The anan series, a weekly women's magazine, is currently featuring anime and manga tie-in covers and special editions, including a Madoka Magica film cover for issue 2510 and a Chiikawa movie cover for issue 2509, while also being the title of a manga by Kujira Anan that recently ended.
anan, the weekly women's magazine, has been making a habit of putting anime and manga characters on its covers as part of broader promotional pushes. The special edition for issue 2509, on sale August 26, features Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi from the Chiikawa movie, with special sea-themed processing and a back cover of Shimajiro. The issue includes interviews with the voice cast and director, plus a sticker sheet exclusive to that edition. For issue 2510, on sale September 2, the cover is a new Shaft illustration by Kazuki Kawada of Madoka and Homura from the Walpurgisnacht: Rising film. That issue carries eight pages of film content, including a dialogue between voice actors Aoi Yuki and Chiwa Saito, interviews with new cast members, and talks with the chief director and character designer.
Separately, the name anan belongs to manga creator Kujira Anan, whose romantic comedy And Yet, You Are So Sweet ended in July with the fourth part of its 60th chapter. The series began in 2017, moved to the main Dessert magazine in 2020, and is published digitally by Kodansha USA. Its 14th volume shipped in July. The magazine and the manga creator share the name but are otherwise distinct entities covered here as a single series.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.
TARK announced that Lefto Studio's cooperative bomb defusal game BOMBANANA! has sold over 500,000 copies, less than a week after its September 2 launch on Steam. The three-player title drew 6 million demo players before release. Steam reviews sit at 97% positive across 1,388 reviews, rated Overwhelmingly Positive.
New BANANA FISH merchandise featuring original art of Ash and Eiji playing street basketball is now on sale. Items include T-shirts, an acrylic block, clear files, acrylic stands, can badges, cards, and a purchase bonus postcard. Orders run through October 5, 2026, on Tomosuto.
KRAFTON and NIRVANANA Studio opened the second global community test for Project ZETA on September 4, 2026 at 20:00 Japan time, running until September 6 at 23:59. The game is a multi-team tactical arena in which four teams of three, 12 players total, battle on the same battlefield. Teams fight over the Prism, carry it to the stabilizer at the center of the map, and the first to earn 5 points wins. The test adds two heroes: Nova Crash, a fighter who uses fist-based close combat and whose ultimate Justice Impact slams down from the air to break enemy formations, and Azrakel, an assassin who teleports and whose ultimate Final Judgment: Erasure deals heavy damage and finishes off enemies below a health threshold. The roster now spans four classes and 16 heroes. Changes from the first test include a rating system for matchmaking, stronger growth mechanics to allow comebacks, and a higher weight on the hard-to-obtain S-Prism. The test is free on Steam with no pre-registration. A giveaway on the Japanese X account offers official merchandise to three winners.
Midori Games launched Banana Kingdom, a retro-style turn-based strategy simulation, in Early Access on Steam on August 31. The developer cites SD Gundam Gachapon Senshi 3 Eiyu Senki and Famicom Wars as influences. Players produce units at forts, capture bases, and eliminate enemies across up to five factions. The Early Access version plans over 1,000 maps, and a map editor lets players build and share custom stages. The game sells for 530 yen.
Lefto Studio and publisher TARK released BOMBANANA! on Steam on September 2, 2026. The three-player cooperative puzzle game assigns each player one of the three wise monkeys, each with a different sensory restriction. See-no-evil can touch the bomb but cannot see wire colors or module symbols. Speak-no-evil holds the defusal manual and knows the answers but cannot speak or use in-game chat, communicating only through gestures and emotes. Hear-no-evil can see the bomb and both teammates but cannot hear anything. Players must defuse bombs within a time limit despite the miscommunication. The game ships with a Campaign mode of 30 stages, an Endless mode with auto-generated bombs, and a Custom mode for designing original stages. Stage gimmicks include power outages, obstacles, and noise interference. The demo, released during Steam Next Fest June 2026, was played by 6 million users and was the most played game at the event. The full version costs 1,050 yen, with a launch discount running until September 10.
