HIDIVE has announced that it has acquired the streaming rights to Bibliophile Princess and Akiba Maid War for its Fall 2022 anime simulcast lineup. 

Tarou Iwasaki (Sweetness and Lightning) is directing Bibliophile Princess, with Mitsutaka Hirota (EDENS ZERO) as series screenwriter and Mizuka Takahashi (Overlord III co-sub character designer) as character designer. Other staff members include Junko Abe (Chihayafuru Season 3 animation director) and Shinichi Yoshikawa (Date a Live IV Ep 5 and 11 monster designer) as sub-character designers, Hitomi Yoshida (The Vampire Dies in No Time) as art director, Harue Ohno (Chihayafuru Season 3) as color designer, Junko Sakai (Akebi’s Sailor Uniform) as photography director, and Yuuko Fukushima (Kodai Ouja Kyouryuu King: D-Kids Adventure) and Tomotaka Oosumi (SD Gundam World Heroes) as music composers. Madhouse is in charge of the animation production. 

Meanwhile, the voice cast consists of Reina Ueda as Elianna Bernstein, Ryouhei Kimura as Christopher, Kouki Uchiyama as Alexei Strasser, Yuuma Uchida as Glenn Eisenach, Wataru Hatano as Theodore, Gen Satou as Alan Ferrera, Ayaka Nanase as Eilieen, Ryouhei Azakami as Irvin Olanza, Nobunaga Shimazaki as Alfred Bernstein, and Taku Yashiro as Jean.

Bibliophile Princess is adapted from a series of fantasy romance light novels written by Yui and illustrated by Satsuki Shiina. The series is published under Ichijinsha’s Iris Neo label and was first launched on July 1, 2016. The seventh volume will be released on October 4, 2022. J-Novel Club releases the light novels in English. A separate manga adaptation by Yui Kikuta was launched in 2019. 

HIDIVE describes Bibliophile Princess as:

Known as the Bibliophile Princess for her unquenchable love of books, Lady Eliana Bernstein wants nothing more than to shirk social duties in favor of retreating to the library. So, when the handsome Crown Prince Christopher promises to shield her from high-society drudgery in exchange for pretending to be his fiancée, she jumps at the chance to hide behind their sham relationship and read to her heart’s content (especially since he’s offered her access to the palace library). But much like the plot of her favorite novel, soon Eli’s feelings for the prince develop in unexpected ways, and she realizes she can’t always judge a royal book by its cover.

Meanwhile, Akiba Maid War is directed by Souichi Masui (Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai), with Yoshihiro Hiki as series screenwriter and Manabu Nii (The Day I Became a God) as character designer. Other staff members consist of Kouhei Honda as art director, Naomi Nakano (Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night) as color designer, Rumi Ishiguro (I’m Quitting Heroing co-photography director) as photography director, and Yoshihiro Ike (takt op.Destiny) as music composer. P.A.Works is handling the animation production and Cygames is credited with the series’ music production.

The main voice cast for the original anime series includes Reina Kondou as Nagomi Wahira, Rina Satou as Ranko Mannen, Minami Tanaka as Yumechi, Tomoyo Kurosawa as Shippon, and Ayahi Takagaki as the owner of the Tontokoton maid cafe.

Akiba Maid War is described by HIDIVE as: 

Akihabara is the center of the universe for the coolest hobbies and quirkiest amusements. In the spring of 1999, bright-eyed Nagomi Wahira moves there with dreams of joining a maid café. She quickly dons an apron at café Ton Tokoton, AKA the Pig Hut. But adjusting to life in bustling Akihabara isn’t as easy as serving tea and delighting customers. Paired with the dour Ranko who never seems to smile, Nagomi must do her best to elevate the Pig Hut over all other maid cafés vying for top ranking. Along the way she’ll slice out a place for herself amid the frills and thrills of life at the Pig Hut. Just when Nagomi’s dreams are within her grasp, she discovers not everything is as it seems amid the maid cafés of Akihabara.

HIDIVE’s complete Fall 2022 lineup has so far included: