Bless

• Name — Bless • Ja Kanji — ブレス • Ja Romaji — Buresu

• Type — manga • Author — Yukino Sonoyama • Publisher — Kodansha • Imprint — * Magazine Edge KC (1–3) • Sirius KC (4–) • Magazine — * Shōnen Magazine Edge (January 17, 2022 – October 17, 2023) • Monthly Shōnen Sirius (December 25, 2023 – present) • First — January 17, 2022 • Volumes — 8

• Type — tv series • Director — Shōtarō Kitamura • Writer — Fukurou Kamiza • Music — Ryō Yoshimata • Studio — A-1 Pictures • Network — FNS (Fuji TV) • First — January 2027 • Last — scheduled

• Type — drama • Director — * Izuru Kumasaka • Maki Tomita • Writer — * Satoko Okazaki • Ichirō Kusuno • Studio — C & I Entertainment • Licensee — Amazon Prime Video • First — Q2 2027 • Last — scheduled

• Portal — yes Bless is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yukino Sonoyama. It began serialization in Kodansha's manga magazine Shōnen Magazine Edge in January 2022. After the final issue of the magazine was released in October 2023, it was transferred to the Monthly Shōnen Sirius magazine in December that same year. An anime television series adaptation produced by A-1 Pictures is set to premiere in January 2027. A live-action drama adaptation will be streamed worldwide on Amazon Prime Video in Q2 2027.

At Aoiyama High, a high school known for producing up-and-coming students seeking to enter showbiz or become beauty professionals, first-year Aia Udagawa longs to be a makeup artist. However, he keeps his dream to himself because he is convinced he will not be good enough due to people disregarding his interest in it in the past. His classmate Jun Sumisaki longs to be a model, but she keeps her dream to herself because it is not how other people see her because of her timid nature and freckles. After being lumped into a team for their school's Aoi Con Festival, a high-profile runway show produced by the students, Aia and Jun finds themselves as stylist and model. Finding courage and inspiration in each other, Aia and Jun form a profound bond where they can reveal who they really are and gain the confidence to chase their dreams. Following a successful show in Aoi Con, Aia is contacted by Hikaru "Daiya" Oya, a famous model who is also a successful hair and makeup artist that Aia idolizes and has a close connection to. Daiya pushes Aia to join Mirror, a new makeup school that Daiya and his fellow makeup artists created to teach their craft, allowing Aia to refine his skills along with his peers and meet other pros. Meanwhile, Jun tries to find modeling gigs, which leads to more collaborations with Aia and catching the eyes of respected veterans in the fashion industry. Together, Aia and Jun take on challenges of defying expectations and navigate an industry that upholds strict beauty standards and values talent over hard work.

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• Aia Udagawa • Tomohiro Ōno • Ryusei Onishi (Naniwa Danshi) • An aspiring makeup artist, Aia has an unwavering passion for makeup and wishes to bless people through his artistry so they can gain the confidence to be their true, best selves. Aia is sensitive, empathetic, and kind, but tends to repress his emotions, which leads to moments of awkwardness, misunderstandings, or emotional outbursts. Aia also wrestles with numerous insecurities, exacerbated by his close yet complex relationship with Daiya. His love for makeup started in his second year of middle year, after being introduced to makeup by Daiya and desiring see the world the way his idol does, but lacks natural talent in it. As Aia is attractive and is a talented model, everyone around him believed he should stick just to modeling, with Daiya's opinions on the matter being largely ambiguous. Furthermore, Aia's admiration makes him wants to emulate Daiya and to reach his level, but he also resents living in Daiya's shadow. Beaten down by all this and perceiving Daiya did not cherish their bond as much as he did, Aia regulate makeup as a hobby until he befriends Jun, who reignited his passion. • As a makeup artist, Aia supplements his raw potential with his imagination, diligent studying, and practical work experience. His endearing enthusiasm for makeup and attentiveness to his models' feelings helps him think up creative ideas that impressive even pros. As Aia prove his worth in Mirror, he gains more confidence and become less unafraid of being hurt by other people's opinions. • Jun Sumisaki • Chiyuki Miura • An aspiring model, Jun is 5'10" tall and pretty, but is self-conscious about her height and freckles. Jun has dreamt about being a model since childhood and even practiced walking, but her timid nature and teasing from her peers causes Jun to be unsure about herself. Despite how freckles are usually viewed as unattractive, Jun takes pride in her freckles, as her parents always compared her to sunflowers growing up. • After meeting Aia, Jun gains confidence to actively apply to modelling gigs and hopes to travel abroad one day to find more jobs. While still anxious at times, Jun begins shows a bolder side, such as piercing her ears or buying a cellphone to promote herself, and has become more social with her classmates. Sweet and charming, Jun surrounds herself with many kind and supportive people, which also motivates her to work hard. She greatly treasures her friendship Aia and considers him the person that can bring out her beauty the best.

