Paru Itagaki is publishing a new Beast Complex one-shot this summer, following the end of her manga Witching Hour in May. Her anime adaptation Sanda has been discussed in a retrospective podcast episode.
Paru Itagaki's Beast Complex manga will get a new one-shot this summer, the first new content for the series since December 2022. The announcement came from the official X account for her works. Itagaki recently ended her manga Witching Hour in May.
In a separate development, the anime adaptation of Itagaki's manga Sanda was the subject of a retrospective episode on the Anime Feminist podcast, recorded on January 29, 2026. Hosts Tony, Caitlin Moore, and Anime News Network contributor Sylvia discussed the series' themes of queer adolescence, body horror, and societal control. The conversation covered the depiction of puberty as body horror, the symbolic role of Santa as an idealized adult figure, and the controversial "trauma-free curriculum" concept.
The hosts debated the series' ending, where the queer character Ono dies. Moore argued the death was narratively necessary to illustrate the deadly consequences of societal abandonment of queer children. Sylvia agreed, noting that recent queer anime successes allow room for darker narratives. Tony expressed frustration at losing the character he found most compelling. The group also discussed the villain Oshibu's plastic surgery horror design and hopes for a second season, including further exploration of queer identity and character Amaya's potential development.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
May 30
The Anime Feminist podcast released a retrospective episode on Paru Itagaki's anime adaptation of her manga Sanda, recorded on January 29, 2026. Hosts Tony, Caitlin Moore, and Anime News Network contributor Sylvia discussed the series' themes of queer adolescence, body horror, and societal control. The conversation covered the show's depiction of puberty as body horror, the symbolic role of Santa as an idealized adult figure, and the controversial "trauma-free curriculum" concept. The hosts debated the series' ending, where the queer character Ono dies, with Moore arguing the death was narratively necessary to illustrate the deadly consequences of societal abandonment of queer children. Sylvia agreed, noting that recent queer anime successes allow room for darker narratives. Tony expressed frustration at losing the character he found most compelling. The group also discussed the villain Oshibu's plastic surgery horror design and hopes for a second season, including further exploration of queer identity and character Amaya's potential development.
May 16
Paru Itagaki's Beast Complex manga will receive a new one-shot story this summer, as announced on the official X account for her works. The series, a compilation of short stories set in the same world as Beastars, last received a new chapter in December 2022. Itagaki recently ended her manga Witching Hour in May.