The TV anime Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, based on an acclaimed historical manga that has won numerous manga awards, held a special screening of Act 1 through Act 4 at Japan Expo 2026, one of Europe's largest pop culture events, held in Paris, France from July 9, 2026 (Thursday).
Many fans turned out for the event, which drew a strong crowd. In addition to screening Act 1 through Act 4, TV Asahi producer Kazuki Endo took the stage before the screening to share the appeal of the series with fans in France.
Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia is a historical manga by Tomato Soup, currently serialized on Akita Shoten's Souffle platform. Set in the era of the 13th-century Mongol Empire, this historical harem drama follows Sitara, a girl who fights to survive a harsh fate armed only with knowledge, and Töregene, an imperial consort who harbors deep resentment toward the empire. Bound by a shared thirst for revenge, the two defy their fate together. The work has drawn wide attention, winning numerous manga awards, including first place in the women's category of Takarajimasha's "This Manga is Amazing! 2023," a spot on the "Manga Taisho" list for two consecutive years in 2023 and 2024, and the Grand Prize in the comics category at the 55th Japan Cartoonists Association Award. The animation is produced by Science SARU, known for works such as Dandadan, The Heike Story, and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, which have earned high acclaim worldwide for their quality.
Special Screening Held at Japan Expo 2026, One of Europe's Largest Pop Culture Events
The TV anime Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia began airing in Japan the previous weekend and quickly became a trending topic, while streaming rollouts on platforms worldwide have also sparked strong buzz on social media overseas. The series held a special screening at Japan Expo 2026, one of Europe's largest pop culture events, held in Paris, France. Act 1 through Act 4 were screened at the event, drawing a large crowd of fans for a lively gathering. Before the screening began, TV Asahi producer Kazuki Endo took the stage to warm applause and shared the appeal of the series with the fans in attendance.
Asked by the MC how the anime adaptation came about, Endo explained what drew him to adapt the work: "I originally read the manga and thought it was an incredibly interesting work, and I really wanted to adapt it into an anime myself. As you'll see when you watch it, the art style is stylized and very cute, but it has a really unique balance with its serious developments and hard-hitting story." He continued, "Animating these stylized characters flexibly turned out to be surprisingly difficult, more so than drawing realistic, tall human figures, and I felt that an ordinary anime studio would have a hard time adapting this manga. That's when I thought Science SARU, which has continually taken on artistic challenges, was the only option, so I reached out to them directly with an offer. They resonated deeply with the work, and that's how we ended up working together."
He also revealed that the production team, including executive director Naoko Yamada and director Abel Gongora, conducted location research in Mongolia, the setting of the story. Looking back on the trip, Endo said, "I went on the Mongolia location scouting trip together with executive director Yamada, director Abel, and our background art staff. We looked at materials at local museums, but what left the strongest impression on me was staying in a homestay in a ger." He continued, "Staying with people actually living as nomads in their ger and experiencing how they live let us really sense what it must have felt like for the characters to move to Mongolia, be immersed in Mongolian culture, and live their daily lives there. I think that experience has really come through in the direction of many scenes and in various depictions throughout the series," he said, drawing a big round of applause from the venue as he explained how the Mongolia scouting trip helped elevate the quality of the work.
Asked about his exchanges with original creator Tomato Soup, Endo explained, "Depicting the culture and history of that era was really demanding, and the whole production team sincerely researched a wide range of documents and materials. To begin with, Tomato Soup is quite the history researcher, and she even gave us a detailed list of the sources she had referenced. We asked her questions many times, like whether a certain depiction was accurate or what intention was behind a particular scene, and we exchanged information very closely with her. Beyond Tomato Soup, we also received cooperation from a range of other scholars and experts." The MC responded with an impressed "That's amazing…," and the venue broke into further applause as Endo spoke passionately about how the depth of the historical accuracy that has become a talking point on social media was made possible thanks to the cooperation of experts, starting with original creator Tomato Soup.
Finally, Endo closed the pre-screening talk session with a greeting: "Today is a valuable opportunity to watch Episodes 3 and 4, which haven't even been released yet. I truly believe this is a wonderful anime that keeps you hooked from the very first scene, so I hope you'll enjoy it fully all the way to the end."
The screening closed to thunderous applause, cheers, and an enthusiastic response from the crowd, bringing the Japan Expo 2026 special screening to a successful close.
Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Streaming in Over 200 Countries and Regions on Crunchyroll
The TV anime Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia is currently streaming to strong reception in more than 200 countries and regions worldwide on Crunchyroll, one of the world's largest anime streaming services. In Japan, it airs on the TV Asahi network's 24 affiliated stations nationwide in the "IMAnimation" slot, on BS Asahi, and elsewhere, every Saturday at 11:30 PM, with new episodes rolling out weekly. Streaming on various platforms also begins in step with the terrestrial broadcast.