Infinite ANANTA, the free-to-play city open-world RPG from Naked Rain Studio under NetEase Games, will launch on January 15, 2027 for PC (Steam), PS5, and mobile (iOS and Android). The date was announced at gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live, where the second major city, Choushou, was also revealed. The game's concept is 'become an influencer, save the world': players gain followers by clearing missions and attending events, and higher influence unlocks new experiences and companions in the city. In an interview at gamescom, Ray, who handles overseas marketing and publishing, said characters are not obtained through gacha. They unlock for free by progressing through the story. Monetization centers on character customization and costumes, and paid elements do not affect game balance. A hands-on preview covered a story section in Choushou that moves from stealth to a dynamic escape, plus free exploration of the rural village Ryusei, where a tea-leaf roasting minigame is available. Multiplayer is in development.
A BANANA FISH pop-up shop opened August 28 at SHIBUYA109 in Shibuya, selling original goods featuring illustrations from the special season Ash and Eiji shared. Items include acrylic keychains, T-shirts, and clear files, with purchase bonuses for spending thresholds. Online orders run through September 6.
A BANANA FISH pop up shop themed 'That Summer.' runs August 28 to September 6 at the SHIBUYA109 Shibuya Store. The event sells original goods with artwork evoking the season Ash and Eiji shared, plus purchase-based gifts. A simultaneous mail order runs on the Kadostore EC site with shipping scheduled for December.
NetEase Games showed its urban open-world RPG Infinite ANANTA at gamescom 2026, and the release date was set for January 15, 2027. The game is free to play and headed to PlayStation 5, Android, iOS, and PC. A media hands-on session offered two modes: a stealth-focused story mode and an exploration mode set in Longqi Village, where a character named Wei Yinglong can interact with objects and NPCs, including picking up a smartphone dropped by a fallen villager.
The special edition of the weekly magazine anan, issue 2510, will feature Madoka Kaname and Homura Akemi from the anime film Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising on its cover when it hits shelves on Wednesday, September 2, 2026. The cover uses a newly drawn illustration by Kazuki Kawada, the film's main animator, and is credited to the animation studio Shaft. The artwork carries over the cloud imagery from the film's key visual, depicting Madoka in her magical girl form and Homura as a devil smiling gently at each other, with sunlight pouring through gaps in the clouds. The issue includes eight pages of film-related content, headlined by a dialogue between Aoi Yuki, the voice of Madoka Kaname, and Chiwa Saito, the voice of Homura Akemi. It also features solo interviews with new cast members Shion Wakayama and Tomoyo Kurosawa, a dialogue between chief director Akiyuki Shinbo and character designer Ume Aoki, and interviews with scriptwriter Gen Urobuchi and Inu Curry's Doru Nushi, who also drew a new illustration for the issue. The magazine is priced at 880 yen and includes term explanations and character introductions.
Lefto Studio and publisher TARK revealed the full version content of BOMBANANA!, a three-player cooperative bomb defusal game, on August 27. The game stars the three monkeys See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and Speak No Evil, each with asymmetric access to information. See No Evil can touch the bomb but cannot see wire colors or module symbols. Speak No Evil reads the defusal manual but communicates only through gestures and emotes. Hear No Evil cannot hear the others but sees the bomb and the other players, acting as a bridge. The demo drew about 6 million unique users during Steam Next Fest June 2026, making it the most played title at the event and the second most played demo across Steam from June to July 2026, with over 1 million wishlist registrations. The full version, launching on Steam on September 2, adds three modes: Campaign with 30 stages, Endless with procedurally generated waves, and Custom for designing bombs. It also introduces 14 new modules, including three Chaos Modules that keep See No Evil busy, environmental gimmicks like power outages, unlocked emotes and hand gestures for all monkeys, and a new slap feature. An airplane stage is planned at launch, with others in development.
