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Asha

Facts

Announced
debut as unit TAKARA on August 8, 2026 · 2026-08-08

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All coverage

9h ago

Combi Baby Product Gashapon Charms Get Re-Release at Bandai Official Shops

Bandai is re-releasing the Combi Miniature Charm gashapon line, miniature charms reproducing baby products from Combi Corporation. The five-item lineup includes baby mugs, baby bottles with pacifiers, stacking cups, ride-on toys, and a swan-shaped potty. Each play costs 300 yen. The re-release is scheduled for the second week of September 2026, available at Gashapon Bandai Official Shops nationwide and the Gashapon Official Shop at Asakusa.

5d ago

Yurikawa Sasha's 4th DVD Brings Her First Snow Location Shoot

Yurikawa Sasha held a release event for her 4th DVD 'Yuki no Naka no Strast'' on August 22 at Sofmap AKIBA Amusement Hall. The 150-minute disc from Spice Visual, priced at 4620 yen, was filmed in January in Yamagata Prefecture and includes her first snow location footage. She plays an office lady traveling with her boyfriend, played by the viewer, and called the director's novel-like script a new challenge.

6d ago

Inuyasha Sketch Auctioned for AIDS Charity Draws 1.83 Million Yen

An original autographed illustration of Inuyasha's title character by manga creator Rumiko Takahashi sold for 1,833,000 yen (about US$11,440) at a charity auction on Sunday. The non-governmental organization PLAS, which supports African children orphaned by AIDS, held the sale as part of its current round of charity auctions.

Sep 2

Pluto TV Adds Two Anime Channels and 1,300 Hours of Dubbed Programming

Pluto TV is adding two dedicated anime channels, more than 1,300 hours of programming, and several English dubs debuting this month. The free ad-supported service will carry dubbed versions of One-Punch Man and Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple, which Pluto says makes it the only free streaming platform with either dub. New channels It's Anime and Big A Anime launch this month. The expansion targets younger viewers, who account for nearly half of all anime viewing hours on the platform.

Aug 14

The World Is Dancing Episode 7 Review: The Untranslated Song Problem

Episode 7 of The World Is Dancing, titled "In Between," follows the arrest and execution of the drunk monk Toku, pushing Oniyasha toward using his art for social critique. The episode's climactic performance of "Komachi at the Gravepost" lacks English subtitles because the play is presented as a modern rock song with licensing entanglements, rendering the scene unintelligible to non-Japanese speakers.

Aug 12

Xbox CEO Says She Saw Elder Scrolls VI Gameplay, Hints at Subtitle

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said on August 12 that she watched a live playthrough of The Elder Scrolls VI during a visit to Bethesda Game Studios. In a post on X, Sharma praised the game's scale and grandeur as "incredible" and said the story is "even greater," while keeping the subtitle hidden behind eight asterisks. Bethesda Game Studios replied to her post, thanking her for the visit and kind words. The post suggests the game's subtitle is eight English letters long, prompting speculation among fans on forums like Reddit about what the title could be, with some guessing it might be "High Rock," a region in the Elder Scrolls world. The Elder Scrolls VI was announced in 2018 with a teaser trailer, and no further details have been released since. In June 2026, Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty said in an interview that he saw the game running next to director Todd Howard and praised its quality. Sharma's visit and comments indicate the game has progressed to a stage where it can be shown to executives, though no release date or concrete details have been announced.

Aug 9

Gashapon Senshi ZERO 02 Brings Back Gankeshi With 15-Item Lineup

Bandai will release Gashapon Senshi ZERO 02, the second wave of the revived Gankeshi line, in late August 2026. The set includes six mobile suits in red and blue color variants, plus three color-version figures, for a total of 15 items at 300 yen each.

Aug 8

ASHA and KOKONA Form Unit TAKARA, Debut Song Set for August 8

ASHA and KOKONA, who appeared in the girl group audition 'No No Girls' produced by BMSG and Chanmina, will debut as the unit TAKARA on August 8, 2026. Their self-produced song 'Time is money' releases the same day. They follow HANA and Fumino as the second artists under NO LABEL ARTISTS.

