Go with the Clouds, North by Northwest Anime Announced: Aki Irie’s Iceland Mystery Manga Heads to TV

We’ve got fresh wind coming off the North Atlantic. Go with the Clouds, North by Northwest (Hokuhokusei ni Kumo to Yuke), Aki Irie’s Iceland-set mystery manga, is officially getting a television anime. And yes, we can already hear the collective “ooooh” from everyone who likes detectives, road trips, and landscapes that look like they were rendered by the gods.

What was announced (and why it matters)

A brand-new official website went live to confirm the TV anime adaptation. Along with the announcement, the site shared a commemorative illustration by Aki Irie. It’s the sort of celebratory drawing that tells us, in polite Japanese fashion, “Right, let’s get moving,” while the rest of us start mentally casting seiyuu like we’re running our own studio from the sofa.

For context, this series has always stood out for its mood. Iceland isn’t just a backdrop. It’s a character. At 64°N, the story leans into that feeling of being at the edge of the map. Iceland itself has a population of roughly 390,000 people, which means the manga’s sense of space and quiet isn’t just vibes—it’s geography. The anime medium tends to love big cities and bigger explosions, so seeing a TV production commit to open roads and cold horizons feels like swapping a loud arcade for a long drive with the radio low.

The hook: a teenage detective with three problems

We follow Kei Miyama, a 17-year-old with three secrets: he can talk to cars, he can’t handle pretty girls, and he works as a private investigator. That combination is basically a Swiss Army knife of plot. Some cases are small and human—like searching for a beloved dog. Others are romantic and awkward—helping reunite someone with a man she fell for at first sight. And then the story tightens the screws with something closer to home: the search for Kei’s little brother.

The tone is the key. It’s not “detective as superhero.” It’s detective as someone who keeps walking, one clue at a time, through wind and doubt. Also, talking to cars sounds glamorous until we remember our own vehicles would mostly complain about fuel prices and ask for an oil change. We’re not saying Kei’s gifted. We’re saying he’s brave.

The manga’s publishing journey (and the new “second series” volume)

The manga began its run in 2016 in Harta. Later it moved to Kadokawa’s Aokishi when that magazine launched. After Aokishi stopped serializing the series in February 2025, a new company, Yukiwarisō, announced in October that it would publish the title going forward.

Now we’re entering a fresh phase: the first collected volume of the manga’s “second series”—a continuation under new publishing and volume counts—ships this Thursday. Meanwhile, the original run’s seventh volume shipped in Japan in 2024. In other words, the story didn’t stop; it changed trains at the station and kept going, which is frankly how most of us survive Monday.

English release status

In English, the manga was licensed in 2018. At present, Kodansha USA Publishing is releasing it in English. If we’ve been waiting for the right moment to jump in, an anime announcement tends to be that very loud starting pistol.

Call to action: If we haven’t read it yet, we can grab the first volume and see whether we’re here for the cases, the Iceland atmosphere, or the very relatable panic around pretty girls. And if we already read it, now’s the time to re-check our favorite chapters—because sooner or later the anime will adapt scenes we swear we remember perfectly… until it proves us wrong.