Saku, Yuuko, and the other members of Team Chitose helping other students deal with their problems.
Characters
Main characters
- Saku Chitose (千歳 朔, Chitose Saku)
- Voiced by: Junpei Baba (drama CD, audiobooks), Shogo Sakata (anime)[2]
- The main protagonist of the series. Renowned for his popularity at Fuji High School, he helms Team Chitose with determination. Once a baseball enthusiast, he now navigates through life with a keen awareness of the affectionate glances cast upon him by the female students. Despite this, Saku remains resolute in his preference for solitude, harboring no desire to engage in any romantic entanglements.
- Yuuko Hiiragi (柊 夕湖, Hīragi Yūko)
- Voiced by: Kana Asumi (drama CD, audiobooks), Manaka Iwami (anime)[2]
- One of the members of "Team Chitose" in Class 5. She is renowned for her popularity and striking beauty, qualities that have landed her a spot in the tennis club. Despite her affection for Saku, his feelings do not mirror hers in the slightest.
- Yua Uchida (内田 優空, Uchida Yua)
- Voiced by: Reina Ueda (drama CD, audiobooks), Hina Yōmiya (anime)[2]
- One of the members of "Team Chitose" in Class 5. She is an integral member of the brass club, prowess in the saxophone coming naturally to her. Her demeanor is characterized by a gentle grace and an unwavering work ethic, embodying the role of the straight man within Team Chitose.
- Haru Aomi (青海 陽, Aomi Haru)
- Voiced by: Chinatsu Akasaki (drama CD, audiobooks), Rumi Okubo (anime)[2]
- One of the members of "Team Chitose" in Class 5. She is a petite yet vibrant girl who leads Fuji High School's basketball team as the captain. At the beginning of their second grade, she and Yuzuki became the newest members of Team Chitose.
- Yuzuki Nanase (七瀬 悠月, Nanase Yuzuki)
- Voiced by: Yurina Amami (drama CD, audiobooks), Ikumi Hasegawa (anime)[2]
- One of the members of "Team Chitose" in Class 5. She is a versatile, popular, actress-type beauty who shares the spotlight with Yuuko as one of the most admired girls in her year. As a key player on the girls' basketball team, she bonds tightly with Aomi Haru, her teammate, endearingly referring to each other as "Nana" and "Umi." Her demeanor is a blend of gentle grace and effortless cool, with a keen awareness of others' perceptions of her.
- Asuka Nishino (西野 明日風, Nishino Asuka)
- Voiced by: Kaya Okuno (drama CD, audiobooks), Chika Anzai (anime)[2]
- A third grade student at Fuji High School who harbors a profound passion for literature. To Chitose, she stands as a admired senior, sharing facets of her personality that remain hidden from her fellow classmates, all while modestly insisting she is no more than an average individual. Her demeanor is consistently serene and graceful, and her dialogues with Saku often sparkle with poetic language.
Supporting characters
- Kenta Yamazaki (山崎 健太, Yamazaki Kenta)
- Voiced by: Kōki Miyata (drama CD, audiobooks), Masaya Miyazaki (anime)[3]
- A student who stopped going to school. He returns to school thanks to Saku's help and develops a friendship with the members of Team Chitose.
- Kuranosuke Iwanami (岩波蔵之介, Iwanami Kuranosuke)
- Voiced by: Mitsuhiro Sakamaki (drama CD, audiobooks), Yōhei Azakami (anime)[3]
- Kazuki Mizushino (水篠和希, Mizushino Kazuki)
- Voiced by: Koutaro Nishiyama (drama CD, audiobooks), Shun'ichi Toki (anime)[4]
- A popular member from the soccer team.
- Kaito Asano (浅野海人, Asano Kaito)
- Voiced by: Hayato Kimura (drama CD, audiobooks), Fumiya Imai (anime)[4]
- A sporty basketball team member.
