A stage greeting with Tomoko Yamaguchi, Etsushi Toyokawa, and director Shunji Iwai will follow the September 26 screening of the Undo 4K remaster at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku. The event marks the double feature of Undo and PiCNiC. Trailers for both films and a comment video from Iwai were also released.
Renta!'s original BL vertical comic 'Seishun no Yarinaoshi wa Isekai de' will air on TOKYO MX from January 2027 as an Anicomi, Papyless's motion comic format that adds motion and audio to manga. Tomohito Takatsuka plays Fuwa Makoto and Ryuichi Kijima plays Thanatos. The adaptation adds generative AI to some cuts. A key visual and teaser PV were released with the announcement.
Anime News Network's review of Sparks of Tomorrow episode 10 gives the episode a community score of 3.1. The reviewer criticizes it for hammering its communication theme twice, for confirming a romance between Noriko and Seiroku that was never developed, and for spending the rest of its runtime reuniting Kengo and Noriko instead of letting the characters talk. The review argues the show keeps robbing itself of tension.
Lighthouse Studio, the CARTA HOLDINGS group company behind the game media site Kamigame Koryaku, will bring its game-specialized VTuber agency UraLogi Game Company to Tokyo Game Show 2026 with a first-time booth at Hall 01-C12. The five talents, who stream entirely in 3D, will hold live real-time chat sessions on the public days and hand out booth-limited goods. TGS 2026 runs September 17-21 at Makuhari Messe, marking the event's 30th anniversary and first five-day run.
The official website for the Romelia War Chronicle TV anime revealed 14 additional cast members on Friday, September 5. The new additions include Hiromichi Tezuka as Hans and Tomohiro Yamaguchi as Glein, among others. The anime is set to debut in October on Tokyo MX, BS11, Sun TV, and KBS Kyoto.
The official website for Sunrise and Production I.G's Sōkō Kihei Votoms Haiiro no Hexe revealed the cast, character designs, and a 30-second trailer for the two new Armored Trooper Votoms films. Shinichirō Miki, Yūki Kaji, Yūichi Nakamura, and others join the cast. Miyuki Sawashiro plays the feared AT pilot Ash Vamps, known as the Grey Witch.
The four voice actors behind QUARTET NIGHT, Shouta Aoi, Shoutarou Morikubo, Tatsuya Suzuki, and Tomoaki Maeno, posted a photo together on X on September 4. The shot shows them in costumes from the June 2026 live event QUARTET NIGHT LIVE ENDLESS JEWELS, with a bracelet from the event merchandise visible. The reason for the gathering is unconfirmed, and fans are speculating about a new project or bonus footage.
The web preview and advance cuts for episode 11 of the TV anime Reiwa no Dara-san, titled "Forbidden Test of Courage," are out. Fudeki's cat Arare worries about her single owner and asks Dara-san for help, so Dara-san and Kaoru search for a lover candidate. Meanwhile, Orochi tempts Shū, planning a test of courage he can intervene in to gather life force. The show adapts Haruomi Tomotsuka's manga.
Sunrise's 50th anniversary Armored Trooper Votoms film The Grey Witch, directed by Mamoru Oshii, revealed its full main cast. Shinichiro Miki, Yuki Kaji, Yuichi Nakamura, Tomokazu Sugita, Takahiro Sakurai, and Sumire Uesaka join previously announced Miyuki Sawashiro and Mafumi Ando. Set at the end of the Hundred Years War, the film opens nationwide November 20, 2026, and a 30-second trailer was shown.
Jujutsu Fest 2026, the finale event closing the Jujutsu Kaisen anime's fifth anniversary, ran August 29-30 at K Arena Yokohama. Day 2 brought the full cast on stage, ALI opening with 'LOST IN PARADISE,' a Takada-chan live set, the Demmy Awards, and a music relay through the Culling Game. In closing remarks, Yuji Itadori voice actor Junya Enoki said he wants to deliver the animation's continuation soon.
The ANN review of episode 9 of Sparks of Tomorrow criticizes the episode for confirming that Yosuke, a schoolmate of the late inventor Seiroku, was romantically in love with him, while also casting Yosuke as a man trying to marry a child. The reviewer calls the combination homophobic, and argues the episode's conflict could be resolved by a single conversation. The review also notes the episode lacks prior animation flair.