NetEase Games and developer Naked Rain announced during the gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 stream on August 26 that the urban open-world RPG Infinite ANANTA will launch globally on January 15, 2027. The title, previously known as Project Mugen when first announced in August 2023, is set across the two cities of Xinqi and Chongxiao-Lingyun. Players take on the role of an investigator working with an organization called Chaos to handle supernatural-related problems, blending humor, adventure, and mystery. The game will be free-to-play with in-game item purchases and is planned for PC, PS5, iOS, and Android. The latest trailer shown during the broadcast included movie scenes from the game and glimpses of in-game activities, including missions and daily life in the cities. According to the official website, global pre-registrations have exceeded 18 million. A PS Store listing has also revealed support for up to 24 online players, a notable change from the up-to-4-player online multiplayer described when the game was announced in 2023.
Midori Games released a demo of the retro-style turn-based strategy simulation Banana Kingdom on Steam on August 16. The full early access version launches August 31, priced at 530 yen with a 20 percent launch discount. The demo includes about 25 maps and a restricted map editor, with saves carrying over.
The Japanese official X account for the urban open-world RPG Infinity Nikki ANANTA posted for the first time in about six months on August 18, announcing that the game will appear at gamescom 2026's Opening Night Live. The presentation is scheduled to stream on the official gamescom channel at 3:00 AM Japan time on August 26, ahead of the event's run in Cologne, Germany, from August 26 to 30 local time. The official account noted the late-night timing and urged fans to enjoy the stream within their limits. The content to be shown during the presentation has not been disclosed. Infinity Nikki ANANTA is developed by NetEase Games and Naked Rain, and was first revealed at gamescom 2023 under the title Project Mugen before receiving its current name in 2024. The game is set in the coastal city of Xinqi, where players join the Chaos Countermeasures Bureau as a new captain. It is planned for PS5, PC, iOS, and Android as a free-to-play title, with no gacha system for character acquisition, and it won the Future Division award at the Japan Game Awards 2025.
The special edition of the women's weekly magazine anan, issue 2509, will feature the film Chiikawa: The Movie - The Secret of Mermaid Island on its cover when it goes on sale August 26. The cover shows Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi embraced by Siren, a key character from the movie, with special processing that evokes the sea. The back cover features Shimajiro, a character whose popularity has grown since the film's release. The issue includes interviews with voice actors Aoki Haruka (Chiikawa), Tanaka Makoto (Hachiware), Ozawa Ari (Usagi), Suzuki Minori (Siren), and Mogami Tsuguo (Shimajiro), as well as director Oikawa Kei. A special bonus exclusive to this edition is a sticker sheet titled "Island Memories Full of Stickers," featuring iconic scenes from the film's island adventure. The magazine also includes a photo shoot of the Chiikawa characters from their appearance on the 2026 FNS Music Festival Summer. The special edition is priced at 1,300 yen and will be available at bookstores, convenience stores, and online bookstores nationwide.
A Banana Fish pop up shop titled "That Summer." runs August 28 to September 6 at SHIBUYA109 Shibuya store's 8th floor DISP!!! space. The event sells 20 original goods items using original artwork, priced from 400 to 5,000 yen, with a simultaneous mail order via Kadokawa's Kadostore. The theme references "1985 Cape cod."
Banana Tiger Studio launched Stonewards into early access on Steam on August 12. The first-person roguelite action game supports solo and up to 4-player co-op, mixing wave defense with procedurally generated mining. It holds a Very Positive rating from about 260 reviews, with 96% positive. The demo at Steam Next Fest in June was well received, and wishlists surpassed 100,000 before release.
