If you enjoy comedies with unlikely romances and a touch of police investigation, this project will catch your attention. King Amusement Creative revealed the first news for the animated adaptation of the manga A Pen, Handcuffs, and a Common-Law Marriage (Pen to Wappa to Jijitsu Kon), confirming that the series will premiere in January 2027. Alongside the first video trailer, the production unveiled a promotional image, the voice actors for the main couple, and the production team.

The story begins with a curious premise: Eiji Kirisame is a meticulous 40-year-old detective who ends up investigating a case with the strangest witness of his career. This is Tsugumi Kuchinashi, a high school student present at the crime scene who doesn’t say a word. Instead of speaking, she transmits everything she saw through scribbles and sketches in a drawing notebook. Eiji approaches the case with full professionalism to decipher it page by page, until he reaches the last page and encounters a message that completely disrupts his routine: “Will you marry me?”.

Cast and production team

The main characters will be voiced by notable actors:

• Tomoaki Maeno as detective Eiji Kirisame.
• Inori Minase as the young Tsugumi Kuchinashi.

The animation of the series will be handled by studio EMT Squared, under the direction of Takaaki Ishiyama. The script supervision will be by Shigeru Murakoshi, while Miyuki Nakamura will adapt the character designs. In the sound department, Hiroto Morishita will direct the sound, and Kana Hashiguchi will compose the soundtrack.

Manga background

The work created by Shinichi Sawaragi and illustrated by Tanku Gasuyama began its publication in the magazine Young Animal by Hakusensha in December 2022. The publisher released the seventh compiled volume on April 28, surpassing 400,000 copies in circulation. After the animation project was announced in April 2026, the franchise is preparing for its debut in early 2027.