At Anime NYC, musician Ginger Root and producer Mao Takayama showed a preview of episode eight of Sparks of Tomorrow and explained the series' artistic choices. Episode six uses gekiga-style animation for a training montage, Kyoto backgrounds are muted and brown while Shiga introduces blue, furniture placement tracks the seasons through machiya customs, and the oil-painting backgrounds were built digitally for consistency.
The school gourmet comedy drama Oishii Kyushoku season 4 announced six new cast members on August 27. Issei Hashimoto plays Ren Toma, the transfer student who becomes Amita's rival in the Okinawa-set season. Hiroki Kawata, Shogen, Tomohito Yashima, and Ryosei Tayama join the cast, while Maiko Ito reprises her role as lunch lady Fumie Makino. Hayato Ichihara stars as Yukio Amita.
Episode 8 of Sparks of Tomorrow reveals why Kengo Kuga supports Kihachi despite his alignment with Yosuke Mizoe: he carries survivor's guilt over Seiroku's death in the Russo-Japanese War. Seiroku died in a bayonet charge while Kengo survived because a catalogue half in his pocket stopped a bullet. The episode also shows Kihachi and Inako restoring power to the electric door guarding the rest of the catalogue, though it includes a palm scanner that did not exist in the early 20th century setting. Jonathon Ha's English dub performance as Kengo is singled out as effective.
Total Mayhem Games announced during the Future Games Show at gamescom 2026 that the next entry in the We Were Here series, titled We Were Here Tomorrow, will launch in October 2026. The asymmetric co-op adventure is set in the mysterious facility Norcek, where two players awaken and must cooperate to escape. Communication via the series staple walkie-talkie remains central, with each player holding information the other needs to solve puzzles. The new trailer shows scenes of walkie-talkie exchanges and machine puzzles in a high-tech facility, as well as sections where players stand in fields with different gravity. The game also introduces new items, such as generating square cubes and a slime-like attachment that can be pulled, which players must describe to their partner. As players advance deeper, the story reveals why the facility was built, what experiments took place there, and what happened to the people inside. We Were Here Tomorrow is scheduled for release in October 2026 on PC via Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Previous titles in the series have gathered tens of thousands of Steam reviews, many rated Very Positive, earning praise from players worldwide.
The More! Ojamajo Doremi Blu-ray Box, a digitally remastered collection of the series that aired 25 years ago, is set for release on December 2, 2026. The project was confirmed after pre-orders surpassed 500 units. The main cast, including Chiemi Chiba, Tomoko Akiya, Yuki Matsuoka, Rumi Shishido, and Nami Miyahara, shared memories from recording and discussed the appeal of the series in a recent interview.
The television anime adaptation of A Pen, Handcuffs, and a Common-Law Marriage is set to premiere in January 2027, as announced on Friday. King Amusement Creative revealed a teaser promotional video, a teaser visual, and the main cast and staff. Tomoaki Maeno will voice Eiji Kirisame, a forty-year-old detective, and Inori Minase will voice Tsugumi Kuchinashi, a silent high school girl who communicates through doodles on a drawing pad, one of which proposes marriage. Takaaki Ishiyama directs the series at EMT Squared, with Shigeru Murakoshi overseeing series scripts, Miyuki Nakamura designing characters, Hiroto Morishita as sound director, and Kana Hashiguchi composing the music. The source manga, written by Shinichi Sawaragi and illustrated by Tank Gasuyama, began serialization in Hakusensha's Young Animal magazine in December 2022 and has 400,000 copies in circulation. Yen Press licensed the manga in English and released the first volume on March 24.
Tomohito Takatsuka and Yōko Hikasa have joined the cast of the new Fairy Princess Minky Momo OVA, playing the young man Rubato and the boy Peter. The OVA, titled Mahō no Princess Minky Momo Akogare no Yume e Magokoro no Duo, opens in Japan on November 13. It is the franchise's first new OVA since 1994's Minky Momo in The Station of Your Memories.
The web preview, advance cuts, and synopsis for episode 8 of the TV anime 'Reiwa no Dara-san' have been released. Titled 'Orochi's Struggle', the episode follows Shu and friends visiting the Sanjūkigaya house for a summer homework sleepover. Dara-san senses something strange, and late at night, Orochi, possessing Shu, tries to sneak into Kaoru's room to steal his spiritual power.
