Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle (Japanese: 千歳くんはラムネ瓶のなか, Hepburn: Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka) is a Japanese light novel series written by Hiromu and illustrated by raemz. Shogakukan published the first volume under its Gagaga Bunko imprint in June 2019. A manga adaptation with illustrations by Bobcat was serialized in Square Enix's Manga Up! from April 2020 to February 2025. An anime television series adaptation produced by Feel premiered in split-cours, with the first cours from October 2025 to March 2026, and the second cours in October 2026.
Contents
Plot
Saku Chitose, a popular boy and class president, is the leader of a group of students named Team Chitose. Among its members is Yuuko Hiiragi, a female student who has feelings for him, though he does not reciprocate at all. One day, Saku is asked by a teacher to convince a shut-in student, Kenta Yamazaki, to return to school. The series follows Saku, Yuuko, and the other members of Team Chitose helping other students deal with their problems.
Characters
Main characters
Saku Chitose (千歳 朔, Chitose Saku)
Voiced by: Junpei Baba (drama CD, audiobooks), Shogo Sakata (anime)
The main protagonist of the series. Renowned for his popularity at Fuji High School, he helms Team Chitose with determination. Once a baseball enthusiast, he now navigates through life with a keen awareness of the affectionate glances cast upon him by the female students. Despite this, Saku remains resolute in his preference for solitude, harboring no desire to engage in any romantic entanglements.
Yuuko Hiiragi (柊 夕湖, Hīragi Yūko)
Voiced by: Kana Asumi (drama CD, audiobooks), Manaka Iwami (anime)
One of the members of "Team Chitose" in Class 5. She is renowned for her popularity and striking beauty, qualities that have landed her a spot in the tennis club. Despite her affection for Saku, his feelings do not mirror hers in the slightest.
Yua Uchida (内田 優空, Uchida Yua)
Voiced by: Reina Ueda (drama CD, audiobooks), Hina Yōmiya (anime)
One of the members of "Team Chitose" in Class 5. She is an integral member of the brass club, prowess in the saxophone coming naturally to her. Her demeanor is characterized by a gentle grace and an unwavering work ethic, embodying the role of the straight man within Team Chitose.
Haru Aomi (青海 陽, Aomi Haru)
Voiced by: Chinatsu Akasaki (drama CD, audiobooks), Rumi Okubo (anime)
One of the members of "Team Chitose" in Class 5. She is a petite yet vibrant girl who leads Fuji High School's basketball team as the captain. At the beginning of their second grade, she and Yuzuki became the newest members of Team Chitose.
Supporting characters
Kenta Yamazaki (山崎 健太, Yamazaki Kenta)
Voiced by: Kōki Miyata (drama CD, audiobooks), Masaya Miyazaki (anime)
A student who stopped going to school. He returns to school thanks to Saku's help and develops a friendship with the members of Team Chitose.
Kuranosuke Iwanami (岩波蔵之介, Iwanami Kuranosuke)
Voiced by: Mitsuhiro Sakamaki (drama CD, audiobooks), Yōhei Azakami (anime)
Kazuki Mizushino (水篠和希, Mizushino Kazuki)
Voiced by: Koutaro Nishiyama (drama CD, audiobooks), Shun'ichi Toki (anime)
A popular member from the soccer team.
Kaito Asano (浅野海人, Asano Kaito)
Voiced by: Hayato Kimura (drama CD, audiobooks), Fumiya Imai (anime)
A sporty basketball team member.
Media
Light novels
Written by Hiromu and illustrated by raemz; the series' first volume was published by Shogakukan under its Gagaga Bunko imprint on June 18, 2019. As of October 2025, nine volumes and three short story volumes have been released.
In July 2021, Yen Press announced that they had licensed the series for English publication.
In 2022, the government of Fukui budgeted JP¥6 million (US$40,500) for a pop-culture tourism campaign collaboration with Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle.
Manga
A manga adaptation, illustrated by Bobcat, was serialized in Square Enix's Manga Up! website from April 12, 2020, to February 8, 2025. Square Enix published the individual chapters in eight tankōbon volumes.
At Anime NYC 2021, Yen Press announced they would also publish the manga adaptation in English.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on August 9, 2024. It is produced by Feel and directed by Yūji Tokuno, with Naruhisa Arakawa handling series composition and writing the scripts alongside Hiromu, Sumie Kinoshita designing the characters, and Yoshiaki Fujisawa composing the music. The series airs in split-cours, with the first cours aired from October 7, 2025, to March 31, 2026, on AT-X and other networks. Episodes 6 and beyond were delayed due to production circumstances; eventually airing with episodes 6 to 10 in December 2025, and episodes 11 to 13 back-to-back on March 31, 2026. The second cours is set to premiere on October 13, 2026. For the first cours, the opening theme song is "Liar" (ライアー, Raiā), performed by Kucci, while the ending theme song is "Kagerō" (陽炎; 'Heat Haze'), performed by Cider Girl. For the second cours, the opening theme song is "Saku" (咲く; 'To Bloom'), performed by Cider Girl, while the ending theme song is "Doko nimo Ikenai Mama" (どこにもいけないまま; 'While I Can't Go Anywhere'), performed by Aruma. Remow licensed the series for streaming on Crunchyroll. Medialink licensed the series in Southeast Asia and Oceania (except Australia and New Zealand) for streaming on Ani-One Asia's YouTube channel.
Reception
In the Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! guidebook, the series ranked first in the bunkobon category in 2021 and 2022. The series has over 280,000 copies in circulation.