The next issue of Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine previously leaked the news that an anime adaptation of Naoshi Arakawa's Farewell, My Dear Cramer ( Sayonara Watashi no Kuramā) was in the works and we now have additional information on the series, including the very first footage. (Note: The "Cramer" in the title is likely in reference to Dettmar Cramer, who is considered to be the father of modern football in Japan.)
North American fans are especially intrigued by the project thanks to an earlier Arakawa adaptation, Your Lie in April. Technically, Arakawa actually worked on Farewell, My Dear Cramer before Your Lie in April, despite the latter receiving an anime adaptation first. That's because Farewell, My Dear Cramer is actually a sequel to his first manga series, Sayonara, Football.
Liden Films will be producing an anime film adaptation of Sayonara, Football (which is 2 volumes long) while adapting Farewell, My Dear Cramer (an ongoing series that has released 12 volumes to date) for television. Both projects will premiere in April 2021.
Seiki Takuno (Love and Lies) is directing for Liden with Natsuko Takahashi (Bleach, Gleipnir) writing the script.
With no soccer accomplishments to speak of during the entirety of Sumire Suo's junior high school years, the young wing gets an odd offer. Suo's main rival, Midori Soshizaki, invites her to join up on the same team in high school, with a promise that she'll never let Suo “play alone.” It's an earnest offer, but the question is whether Suo will take her up on it. Thus the curtain opens on a story that collects an enormous cast of individual soccer-playing personalities!