Anime News Network rates Sparks of Tomorrow episode 7 at 3.5. The review finds the escape plot, where Inako's sister substitutes for her at a betrothal ceremony despite being much taller, hard to believe. Kengo Kuga's sudden decision to help Sasaki and Inako feels unmotivated, since his character was poorly defined until now.
Icon parts for Tomodachi Collection: Wakuwaku Seikatsu, exchangeable for Platinum Points through Nintendo Switch Online's Missions & Gifts, are trending on X. The parts include realistic animals, foods, and rainbow speed-line backgrounds and frames. Users can combine them to create gaming-style icons with an internet feel, even without owning the game, and set them via the Nintendo Switch Online app.
The special ending video for episode 6 of the TV anime Reiwa no Darasan has been released. The theme song is Masaaki Endoh's 'Gun Barzee's Theme', with lyrics by original author Haruomi Tomotsuka, composition by Endoh, and arrangement by Hirofumi Miyake. The song gets an advance digital release starting August 7.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER's third VR concert tour, 'TOMORROW X TOGETHER VR CONCERT: ENDLESS RIDE,' began screening on July 31 in Tokyo and Fukuoka. The tour will visit seven cities nationwide through September. The VR concert features 12K video and 7.1ch audio, with performances in virtual spaces like a pink desert and an upside-down cityscape.
The immersive music live 'Belle' has revealed its protagonist LAYRA, a new virtual artist debuting under Sony Music's Echoes label. Five vocalists, miwa, Konomi Suzuki, Natsumi Kon, ASCA, and Maria Miki, will play the role. Rira Ikuta and Tomoyo Kurosawa join the cast, and the opening song is previewed.
Anime News Network's review of Sparks of Tomorrow episode 6 gives the show its strongest assessment yet, praising a thematically complete installment that explores technological and artistic innovation. The episode features Kihachi inventing electric instruments, a battle-of-the-bands at an amusement park, and a rock performance that overcomes Inako's anxiety. Persistent flaws in character depth and plot coherence remain.
Kotobukiya announced a plastic model version of the Durga I Bunny Style kit, updating the resin cast parts previously sold as a shop. The model includes new parts for hair, bunny ears, and body, with three chest sizes and three printed face options. It is scheduled for release in January 2027.
Medicom Toy's MAFEX line adds Wonder Woman from the Superman: For Tomorrow comic arc, where she clashes with Superman over a certain incident. The figure stands about 15 centimeters tall, includes three head parts, a sword and shield, an interchangeable body with cape, and a movable stand. It is scheduled for release in April 2027 at 14,080 yen including tax.
Pokemon Origins, the original anime based on Pokemon Red and Green, is now streaming on TVer. The broadcast from August 2 on BS12 TwellV is available to watch. The series follows Red's journey from receiving Charmander to battling rival Green and Team Rocket.
AuthenticAI began offering the full version of its AI fashion designer TOMOKO on August 1, 2026. The agent connects research, design, generation, and mass production preparation in a single conversation, outputting deliverables such as specifications, patterns, hang tags, and care labels. It supports Japanese and English from a web browser.
FREELY TOMORROW, the Hatsune Miku song by Mitchie M posted on Nico Nico Douga on July 31, 2011, reached its 15th anniversary on the same date in 2026. The dance-pop track, with lyrics co-written by yIRE, hit VOCALOID legend status, 1 million views, about 20 days after posting, then the fastest record. Its vocal tuning quality, which the self-praising title 'Tuning Is Amazing' seemed to justify, drew both praise and criticism.
Shunji Iwai's 1994 film Undo, starring Tomoko Yamaguchi and Etsushi Toyokawa, will screen as a 4K remaster starting September 25 at TOHO Cinemas Hibiya and other venues. It will be shown as a double feature with PiCNiC (1996), also in a 4K remaster. Iwai noted the remastering work was difficult due to the 16mm footage and experimental push and pull processing.
Episode 5 of Sparks of Tomorrow opens with a college student spying on teenagers, then follows him as he uses an electrical love tester invented by Kihachi to learn whether Suzu Harashima returns his feelings. Suzu rejects the public confession. The review criticizes the episode for spending its runtime on that subplot and on nobleman Yosuke Mizoe while the Kate-Suzu romance goes unacknowledged, and calls the science-fantasy conceit a growing problem.