Japan Expo 2026 Special Screening Overview
Date: July 10, 2026 (Friday)
Guest Appearance: TV Asahi producer Kazuki Endo
About the Series
Story
A girl and a consort.
Bound by a vow of vengeance, the two stir a storm within the mightiest empire on earth.
Having lost her mother and been torn far from her homeland, the young girl Sitara is taken in by Fatima, the kind-hearted wife of a family of scholars.
"If you study and become wise, you'll always know the best thing to do, no matter what trouble comes your way" — moved by these words from Fatima's son, Muhammad, Sitara comes to understand the power and value of knowledge, and devotes herself to learning.
She dreams that one day she will catch up to Muhammad…
Meanwhile, the Mongol Empire, the mightiest power on earth under Emperor Genghis Khan, was expanding its reach day by day. Eventually, that historical tide sweeps up even the city where Sitara lives.
Stripped of everything and taken captive by the empire's fourth prince, Tolui, Sitara resolves to use the only thing she has left — her wits — to ingratiate herself with the royal family and bring down the empire from within.
Harboring the flames of vengeance in her heart while outwardly serving the empire, Sitara one day has a fateful encounter with Töregene, the sixth consort of the third prince, Ögedei. She too carries a harrowing past, hiding a deep hatred for the empire within her heart.
Sitara and Töregene.
When these two, who were never meant to meet, join hands, fate begins to move in a major way.
Broadcast Overview
Every Saturday at 11:30 PM
Airing to strong reception on the TV Asahi network's 24 affiliated stations nationwide in the "IMAnimation" slot, on BS Asahi, and elsewhere.
Staff
- Original Work: Tomato Soup, Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia (serialized on Akita Shoten's Souffle)
- Executive Director: Naoko Yamada
- Director: Abel Gongora
- Series Composition: Kanichi Kato
- Character Design / Sakuga Chief: Kenichi Yoshida
- 演出チーフ: Takuya Fujikura
- Art Director: Yuri Kabasawa
- Color Design: Narumi Konno
- Compositing Director: Naoki Takahashi
- Editor: Kiyoshi Hirose
- Music: Koshiro Hino
- Sound Director: Noriyoshi Konuma
- Animation Production: Science SARU
Cast
- Sitara: Akira Sekine
- Töregene: Ami Koshimizu
- Fatima: Houko Kuwashima
- Muhammad: Jun Saito
- Ögedei: Hiro Shimono
- Tolui: Ryota Suzuki
- Shira: Miyu Irino
- Chagatai: Daisuke Namikawa
- Jochi: Kenji Nojima
- Sorghaghtani: Misaki Kuno
- Möge: Ayaka Asai
- Kirgistani: Mayumi Shintani
- Borakuchin: ????
Opening Theme
SEKAI NO OWARI, "Stella"
Ending Theme
Queen Bee, "Hoshi"
Official Website: http://anime-jaadugar.com/
Official X
Japan: @anime_jaadugar
Overseas: @Jaadugar_global
Original Work Information
Original Work: Tomato Soup, Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia (serialized on Akita Shoten's Souffle)
Ongoing serialization on Souffle.
URL: https://souffle.life/author/tenmaku-no-ja-dougal/
Volumes 1 through 5 of the manga are currently on sale.
Broadcast Stations / Air Times
TV Asahi network, 24 affiliated stations nationwide, "IMAnimation" slot
Every Saturday from 11:30 PM, starting Saturday, July 4, 2026.
*The first broadcast airs at 11:00 PM on Saturday, July 4, with two episodes back-to-back.
BS Asahi
Every Saturday from 1:00 AM (late night), starting Saturday, July 4, 2026.
*The first broadcast airs at 1:00 AM (late night) on Saturday, July 4, with two episodes back-to-back.
AT-X
Every Sunday from 10:30 PM, starting Sunday, July 5, 2026.
*The first broadcast airs at 10:00 PM on Sunday, July 5, with two episodes back-to-back.
*Repeat broadcasts: every Thursday from 4:30 AM / every Sunday from 7:30 AM
Episode 1 only: July 8 (Wednesday) from 5:30 AM / July 12 (Sunday) from 7:00 AM
Episode 2: July 9 (Thursday) from 4:30 AM / July 12 (Sunday) from 7:30 AM
CS TV Asahi Channel 1
Every Sunday from 10:00 PM, starting Sunday, July 12, 2026.
Animax
Every Saturday from 9:00 PM, starting Saturday, August 1, 2026.
*Repeat broadcast: every Sunday from 9:00 AM, starting Sunday, August 2, 2026.
Streaming Information
ABEMA / DMM TV / d Anime Store / d Anime Store for Prime Video / d Anime Store Niconico Branch / FOD / Hulu / J:COM STREAM / Lemino / milplus / Netflix / Prime Video / TELASA / TVer / U-NEXT / WOWOW On Demand / Anime Hodai / Niconico / Bandai Channel, and more
Streaming began Sunday, July 5, 2026, with new episodes rolling out weekly from 12:00 AM every Sunday.
