← all stories

2

57m ago

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 Panel Set for Anime Expo 2026

The official X account for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners announced on May 26, 2026, that new information on the sequel Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 will be revealed at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles on July 4. The panel, hosted by Danny Motta, will feature director Kai Ikarashi and showrunner Bartosz Sztybor discussing the new standalone story set in Night City. The sequel is planned as 10 episodes with a darker theme of atonement and revenge, not continuing the original characters.

1h ago

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 Panel Set for Anime Expo 2026

CD PROJEKT RED will host a panel for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 at Anime Expo in Los Angeles on July 4, 2026. Director Yoshiaki Igarashi will speak publicly about the sequel for the first time, joined by showrunner Bartosz Sztybor and executive producer Saya Elder. The 10-episode series, again produced by TRIGGER, is set for Netflix release.

2d ago

Hana-Kimi Season 2 Promo Reveals Theme Songs, July 1 Premiere

The second season of the Hana-Kimi anime will premiere on July 1, 2026, at 24:30 JST on Tokyo MX, Tochigi TV, Gunma TV, and BS11. The date and theme songs were revealed in a promotional video released during a special program on May 23. The trio Omoinotake performs both the opening theme "Flashbulb" and the ending theme "Hanataba." The season will stream on Amazon Prime Video in Japan, with the first episode available one week ahead of the terrestrial broadcast. The first season of the anime, based on the late Hisaya Nakajo's manga, aired in January 2026. Crunchyroll streamed the first season with English subtitles and a same-day dub in multiple regions. The manga ran in Hakusensha's Hana to Yume from 1996 to 2004 and previously inspired live-action series in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. Signal.MD returns for animation production, with Natsuki Takemura directing. The cast includes Aki Yamane as Mizuki Ashiya and Taku Yashiro as Izumi Sano.

5d ago

Zootopia 2 Blu-Ray and DVD Released With Unseen Scene and Morikawa Interview

Disney Animation's Zootopia 2 Blu-ray and DVD set released in Japan on May 20, 2026. A previously unseen scene from the film was revealed, showing Nick and Judy on an undercover operation at an airport posing as a married couple. A special interview with Tomoyuki Morikawa, who voices Nick Wilde, was also published to mark the home video launch.

6d ago

Netflix Adds Milky☆Subway Film and Seven Other Titles in May-June

Netflix announced on Tuesday that it will stream the re-edited film version of Yohei Kameyama's indie CG anime Milky☆Subway: The Galactic Limited Express in the U.S. starting June 1. The film, which opened in Japan on February 6 and earned over 151 million yen in its first three days, is a compilation of the 12-episode series with new content. It follows super human Chiharu (voiced by Momoka Terasawa) and cyborg Makina (Anna Nagase) who are sentenced to clean an interplanetary train as community service. Alongside this title, Netflix listed seven other anime beginning U.S. streaming in May and June: BLUE LOCK VS. U-20 JAPAN and My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 on May 25; Assassination Classroom Season 2, Shangri-La Frontier Season 2, One Piece: Whole Cake Island 6 and 7, and Akane-banashi on June 1. The Milky☆Subway film is a follow-up to Kameyama's 2022 short Milky☆Highway, which started as a graduation project and has accumulated over 8.7 million views on YouTube. Kameyama directed, wrote, produced, and handled character designs, modeling, and animation mostly alone. A new version with added scenes, titled Extra Service Milky☆Subway Local Train to the Theater, will screen in Japan starting June 12 in MX4D, 4DX, and 2D formats.

6d ago

Atsushi Abe on Farming Life in Another World 2: The Atmosphere Hasn't Changed

Voice actor Atsushi Abe and producer Hiromi Sueta discuss the second season of Farming Life in Another World in an interview. Abe notes the series' relaxed tone remains intact, while Hiraku faces new responsibilities as village chief and father. The cast has also grown, adding more character interactions.

May 18

CyberConnect2 Marks .hack//G.U. 20th Anniversary With New Art and Merchandise

CyberConnect2 announced the 20th anniversary of .hack//G.U. on May 18, releasing a new commemorative illustration by character designer Seiichiro Hosokawa featuring the Eight Phases. A 350x600mm multi-mat using the art is now on sale for 3,850 yen. A B1 panel display will appear at the CyberConnect2 Exhibition starting June 6, which also covers the new project .hack//Z.E.R.O.

