Grow Up Show

Grow Up Show: Sunflower Circus is an upcoming original anime from Aniplex, animated by A-1 Pictures and Psyde Kick Studio. Directed by Kanta Kaimei with a script by Takeshi Kikuchi, the series features character designs by Kurehito Misaki and music by Yugo Kanno. It premieres July 5, 2026 on Tokyo MX and other networks, with streaming via Crunchyroll. The story follows a group of children in a traveling circus, blending slice-of-life drama with magical realism. The tone balances whimsical adventure with emotional coming-of-age moments. Early buzz highlights the strong visual direction and Kanno's score. The opening theme is "Yurari Yureru" by NOMELON NOLEMON, while "DAYS!" by Aooo serves as the ending.[edit]

The Sunflower Circus rolls into town with painted wagons, a striped big top, and performers who juggle fire and walk tightropes. But behind the curtain, the circus is home to a handful of children who live and work among the adults. Each child arrived here by a different road: some ran away from difficult homes, others were orphaned, a few were simply left behind. The circus becomes their makeshift family, a place where they learn to balance schoolwork with rehearsals, friendship with rivalry, and the thrill of the spotlight with the loneliness of constant travel.

The series follows this ensemble as they navigate the peculiar rhythms of circus life. There is the new girl who joins mid-season, struggling to find her footing; the veteran child performer who has never known any other life; the quiet boy who communicates better with animals than people; and the mischievous twins who turn every chore into chaos. Their days are filled with practice sessions under the hot sun, late-night conversations in the bunk car, and the occasional brush with something strange, a talking cat, a mirror that shows memories, a storm that seems to move with purpose. These magical realist touches never overwhelm the human story; instead, they illuminate the children's inner worlds, making their fears and hopes tangible.

The overarching arc of the first season is about belonging. Each episode peels back a layer of a character's past while advancing the present-day dynamics of the troupe. The children must decide whether to stay with the circus when it moves to the next town or to pursue a more conventional life. The circus itself faces external pressure from a skeptical local government and a rival show that wants to buy them out. Through it all, the children learn that growing up means both holding on and letting go, and that home is not a place but the people you travel with.[edit]