Manga creator Hitomi Takano launched a new manga titled Tomodachi kara de mo Ii desu ka on Shinchosha's Comic Bunch Kai web manga magazine on Friday. The story follows Sono Tajima, a streaming company employee, and Koharu Shiraishi, a Fukuoka local TV personality, who were friends in their student days. Sono takes Koharu in after learning of her affair with a popular male idol group member.
Anime News Network's review of Sparks of Tomorrow episode 4 calls the show's handling of grief and the invention of the telephone "borderline harmful." The episode frames the cast tricking a grieving widow into believing she is speaking with her dead husband via a rudimentary telephone as a positive outcome, which the review argues is exploitative and undermines genuine community-based healing.
Free-to-air broadcaster BS12 Twelvi announced on July 23 that it will rebroadcast the 2013 original anime special Pokémon: The Origin. The four-episode series originally aired on TV Tokyo to commemorate the release of Pokémon X and Y for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the first anime to adapt the story of the original Pokémon Red and Green games, with protagonist Red voiced by Junko Takeuchi rather than the long-running Satoshi of the main anime series. The cast also includes Takuya Eguchi as Green, Katsuji Mori as Professor Oak, and Tomokazu Sugita as Brock, replacing Yuji Ueda from the Satoshi-era show. The rebroadcast begins August 2 at 19:00 on BS12. The special is notable for featuring the first animated appearance of Mega Charizard X, a form that did not exist in the original games and was kept secret until the episode aired. At the time, only Mega Charizard Y had been announced under the generic name Mega Charizard, making the reveal of the black-and-blue variant a surprise for fans.
DMM Pictures announced on Thursday that Mitsuki Mii's manga "Kusunoki's Flunking Her High School Glow-Up" is receiving a television anime adaptation. The series will star Yūto Uemura as Keisuke Shizuki and Tomori Kusunoki as Shizuka Kusunoki. Midori Yui, who has served as an episode director on series including "Carole & Tuesday" and "Love Flops," is directing the anime at studios Passione and Hayabusa Film. Yui is also handling the series composition. Koji Haneda, known for character design on "Spice & Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf," is the character designer. Hyadain, the composer for all seasons of "Rent-A-Girlfriend," is composing the music. Suzune Ishikawa is the animation producer. The original manga launched on Ichijinsha's Comic POOL service in October 2022 and has seven volumes in circulation. Kodansha USA Publishing releases the manga in English. The story follows two high school students, Keisuke Shizuki and Shizuka Kusunoki, who were both social outcasts in middle school and are now navigating their new lives. A teaser visual and trailer accompanied the announcement.
At Anime Expo 2026, Kyoto Animation director Minoru Ota and producer Satori Senami gave interviews about their new series Sparks of Tomorrow. Ota described his informal mentorship at the studio, while Senami explained the producer's role in forming committees and budgets. The show premiered July 5 after a long silence since its 2018 announcement.
Daiki Kogyo will sell a limited PVC garage kit of Tsutafu Toshiko's original character Tomoe Sakura at Wonder Festival 2026 Summer, held July 26, 2026, at Makuhari Messe in Chiba. The 1/5 scale kit stands approximately 325mm tall and costs 12,000 yen at the event. The kit features cast-off swimsuit top, bottom, and necktie, plus interchangeable arm parts that allow display in clothed or unclothed states. Decal data is available for download from Daiki Kogyo's website. The kit is sculpted by Tsutafu Toshiko and will be sold at the Daiki Kogyo booth in the 18+ area. Wonder Festival 2026 Summer advance tickets cost 3,500 yen, with U22 and afternoon discounts available. Same-day tickets are 4,000 yen, and priority admission is 7,500 yen.
A review of the first three episodes of Sparks of Tomorrow on Anime News Network criticizes the show's steampunk Meiji setting and weak characterization despite stunning animation from Kyoto Animation. The reviewer finds the script frustrating and the large cast of gimmicky characters unengaging, comparing the show unfavorably to ensemble works like Baccano! and Durarara!! The show streams on Netflix.
Otomate announced that its new otome game 'MIX DUNK -KING OF BASKETBALL-' will release on November 26, 2026, for Nintendo Switch. The game is a romance adventure set in a mixed-gender pro basketball league, supervised by the Kawasaki Brave Thunders team and AKB48. The cast includes Chiharu Sawashiro, Tomokazu Sugita, Junya Enoki, Takuma Terashima, and Yoshiki Nakajima.