May 18

Patlabor EZY Brings Back Isao Ota, Director Izubuchi Explains Decision

The new anime project "Mobile Police Patlabor EZY" has brought back the popular character Isao Ota, voiced by Chikao Ohtsuka, who made a surprise appearance at a stage greeting in Tokyo on May 16. Director Yutaka Izubuchi explained the decision, saying he wanted to bring the character out "in a delicious way." Ota is a veteran member of the former Special Vehicles Section 2 from the original OVA series. The stage greeting also featured cast members Sumire Uesaka, Kikunosuke Toya, and Chikahiro Kobayashi. Separately, a new one-shot manga by original creator Masami Yuki, titled "Patlabor 2026," was published in Weekly Spirits on May 18, marking the first new manga in the franchise in 32 years. The anime project consists of eight episodes split into three theatrical chapters. "File 1" opened on May 15, "File 2" is scheduled for August 14, and "File 3" for March 2027. The project has also received recommendation comments from 14 figures including Hideaki Anno, Sumito Owara, and Kenji Kawai.

May 17

Hiroya Oku's Gigant Manga Gets Theatrical Anime Film From K2 Pictures

K2 Pictures announced at the Cannes International Film Festival on May 17 that it will produce a theatrical anime film adaptation of Hiroya Oku's manga "GIGANT." The project is the company's first animated feature. Oku, known for "GANTZ" and "Inuyashiki," serialized the sci-fi seinen manga in Shogakukan's Big Comic Superior from December 2017 to September 2021. Shogakukan published the 10th and final compiled volume in December 2021. The manga has 1.2 million copies in circulation, according to MyAnimeList. Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the English release and published the final volume in December 2022. The story follows high schooler Rei Yokoyamada, who meets adult film star Papico. After a supernatural incident, Papico gains the ability to grow to giant size and fights future humans to protect Rei. The announcement was part of a larger slate of projects funded by the K2P Film Fund I, which closed in February after raising approximately 5 billion yen. Staff, cast, and animation studio for the film have not been announced.

May 17

Grand Blue Season 3 Heads to Palau for Summer 2026

The summer anime guide from ASCII.jp confirms Grand Blue Season 3 will air in July 2026, moving the college comedy to Palau. The teaser PV shows the usual Izu University crew causing trouble before the overseas trip. Director Shinji Takamatsu returns. The series also earned a spot on the 2026 list of 88 anime holy lands for its Ito City setting.

May 16

The Legend of Hei 2 Blu-ray and DVD Set for July 22 Release

The Legend of Hei 2 will launch on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan on July 22 across three editions. The Special Edition includes a Xiao Hei mini figure, while the Complete Limited Edition offers a newly drawn jacket, soundtrack, and Japanese dub script. The film, released in theaters in 2025, follows Xiao Hei two years after the first movie.

May 16

Yen Press Licenses 17 Manga and Novels for November 2026

Yen Press announced on May 15 that it has licensed 11 manga and six light novel series for release in November 2026. The manga slate includes "Moscow 2160," a near-future story by Kumo Kagyu with art by Kōtarō Sekine; "Love at the City's Edge on a Moonlit Night" by Sakuhiro, about an onmyoji and a demon; "Terrarium in a Drawer," a collection of 33 short stories by Ryōko Kui of "Delicious in Dungeon" fame; "He Was My Brother" by Minoru Matsuda; "egg: I'm Your Child" by Sino Torino; "After-School Duty" by Meiji and Gakuto Coda; "Contract Sisters" by Hijiki; "Izumi and the Dragon Encyclopedia" by Nagimiso; "My Girlfriend Is a Colossal Cutie" by sanorin; "Tale of the Wizrain Kingdom: The Dragon Is the Bride" by Hyōgo Amagasa and sugino; and "Witch and Hound" by Rainy Kamitsuki and Minori Tsukahara. The light novel licenses are "Argonaut: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Tales of Heroes" by Fujino Ōmori; "The Story of the Moon Waiting for the Evening" by Akumi Agitogi; "Valkyrie Bullet" by Yomu Mishima; "On the Way Home After Defeating the Demon King" by Ichiro Sakaki; "Rise of the Lowborn" by Kosaka Hanane; and "The Demon King Seems to Have Infiltrated the Hero's Party" by Kamaseinuesu. Yen Press also plans an audiobook for Keiichi Hikami's "Elden Ring"-themed novel "See You at That Site of Grace After Work."