In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki

In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki (くノ一ツバキの胸の内) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Sōichirō Yamamoto. It was serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Sunday from January 2018 to May 2023, with its chapters collected in nine tankōbon volumes. An anime television series adaptation produced by CloverWorks aired from April to July 2022.

Plot
Tsubaki, a kunoichi and the best student of the Akane Class, lives in a village where women are not allowed to have contact with men. However, she has a curiosity about them that she wants to keep hidden.

Team Dog

 * Tsubaki (ツバキ)


 * Sazanka (サザンカ)


 * Asagao (アサガオ)


 * Rindou (リンドウ)
 * A newcomer to the village. She initially presented herself as a boy. She is usually seen wearing a mask.
 * A newcomer to the village. She initially presented herself as a boy. She is usually seen wearing a mask.

Team Sheep

 * Benisumomo (ベニスモモ)


 * Mizubashou (ミズバショウ)


 * Touwata (トウワタ)

Team Horse

 * Hinagiku (ヒナギク)


 * Kibushi (キブシ)


 * Oniyuri (オニユリ)

Team Monkey

 * Mokuren (モクレン)


 * Housenka (ホウセンカ)


 * Tsuwabuki (ツワブキ)

Team Rat

 * Tachiaoi (タチアオイ)


 * Higuruma (ヒグルマ)


 * Hagi (ハギ)

Team Ox

 * Shion (シオン)


 * Suzuran (スズラン)


 * Ajisai (アジサイ)

Team Tiger

 * Fuki (フキ)


 * Itadori (イタドリ)


 * Ume (ウメ)

Team Snake

 * Kikyou (キキョウ)


 * Uikyou (ウイキョウ)

Team Dragon

 * Hasu (ハス)


 * Suzushiro (スズシロ)


 * Higiri (ヒギリ)

Team Rabbit

 * Kagetsu (カゲツ)


 * Mukuge (ムクゲ)


 * Hototogisu (ホトトギス)

Team Rooster

 * Sumire (スミレ)


 * Azami (アザミ)


 * Tanpopo (タンポポ)

Team Boar

 * Dokudami (ドクダミ)


 * Aogiri (アオギリ)


 * Shakuyaku (シャクヤク)

Teachers

 * Hana (ハナ)


 * Konoha (コノハ)

Manga
Written and illustrated by Sōichirō Yamamoto, In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki was serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Sunday from January 12, 2018, to May 12, 2023. Shogakukan collected its chapters in nine tankōbon volumes, released from July 12, 2018, to August 9, 2023.

Anime
On November 9, 2021, Aniplex announced an anime television series adaptation produced by CloverWorks. The series was directed by Takuhiro Kodachi, with the scripts handled by Konomi Shugo, character designs by Yousuke Okuda, and music composition by Yūsuke Shirato. It aired from April 10 to July 3, 2022, on Tokyo MX and other networks. The opening theme song is "Highlight - Highlight" (ハイライト・ハイライト) by the Peggies. For each episode, different cast members performed a version of the ending theme song "Akane-gumi Katsudou Nisshi" (あかね組活動日誌) as their respective teams. Crunchyroll has licensed the series. Medialink has licensed the series in Asia-Pacific.

Manga
In 2020, the manga was one of the 50 nominees for the sixth Next Manga Awards.

Anime
The anime adaptation was one of the 100 nominees for the Anime Fan Award during the 2023 Tokyo Anime Award Festival, placing fourth behind Tiger & Bunny 2, Uta no Prince-sama: Maji Love 1000%, and Mechamato.

Anime News Network reviewers Caitlin Moore, Richard Eisenbeis, Nicholas Dupree, James Beckett, and Rebecca Silverman greatly criticized the premise, calling it "contrived, uncreative, and unfunny". While some praise was given to its art style, the series was also criticized for its "questionable artistic decisions", referring to the character designs and outfit choices.