Dengeki Hobby Web highlighted Shueisha Kindle manga releasing on July 17, 2026. The roundup includes One Punch Man Vol. 37, The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You Vol. 26, Junket Bank Vol. 22, and additional titles such as Noa-senpai wa Tomodachi. Vol. 11, Mokkori Hanbei 13, Diamond no Kōzai 10, and Shadow House 22.
Visual Arts announced a new brand, VISUAL ARTS Scripts, and its first title, Sayagatari -Yōtō no Yakusoku-, a visual novel where players fight monsters and receive kisses from a heroine who seals cursed swords. The game launches September 25 on PC, with a Steam version in development. Tomori Kusunoki voices the lead heroine. The download version is priced at 990 yen as a special launch price.
HYBE JAPAN announced the third VR concert tour by TOMORROW X TOGETHER, titled 'ENDLESS RIDE,' to be held in seven cities starting July 31. The tour includes first-time stops in Hiroshima and Miyagi. Produced by AMAZE, the concert features 12K video, 7.1ch surround sound, and new one-on-one communication elements. It is part of the 'HYBE JAPAN VR NEXT STAGE 2026' project, which expands the VR concert lineup and screening locations.
The one-shot manga The Last Terran by Hiroshi Takashige and Tatsumi Hitomoji will launch as a series in the September issue of Monthly Young Magazine on August 20. It is one of four additional works chosen for serialization after the success of the Young Magazine US English issue, alongside To Dusk and Twilight, Boys Run the Riot -In Transition-, and Protocol Ryugu.
Medicom Toy's MAFEX series is releasing a Superman figure based on the 'Superman: For Tomorrow' comic story arc. The figure includes four interchangeable head parts, a cloth cape with wire, heat vision effect parts, a vanishing device part, and a large gargoyle base. It stands 16 cm tall and is scheduled for release in April 2027 at a price of 14,080 yen.
ANYCOLOR, the operator of the virtual liver groups Nijisanji and NIJISANJI EN, announced on July 15 that it has reached a settlement with individuals who posted content encouraging secondary harm against affiliated VTuber Shirayuki Tomoe. The company filed a request for disclosure of sender information for multiple posts made on anonymous internet bulletin boards. The court granted the request, and based on the disclosed information, the posters were identified. ANYCOLOR then filed claims for damages, resulting in a settlement in which the parties agreed to pay a total of 1.4 million yen in compensation. The company stated that it is currently pursuing multiple legal actions in parallel against rights infringement targeting its affiliated livers and the company itself, including defamation, insult, discrediting, business obstruction, invasion of privacy, threats, and copyright infringement. ANYCOLOR also said it will continue to take prompt legal measures, including criminal procedures, and has set up a report form on its official website for aggressive or slanderous acts, unauthorized reproduction of singing videos, short videos, live event footage, and impersonation. The company requested that people refrain from contacting it or its affiliated livers directly via social media or during streams.
The official website for the television anime of Kyouko Hikawa's From Far Away shōjo manga revealed the teaser video, visual, main cast and staff, and an October 4 premiere date. Tomoyo Kurosawa leads the cast as Noriko Tachiki, with Kentarō Kumagai, Yūichirō Umehara, and Eiji Takeuchi. Noriyuki Abe directs at Studio DEEN, with Rika Takasugi on series scripts, Eiji Abiko on character design, and Takeshi Hama on music. The anime debuts on Tokyo MX on October 4 at 24:00 JST.
URAKATA Inc. has supported the rebranding of editor Tomoko Kodera's online community "Editorial..." with a new visual identity and website. The work, done under the concept of "unlearn," includes a logo, color, tone, and web design. Kodera, known for producing best-selling photo books, will publish her first book in 2026. URAKATA has been a behind-the-scenes partner since her company Shiori Inc. was founded.
Kadokawa announced a television anime adaptation of Enma Akiyama's Noa-senpai wa Tomodachi. manga, alongside a teaser visual and main staff. Shinsuke Yanagi directs at studio feel., with Keiichiro Ochi handling series scripts and Yumiko Yamamoto designing characters. The manga launched in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump in 2023; its 11th volume ships July 17.
Caseplay, the on-demand tech accessory platform run by Fox, has begun selling smartphone cases designed by illustrator acotomo. The retro-pop animal designs are available in four styles as slim protection cases for iPhone, Xperia, Pixel, Galaxy and other models spanning more than 160 devices.