Publisher TARK and developer Lefto Studio announced on August 12 that the three-player co-op bomb defusal game BOMBANANA! will launch on Steam on September 2. The release time is not yet fixed, so it may become available in the early morning of September 3 Japan time. The game is built around the three wise monkeys motif: the blind monkey can touch the bomb but cannot see visual information, the mute monkey holds the defusal manual but cannot speak or use chat, and the deaf monkey can see everything but cannot hear. Players must build a communication chain through gestures and body language to defuse bombs before the timer runs out. The demo, released during Steam Next Fest June 2026, has been played by over 6 million people and added to more than 1 million wishlists. It also holds an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam from over 5,000 reviews. The full game will include a free mode where players can design their own bombs. The price is undecided, and the game will support 15 languages including Japanese.
Lefto Studio's three-player cooperative bomb defusal game BOMBANANA! has surpassed 6 million players and 900,000 wishlists before release. The Turkish developer, surprised by the response, has partnered with a local publisher and expanded its team. The game is planned for an August 2026 release.
At CEDEC 2026, Nintendo developers Kazuya Takahashi and Wataru Tanaka explained how Donkey Kong Bananza for Nintendo Switch 2 builds its game cycle around destruction. The session covered how voxel technology, prototyped after Super Mario Odyssey, led to a concept where breaking terrain creates the reason to break more.
Kujira Anan's And Yet, You Are So Sweet manga ended with the fourth part of its 60th and final chapter on July 22. Anan announced the ending in May. Kodansha USA publishes the series digitally, and the 14th volume released in July.
Google rolled back the Nano Banana 2 image generation feature in Google Earth on July 31, 2026, roughly one day after its launch, following rapid criticism that it could create convincing fake satellite images of disasters and military facilities. The feature, announced on July 30, let web version users select a location, enter text, and generate images based on satellite photos, aerial imagery, and 3D data. Google pitched it for history education, real estate development, and urban planning, including restoring Pompeii to its Roman-era appearance. Within hours, investigative reporter Henk van Es of Digital Digging generated images of refugees near the Mexican border, Iran's nuclear facilities, a fatal accident in Amsterdam, and bomb damage at a Gaza hospital. NPR produced images of Iranian oil facilities on fire and the U.S. Capitol flooded. Google said the generated images carried the SynthID watermark and were not shown in the main Google Earth view, but screenshots shared without context could pass as real satellite imagery. The company suspended the feature until stronger safety measures are implemented, calling it a temporary rollback rather than a permanent removal. Google has not said when it will return or what the new guardrails will be.
Anime Limited has licensed the Banana Fish television anime for release in the United Kingdom, North America, and France. The company plans a Blu-ray Disc release in early 2027. Netflix will stream the series in select regions starting August 12, including English and French dubs. The anime previously streamed on Amazon Prime Video, which briefly added AI-generated dubs before removing them. Hiroko Utsumi directed the series at MAPPA.
The Donkey Kong Bananza development team won Best Awards in three of the four categories at the CEDEC Awards 2026, held July 22-24 at Pacifico Yokohama North. The Computer Entertainment Association (CESA) announced the winners on July 23. The team took Engineering, Game Design, and Visual Arts honors. The Sound Best Award went to the Nintendo Music development and operations team, giving Nintendo a sweep of all categories. The Engineering award cited advanced integration of terrain destruction and physics simulation using voxel technology. Game Design recognized an exciting exploration experience through destruction leveraging character appeal. Visual Arts honored voxel technology realizing a fully destructible 3D world. The Sound award noted continuous library building of a vast number of songs and provision of music experiences utilizing the characteristics of game music. Shuhei Yoshida received the Special Award, announced July 1, for his contributions to computer entertainment development, including leadership of the PlayStation brand and support of indie games. The Best Awards were determined by votes from CEDEC2026 attendees and speakers from among the previously announced Excellence Awards.
Nintendo announced on July 14 that the Nintendo Museum in Uji City, Kyoto, will begin selling Nintendo Switch 2 merchandise at its Bonus Stage shop from July 15. Items include T-shirts, mugs, a ballpoint pen, a ring notebook, a pin set, and game software package stickers for Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. The museum, which focuses on Nintendo's history, will now carry current-generation console merchandise.