Media
Light novels
Written by Hiromu and illustrated by raemz; the series' first volume was published by Shogakukan under its Gagaga Bunko imprint on June 18, 2019.[5] As of October 2025, nine volumes and three short story volumes have been released.[6]
In July 2021, Yen Press announced that they had licensed the series for English publication.[7]
In 2022, the government of Fukui budgeted JP¥6 million (US$40,500) for a pop-culture tourism campaign collaboration with Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle.[8]
Volumes
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 18, 2019[5] | 978-4-09-451796-5 | March 15, 2022[1] | 978-1-9753-3905-0 | ||
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| 2 | October 18, 2019[9] | 978-4-09-451816-0 | August 16, 2022[10] | 978-1-9753-3906-7 | ||
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| 3 | April 17, 2020[11] | 978-4-09-451841-2 | February 21, 2023[12] | 978-1-9753-3907-4 | ||
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| 4 | September 18, 2020[13] | 978-4-09-451866-5 | June 20, 2023[14] | 978-1-9753-3908-1 | ||
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| 5 | April 20, 2021[15][16] | 978-4-09-451899-3 978-4-09-453005-6 (SE) | November 21, 2023[17] | 978-1-9753-4795-6 | ||
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| 6 | August 19, 2021[18] | 978-4-09-453022-3 | April 23, 2024[19] | 978-1-9753-4797-0 | ||
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| 6.5 | March 18, 2022[20] | 978-4-09-453060-5 | September 17, 2024[21] | 978-1-9753-6029-0 | ||
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| 7 | August 18, 2022[22] | 978-4-09-453085-8 | October 21, 2025[23] | 979-8-8554-0574-3 | ||
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| 8 | June 20, 2023[24][25] | 978-4-09-453126-8 978-4-09-453132-9 (SE) | May 12, 2026[26] | 979-8-8554-0576-7 | ||
| 9 | August 20, 2024[27] | 978-4-09-453203-6 | — | — | ||
| DES | August 20, 2025[28] | 978-4-09-453257-9 | — | — | ||
| 9.5 | October 20, 2025[6] | 978-4-09-453266-1 | — | — | ||
Manga
A manga adaptation, illustrated by Bobcat, was serialized in Square Enix's Manga Up! website from April 12, 2020,[29] to February 8, 2025.[30] Square Enix published the individual chapters in eight tankōbon volumes.[31]
At Anime NYC 2021, Yen Press announced they would also publish the manga adaptation in English.[32]
Volumes
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 18, 2020[33] | 978-4-7575-6849-5 | July 12, 2022[34] | 978-1-9753-4498-6 | ||
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| 2 | February 5, 2021[35] | 978-4-7575-7078-8 | October 11, 2022[36] | 978-1-9753-4500-6 | ||
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| 3 | August 19, 2021[37] | 978-4-7575-7427-4 | May 23, 2023[38] | 978-1-9753-6137-2 | ||
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| 4 | March 18, 2022[39] | 978-4-7575-7788-6 | September 19, 2023[40] | 978-1-9753-7151-7 | ||
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| 5 | November 7, 2022[41] | 978-4-7575-8233-0 | January 23, 2024[42] | 978-1-9753-7401-3 | ||
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| 6 | July 6, 2023[43] | 978-4-7575-8642-0 | June 18, 2024[44] | 978-1-9753-9162-1 | ||
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| 7 | August 19, 2024[45] | 978-4-7575-9334-3 | August 26, 2025[46] | 979-8-8554-1589-6 | ||
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| 8 | March 7, 2025[31] | 978-4-7575-9714-3 | April 28, 2026[47] | 979-8-8554-2656-4 | ||
