Naomi Osaka ventures into adult anime to develop "Allure: The Evening Primrose" with her production company Hana Kuma

Naomi Osaka is elevating her game when it comes to her love for anime. It was recently announced that the Japanese star's production company Hana Kuma would be developing an adult anime series called “Allure: The Evening Primrose.”

Osaka has never shied away from her fondness for anime and manga. The former World No. 1 has often incorporated the genre into her fashion choices on and off the court. In 2020, a manga character called “Unrivaled Naomi Tenkaichi,” inspired by her, was featured in the manga magazine Nakayoshi. She also recently unveiled a new anime-loving character ‘Tamika’ for AI chatbots.

Her upcoming adult anime TV series “Allure: The Evening Primrose” will be based on Noir Caeser Entertainment’s manga series of the same name, as per Deadline. The plot centers around Akane Koizumi, a talented rookie assassin for the Adachi crime family, touted as one of Noir’s “most dangerous women.”

The series will be adapted and written by Kenny Byerly, with Naomi Osaka leading the voice cast as Koizumi. The four-time Grand Slam champion’s media company Hana Kuma will partner with Rebel Maverick run by Matt Nicholas and Nastassja Kayln for the production. Osaka will also assume the executive producer’s role.

Hana Kuma, launched in June 2022, has previously produced a couple of short films, including "Footsteps" - which follows a young Haitian woman’s journey on the national soccer team, and "Mink!" – an Emmy-nominated production that revolves around the life of the first black woman elected to the United States Congress, Patsy Takemoto Mink.’

Naomi Osaka has also ventured into podcasts with ‘Can’t Wait to Hear From You’ and ‘Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios.’

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Naomi Osaka is currently competing at Qatar Open 2024

Osaka pictured at the 2024 Qatar Open

Naomi Osaka is currently on a comeback trail after skipping the 2023 season due to pregnancy. The Japanese kicked off her campaign at the 2024 Brisbane International, where she faced a second-round exit.

Osaka had a couple of forgettable runs at the Australian Open and Abu Dhabi Open, where she was knocked out in her opening matches. The former World No. 1, currently ranked World No. 747, is now competing at the ongoing WTA 1000 Qatar Open. She entered the tournament through protected ranking.

Naomi Osaka advanced to the third round with victories over Caroline Garcia and Petra Martic. This is the first time since the 2022 Miami Open that the 26-year-old has scored back-to-back wins at an event. The four-time Grand Slam champion will face Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko on Wednesday, for a spot in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open.