Princeton professor Arvind Narayanan, in a keynote at ICML 2026, argued that AI should be viewed as 'normal technology' like electricity, which takes decades to diffuse. He warned that the idea that productivity gains from AI will lead to mass unemployment contradicts economic data, citing the Jevons paradox. Instead, job roles will slowly transform, requiring organizational adaptation over many years.
Netflix announced it will add the television anime of Akimi Yoshida's Banana Fish manga in select regions on August 12. The series previously streamed on Amazon Prime Video with subtitles, but left that service recently. The 2018 MAPPA adaptation updates the setting to modern day New York.
Banana Tiger Studio announced on July 1 that its co-op mining defense roguelite Stonewards will enter Early Access on Steam on August 11 (August 12 in Japan). The game supports solo and up to 4-player online co-op, with Japanese display planned. The Early Access period is expected to last about a year.
Google announced Nano Banana 2 Lite, an image generation model that outputs images from text in 4 seconds, and Gemini Omni Flash, a video generation and editing model. Both are available on Google AI Studio, Gemini API, and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform. Pricing starts at $0.034 per 1K resolution image and $0.10 per second of video output.
The Bananya franchise announced a new anime, Bananya At Home Party, to celebrate the first anime's 10th anniversary. It will premiere on July 10 on Japanese streaming services, with a world premiere at Anime Expo on July 4. Returning staff and cast include director Kyō Yatate and voice actors Yūki Kaji and Ayumu Murase.
The Japan-Taiwan co-production Sinsin and the Mouse, based on Banana Yoshimoto's short story and directed by Yukinori Makabe, opens in Japanese theaters on June 26. The film follows a grieving woman who travels to Taiwan and meets a man named Sinsin, gradually finding small joys. Early viewer reactions praise the leads and the film's sensory focus on sound and imagery.
The demo for 'BOMBANANA!', a three-player asymmetric bomb defusal game from Turkish developer Lefto Studio, has seen a rapid surge in popularity on Steam since its June 16 release. The game assigns players the roles of 'See No Evil,' 'Hear No Evil,' and 'Speak No Evil,' each with restricted communication and perception abilities. The 'Speak No Evil' player reads the defusal manual but cannot speak, the 'Hear No Evil' player sees the bomb but cannot hear, and the 'See No Evil' player defuses the bomb while blind to fine details. According to SteamDB, the demo peaked at around 13,000 concurrent players, and the official Discord announced over 200,000 total players. The demo has earned an 'Overwhelmingly Positive' rating on Steam, with 98% of approximately 700 reviews being positive. The game ranked second on the 'Top Trending Demos' chart during Steam Next Fest. The full version is scheduled for release in August.
Eiga Natalie's Heisei Drama Committee column, written by Terebi no Sukima, revisits the 2006 late-night drama Akihabara@Deep. The piece calls it a symbolic work of the era and a turning point for Gen Hoshino, who met his best friend Toma Ikuta and ally Bananaman through the production. The drama featured Shunsuke Kazama, Toma Ikuta, Gen Hoshino, and Yuki Himura before their major breakthroughs.
The television anime adaptation of nonco's manga "Mistress Kanan Is Devilishly Easy" has been green-lit for a second season. The announcement was made on the anime's official website on Sunday, June 20, 2026, immediately after the first season's finale aired. Character designer Akari Minagawa drew a commemorative illustration to mark the news. The first season premiered on April 4, 2026, on Tokyo MX and BS11, and is streamed by Crunchyroll with an English dub. The manga, which began serialization in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in June 2022, has released 13 compiled volumes in Japan as of April 16, 2026. Seven Seas Entertainment will release the manga in English in omnibus format starting July 2026. The story follows Kanan, a demoness who infiltrates a human high school to feast on souls, but ends up in a relationship with a human boy, experiencing love for the first time. The first season was directed by Yasushi Muroya at Studio KAI, with series scripts by Rintarō Ikeda.