Aug 6

My Happy Marriage Author Akumi Agitogi and Fiancée of the Wizard Artist Launch New Manga

Akumi Agitogi, author of My Happy Marriage, and Masaki Kazuka, artist of Fiancée of the Wizard, have launched a new manga titled Miko to Yashayome. Kadokawa's B's-LOG COMIC published Chapter 0 on July 24, and serialization began Wednesday. The story follows sorceress Miyabi Mori, who marries into the Koiwai family and tries to save her cursed husband Kuon.

Aug 6

The World Is Dancing Episode 6 Puts Oniyasha on the Brink of Quitting

Episode 6 of The World Is Dancing sees Oniyasha lose his lion-dance competition against Zojiro of the Shinza Dengaku troupe, leaving the shogun ready to give up on his protege. Saved by Zojiro's sportsmanship and a few gracious audience members, Oniyasha still considers abandoning dance entirely, until a reunion with the village boy Kogane reframes his calling.

Jul 10

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma Appointed Co-Leader of Federal Reserve Task Force on Jobs

The Federal Reserve Board has appointed Xbox CEO Asha Sharma as co-leader of its new "Productivity and Jobs" task force. The appointment, announced on July 10, 2026, places Sharma alongside Stanford University economist Charles I. Jones and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz. The task force is tasked with analyzing how emerging general-purpose technologies, including artificial intelligence, affect the U.S. economy and employment, with the goal of informing Federal Reserve monetary policy. The appointment comes just days after Sharma outlined plans to cut approximately 3,200 positions in the Xbox division by the end of fiscal year 2027. That restructuring also involves spinning off studios Double Fine and Compulsion Games as independent entities, while Ninja Theory and Undead Labs are to be transferred to new owners. Overseas outlets including PC Gamer and Game Developer have noted the timing of the appointment relative to the layoff announcement.

Jun 27

Sasha Yurikawa's 'Natural Self' Digital Photobook and Image Video Set for June 26 Release

Gravure idol Sasha Yurikawa, who has a Russian grandfather and is known for her G-cup and translucent skin, will release her first 8K-compatible digital photobook and image video 'Natural Self' on June 26, 2026, under the new label First Gravure. The work aims to capture her natural demeanor across five studio sets, with Yurikawa calling it a 'cool sexy' and 'provocative' turn from her previous work.

Jun 18

20th Century Performs MAO Anime Second Cour Opening

Bandai Namco Filmworks announced on June 18 that the boy group 20th Century, composed of former V6 members Masayuki Sakamoto, Hiroshi Nagano, and Yoshihiko Inohara, will perform the opening theme song for the second cour of the television anime adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi's manga MAO. The song is titled "Bokura ga Uwagaki suru Sekai" (The World We Overwrite), with lyrics, composition, and arrangement by MHRJ. The second cour begins with episode 14 on July 4 on NHK General. The first cour opened on April 4 and is set to run for two continuous cours without breaks. To commemorate the announcement, the studio released the creditless opening video for the InuYasha anime, which featured V6's song "CHANGE THE WORLD" from 2000, for a limited time until September 27. This marks the first time Sakamoto, Nagano, and Inohara have been involved with a Takahashi anime adaptation in 26 years, since their work on InuYasha. The MAO anime is produced by Sunrise and streams on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in Canada, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Jun 17

Nyarla and Nidiga Team Reunite for New Visual Novel Sister, Others, Paranoia

Serenity Forge will publish Sister, Others, Paranoia, a new visual novel from HazeDenki. The game reunites the Nidiga production team: Nyarla (scenario/director), Ohisashiburi (art), and Aiobahn +81 (music). Nyarla stated the release is not far off and promised updates by end of June, with plans to discuss the game at Anime Expo in Los Angeles from July 2 to July 5, 2026. The game is in development for PC via Steam, targeting a 2026 release.