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Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on August 9, 2024.[48][49][50] It is produced by Feel and directed by Yūji Tokuno, with Naruhisa Arakawa handling series composition and writing the scripts alongside Hiromu, Sumie Kinoshita designing the characters, and Yoshiaki Fujisawa composing the music.[2][51] The series airs in split-cours, with the first cours aired from October 7, 2025, to March 31, 2026 on AT-X and other networks.[52][53] Episodes 6 and beyond were delayed due to production circumstances;[54] eventually airing with episodes 6 to 10 in December 2025,[55] and episodes 11 to 13 back-to-back on March 31, 2026.[56][57] The second cours is set to premiere in 2026.[58] For the first cours, the opening theme song is "Liar" (ライアー, Raiā), performed by Kucci, while the ending theme song is "Kagerō" (陽炎; 'Heat Haze'), performed by Cider Girl.[3][59] Remow licensed the series for streaming on Crunchyroll.[60][61] Medialink licensed the series in Southeast Asia and Oceania (except Australia and New Zealand) for streaming on Ani-One Asia's YouTube channel.[62]
Episodes
| No. | Title [63][64] | Directed by [63] | Storyboarded by [63] | Original release date [65] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | "The Hazy Spring Moon Above" Transliteration: "Haru, Miageru Oborozuki" (Japanese: 春、見上げるおぼろ月) | Taichi Yoshizawa & Shinichi Tatsuta | Yūji Tokuno | October 7, 2025 | ||||||||
| 2 | "Let's Start Breaking Common Ground" Transliteration: "Sōgo Rikai o Hajimeyō" (Japanese: 相互理解をはじめよう) | Shinichi Tatsuta | Yūji Tokuno & Shinichi Tatsuta | October 14, 2025 | ||||||||
| 3 | "A Lonesome Hero" Transliteration: "Hitoribotchi no Hīrō" (Japanese: ひとりぼっちのヒーロー) | Takafumi Fujii | Satoshi Shimizu & Shinichi Tatsuta | October 21, 2025 | ||||||||
| 4 | "The Marble Moon in the Ramune Bottle" Transliteration: "Ramune no Bin ni Shizunda Bīdama no Tsuki" (Japanese: ラムネの瓶に沈んだビー玉の月) | Takashi Andō | Yūji Tokuno | October 28, 2025 | ||||||||
| 5 | "A Fickle Starting Line" Transliteration: "Karisome no Sutāto Rain" (Japanese: かりそめのスタートライン) | Shōta Imai | Shōta Imai | November 4, 2025 | ||||||||
| 6 | "Blue Basketball Shoes" Transliteration: "Aoiro no Basshu" (Japanese: 青色のバッシュ) | Taichi Yoshizawa & Shinichi Tatsuta | Satoshi Shimizu | December 2, 2025[a] | ||||||||
| 7 | "Ups and Downs" Transliteration: "Hare no Hi Ke no Hi" (Japanese: ハレの日ケの日) | Nao Miyoshi | Gin-san & Shōta Imai | December 9, 2025 | ||||||||
| 8 | "How to End the Unending Rain" Transliteration: "Yamanai Ame no Yamasekata" (Japanese: やまない雨のやませ方) | Taichi Yoshizawa | Tomoki Kobayashi | December 16, 2025 | ||||||||
| 9 | "A Relationship with a Name and a Rift Without One" Transliteration: "Namae no Aru Kankei to Namae no Nai Kyori" (Japanese: 名前のあるカンケイと名前のないキョリ) | Takafumi Fujii | Kei Oikawa | December 23, 2025 | ||||||||
| 10 | "A Distant Moon" Transliteration: "Haruka na Tsuki" (Japanese: 悠な月) | Tsuyoshi Yamane | Itsuro Kawasaki | December 30, 2025 | ||||||||
| 11 | "Rainy with a Chance of..." Transliteration: "Ame, Tokidoki," (Japanese: 雨、ときどき、) | Shinichi Tatsuta & Yūji Tokuno | Nagisa Miyazaki | March 30, 2026 | ||||||||
| 12 | "With a Chance of Dreams" Transliteration: "Tokidoki, Yume" (Japanese: ときどき、夢) | Shōta Imai | Shōta Imai | March 31, 2026 | ||||||||
| 13 | "The Left-Ear Promise" Transliteration: "Hidarimimi no Yakusoku" (Japanese: 左耳の約束) | Takafumi Fujii | Minoru Ōhara | March 31, 2026 | ||||||||
| Part 2 | ||||||||||||
| 14 | "Runaway Senpai and You" Transliteration: "Kimi to Senpai no Kakeochi" (Japanese: 君と先輩の駆け落ち) | TBD | TBA | 2026 | ||||||||
Reception
In the Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! guidebook, the series ranked first in the bunkobon category in 2021 and 2022.[66] The series has over 280,000 copies in circulation.[67]
See also
- Even a Replica Can Fall in Love, another light novel series with the same illustrator
- Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky, another light novel series with the same illustrator