• Mahjong Parlor Boss • Simply known as "Boss", he owns a mahjong parlor, where Jun works part-time, and is the chef that cooks the meals for customers. He known Jun since she was in the fifth grade and is a very good friend to her. Confident and tall, the Boss has an androgynous appearance and has a feminine style, such wearing makeup and heels. While a bit annoyed that Jun and Aia often uses his place as a personal hangout and treats it like a restaurant, he adores the two and typically let them do what they want. • Ginga Yoyogi • A young makeup artist from Saga, Ginga recently graduated from high school and moved to Tokyo to jump-start his career. A self-made man, Ginga juggles working part-time and studying his craft by watching photo shoots and doing makeup for student films. He is promoted himself on social media before moving to Tokyo and is already making a name for himself as a rising star. Due to his rural upbringing, Ginga is determined to rise to the top and fiercely competitive to prove he can compete with the cutting-edge trends of Tokyo. While aggressive and blunt, Ginga becomes a sort of mentor to Aia and sometimes hires to be his assistant for work, allowing Aia to get some work experience. • Yoriko Sumisaki • Jun's loving and supportive mother, who works in the film industry. She taught Jun how to walk like a model when she was young and affectionately compares her to a sunflower. Like her daughter, Yoriko has freckles and is tall, but is much confident in herself and more outgoing than her. While she gets along with Jun's boss, she is banned from the parlor since she is too good at mahjong and chases away his customers. • Takuto Akasaka • Jun's father and a photographer, who died of pancreatic cancer when Jun very young. However, he has left a deep impact on his child as he always supportive of Jun's dreams to be a model and is generally very similar to her in personality, such as their determination to chase their dreams and doing things on impulse. Takuto also very carefree and blunt yet encouraging and loving man who loves sunrises and sunflowers. • Arina Himemiya • MM's sweet and capable wife, who is also the daughter of drug company owners. She and MM knew each other since they were children, as his father worked as a gardener for her family. She and MM both works for her family's company, with her as researcher to develop new drugs. Due to working late a lot, Arina's skin is often rough and has eyebags, which inspires MM to become interest in makeup as way to support her, and her husband usually does her makeup. • Tadashi Mori • A editor for a department that runs a women's fashion website. He is on good terms with Ginga, offering him jobs, and is first person that hires Aia, who he sees great talent in. • Akihiko Takatsuki • A highly respected and reputable hair stylist and makeup artist, he is Joe's mentor and boss. While seemingly formal and strict, Takastuki is very gentlemanly, humble, open-minded, and is considerate of others. Attentive and kind, Takatsuki excels at networking, creating wide circle of connections and is one of the most trusted pros in the beauty industry. • Yukiko Himuro • President and designer of her own apparel brand. While stern and intimidating, Himuro is fair, has a keen eye, and understands the value of hard work. She takes an interest Jun, who recognizes potential in and admires her spirit. • Mikado Ekuni • A 20-years-old tall and beautiful model, and Oroko's rival since their high school years, where they compete in school and modeling. Mikado's beauty, model status, and solitary demeanor makes her largely distant from her peers, with only Oroka being daring enough talk to her. Despite their prickly rivalry, Mikado feels kinship with Oroka, who presence keeps her from feeling lonely and motivates her to work hard. • Tamako Shinagawa • A aspiring makeup artist, Shinagawa is hyperactive, friendly, and childish. Despite being 20-years-old, her attitude and short height makes her looks a child, but her makeup skills are very good. • Kurieda • At 5'10 tall and a charming social butterfly, Kurieda is a popular model and is considers to be the top one in Japan, known by her stage name "Kurie". As a judge for the U21 Hair and Makeup competition, she takes an interest in Jun, going out of her way meet her and give her some advice.

Written and illustrated by Yukino Sonoyama, Bless began serialization in Kodansha's manga magazine Shōnen Magazine Edge on January 17, 2022. After the final issue of Shōnen Magazine Edge was published on October 17, 2023, the series was transferred to the Monthly Shōnen Sirius magazine on December 25, 2023. The series' chapters have been collected into eight tankōbon volumes as of March 2026. During their Anime Expo 2023 panel, Kodansha USA announced that they licensed the series, with the first volume releasing in April 2024. The series is also available on Kodansha's K Manga website and app in the United States.

An anime television series adaptation was announced on March 6, 2026. The series will be produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Shōtarō Kitamura, with Takayuki Kikuchi serving as assistant director, Fukurou Kamiza handling series composition, Honoka Yokoyama designing the characters, and Ryō Yoshimata composing the music. It is set to premiere in January 2027 on the Noitamina programming block on Fuji TV and its affiliates.

A live-action drama adaptation was announced on August 28, 2026. The series will be directed by Izuru Kumasaka and Maki Tomita and written by Satoko Okazaki and Ichirō Kusuno, with C & I Entertainment as production studio. It will be streamed worldwide on Amazon Prime Video in Q2 2027.

It is associated with Japan.