Yoshito Usui's hit manga, Crayon Shin-chan, has been a national treasure in Japan ever since its TV anime adaptation kicked off in 1992. It's still going strong, with a new theatrical film dropping every year. This year, the 31st movie, "Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Our Dinosaur Diary," is set to hit theaters in August.
But hold up! Today (March 12th), it was announced that the fan-favorite meme-worthy spinoff, "Hiroshi Nohara's Lunch Style" (野原ひろし 昼メシの流儀), is actually getting a TV anime adaptation! This news immediately blew up on Japanese X, with many netizens scratching their heads, wondering how this often-mocked series managed to snag an anime.
▼ Check it out: "Hiroshi Nohara" shot up to the second spot on Japanese X's trending topics by noon today. 
The official spinoff manga, "Hiroshi Nohara's Lunch Style," penned by Yoichi Tsukahara, dives deep into Hiroshi Nohara's unwavering dedication to his midday meal. It chronicles his quest to meticulously pick out delicious eats within his tight budget and even tighter lunch break, truly defining his signature "lunch style."
But here's the kicker: this series hasn't exactly been showered with praise. Not only is the art style a far cry from the original, but many of Hiroshi's iconic traits seem to have vanished. And get this – even though food is the main event, Hiroshi's reactions to his meals are practically identical every single time! While critics weren't thrilled, it ironically became a goldmine for netizens creating hilarious memes, making its popularity almost inversely proportional to its critical reception. Some even slammed this version of Hiroshi as: "a soulless salaryman, just some random dude pretending to be the real Hiroshi."
Even though many fans gripe that this Hiroshi is basically an imposter, you gotta admit, the food illustrations in this series are top-notch! And despite the mixed reviews, the manga is still going strong, with its 13th volume hitting shelves soon, proving it's got a surprisingly solid fanbase.
And get this: Tomoyuki Morikawa, the legendary voice behind Hiroshi in the main "Crayon Shin-chan" anime, is confirmed to reprise his role! The "Hiroshi Nohara's Lunch Style" anime is slated to drop in October 2025. So, mark your calendars, because that's when we'll finally get to see what kind of wild magic this "Meme Hiroshi" spinoff is packing!