News

Live-Action Isekai Izakaya "Nobu" Series 3rd Season Announces New Cast, January 13 Premiere

WOWOW revealed on Friday more details for the third season of the live-action series of Natsuya Semikawa's Isekai Izakaya "Nobu" light novel series. WOWOW revealed new cast members and the third season's January 13 premiere.

Yūta Hiraoka (pictured above, center) plays the role of Conrad the 5th, the emperor's grandson. Comedy duo Cocorico's Naoki Tanaka (bottom row center) plays Sebastian of the Ministry of Central Affairs, and Naoto Kaihō (bottom row left) plays Augusto, the travelling entertainer. Also joining the cast are Jirō (top row left) from comedy duo Sissonne as La Catan, the Earl serving Princess Celestine; comedy duo Chōcolate Planet's Shōhei Osada and Shun Matsuo (bottom row right) as the kushikatsu (deep-fried skewered food) fairies; and Kinari Hirano (top row right) as Hugo, the glassmaker Lorenz's son.

Ryōhei Ōtani and Rena Takeda will return as the shopkeeper and chef of Nobu and the waitress Shinobu. Kōdai Asaka and Shinya Ōwada also return as Arne and the Emperor, respectively. Yūna Taira joins the cast as Princess Celestine and Riho Nakamura joins the cast as Celestine's attendant Charlotte. Koji Saikawa also joins the cast.

The 10-episode third season, titled Isekai Izakaya "Nobu" Season 3: Kōtei to Oilia no Ōjo-hen (The Emperor and the Princess of Oilia Arc), will premiere in Japan on January 13 at 11:30 p.m. JST on WOWOW Prime, WOWOW 4K, and WOWOW on Demand. The series' first episode will air in Japan for free.

The 10-episode first season premiered on the WOWOW Prime service in May 2020. The 10-episode second season, titled Isekai Izakaya "Nobu" Season 2: Majo to Daishikyō-hen (Witch and Archbishop Chapter), premiered on WOWOW on May 27.

The second season also had a special episode titled "Shinobu to Eva no Himitsu no Gokujō Sweets-hen" (Shinobu and Eva's Secret Super Sweets). The episode debuted on WOWOW on Demand immediately after the first episode of the second season premiered on May 27.

Semikawa launched the novel series on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō (Let's Be Novelists) website in 2012. Takarajimasha began publishing the story in print with illustrations by Kururi in 2014.

The novels center on a bar called "Nobu" — located in Kyoto, Japan, but with a door that is connected to the bar in another world. The visitors include denizens of the other world, and customers seek out its excellent "Toriaezu Nama" ale and cuisine.

The novels inspired a net anime series of 15-minute shorts that premiered in April 2018. Crunchyroll streamed the series under the title Isekai Izakaya: Japanese Food From Another World worldwide except in Asia with subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, German, and Arabic. bilibili streamed the series in Asia.

Udon Entertainment is releasing Virginia Nitōhei's Otherwordly Izakaya "Nobu" manga in English. Nitōhei launched the ongoing manga adaptation in Kadokawa's Young Ace magazine in July 2015.

Sources: WOWOW drama's Twitter account, Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web