The TV anime adaptation of Hibari Ugisu's novel "Tembin" will begin airing on July 6. A second main visual and PV were released, and the ending theme is "Tilt" by the voice actor unit harmoe. Comments from harmoe members Haruki Iwata and Moeka Koizumi were also published.
Lefto Studio released a demo of BOMBANANA! during Steam Next Fest on June 16. The cooperative bomb defusal game assigns each of three players the role of one of the See No Evil, Hear No Evil, or Speak No Evil monkeys, each with a different communication limitation. The demo has earned a Very Positive rating on Steam, with 99% of roughly 200 user reviews positive. The full version is planned for August 2026.
Nintendo announced during its June 9 Nintendo Direct that a new event called DK Challenge will be available exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2 users through the Nintendo Switch Online app. The event runs from June 10 to September 1, 2026, and lets players complete challenges set in various Donkey Kong works to earn challenge cards. Separately, the paid DLC DK Island & Emerald Rush for Donkey Kong Bananza will host a collaboration with Super Mario Bros. The collaboration features Donkey Kong and Pauline wearing Mario-themed costumes, with mushrooms and coins appearing in stages. The first of four planned collaboration rounds begins immediately after the Direct ends.
Lefto Studio released the Steam store page for 'BOMBANANA!', a cooperative bomb defusal game for three players who take on the roles of the see-no, hear-no, and speak-no monkeys. Each monkey has a distinct limitation: one cannot speak, one cannot see colors or shapes, and one cannot hear. Players must establish their own communication methods to defuse bombs. The game supports Japanese and is scheduled for release on PC via Steam.
Kadokawa's Dengeki Daioh G magazine announced on May 27 that Rakuda's light novel series Shujinkō no Osananajimi ga, Wakiyaku no Ore ni Guiguikuru will begin a manga adaptation in volume 154 on June 29. The story follows a high school student given a second chance after being killed by a romantic comedy protagonist, only for the protagonist's childhood friend to propose to him. The series ranked #7 in the New Bunkobon category of the 2026 Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! guidebook.
Fanfare / Ponent Mon will reprint several manga by the late Jiro Taniguchi, including The Summit of the Gods, as well as Hideo Azuma's Disappearance Diary and Kiriko Nananan's Blue. The Summit of the Gods reprint arrives in July 2026 to mark the Everest ascent anniversary; other reprints follow later this year.
VTuber NewsDrop has published a roundup of original VTuber music released during the first quarter of 2026. The list, updated as of April 10, 2026, includes songs from January through March, presented in no particular order. Notable entries include Nerissa Ravencroft's "Shape the Future" (English Version), Bao the Whale's "Gonna Be Ok" and "Kablooey," and multiple releases from hololive English -Advent- such as "Breakout" and "Unchained." The roundup also features albums like hololive 3rd Generation's "#OperationHeartfulCuties ~You've Got No Choice but to Love the Strongest Idols~" and Ninomae Ina'nis's "re:VISION." VTuber NewsDrop notes that the list is not exhaustive and invites VTubers to submit unlisted songs via X/Twitter. The compilation covers over 80 original tracks and albums, spanning a wide range of VTuber talents and groups.
Anime Feminist published a review of the first episode of Mistress Kanan is Devilishly Easy, a new anime adaptation of the ongoing manga. The review describes the premise: the thousand-year-old Gourmet Devil Kanan comes to Earth to devour souls, targeting high school student Youji Kyougi, but he misunderstands her intentions and declares them boyfriend and girlfriend. The reviewer finds the high school setting uncomfortable given the heavy focus on fan service and teenage sexuality, noting that Kanan looks sixteen despite her age. The review compares the dynamic unfavorably to Kakegurui, calling the execution rote. It also notes that the manga is twelve volumes and counting, localized by Seven Seas, but predicts the anime will not get a second season. The reviewer expresses disinterest rather than hatred, saying the joke grows stale quickly.