← all stories
Flower
2h ago
Konami Digital Entertainment's music label beatnation Records opened the Artist page on its official website on July 29, introducing each of its seven artists. The page profiles label founder dj TAKA, DJ YOSHITAKA (also known as Yoshitaka Nishimura, president of Konami Amusement), Ryu☆, kors k, Sota Fujimori, L.E.D., and Nekomata Master. Alongside the page launch, the label released two official music videos for representative songs by each artist on the official BEMANI YouTube channel. The videos include popular tracks such as DJ YOSHITAKA's 'FLOWER,' kors k's 'smooooch・∀・,' Ryu☆'s 'Second Heaven,' and L.E.D.'s '†Nagisa no Koakuma Lovely~Radio†.' beatnation Records is an in-house KONAMI label that distributes music and video content by artists who primarily produce songs for the beatmania IIDX series. The label was founded in 2006 by composer dj TAKA, revived on March 22 this year with the launch of its official X account, and its 20th anniversary site opened on June 1. The Artist page launch follows the anniversary site's opening, continuing the label's 20th anniversary celebration.
Jul 19
The Flower and Asura manga, written by Sound! Euphonium author Ayano Takeda and illustrated by Musshu, will end in the next issue of Ultra Jump on August 19. The series began in June 2021 and has 10 volumes. Its anime adaptation aired in January 2025. The story follows Hana, a high school girl on a small island, who joins the Broadcasting Club.
Jul 11
Anime Feminist's review of GROW UP SHOW -Sunflower Circus- episode 1 notes contradictions between its 1950s setting and modern character designs, a lack of acrobatic spectacle, and a solid but unremarkable dub. The premiere introduces Mizuka Tsurumaki, a girl sold into a circus for orphaned girls, and features a unique visual representation of face-blindness anxiety.
Jul 5
Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi has joined the cast of the original anime Grow Up Show: Sunflower Circus as Black Lotus, the father of protagonist Mizuka and former leader of the Lotus Circus. The series debuted on July 4 on Tokyo MX, BS11, and other channels, with Crunchyroll streaming it and an English dub.
Jul 3
Yen Press announced six manga and two novel licenses during its Anime Expo panel on Friday, including Planarian Humans, Takane-san and Arashi-chan, Zeta Gundam Define, The Chef of the Adventurers' Tavern, A Flower in Black Crude Clothes, and The 11th Cat Is Nene!.
Jul 3
ABEMA has announced five moving anime for free streaming in conjunction with Tears Day on July 3, 2026. The lineup includes Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, CLANNAD, Angel Beats!, Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World, and Crayon Shin-chan. Each work is selected for its emotional impact.
Jul 3
Aniplex of America revealed the English dub cast and a same-day English dub for Grow Up Show -Sunflower Circus- during its Anime Expo panel on Thursday. The anime premieres July 4 in Japan and streams on Crunchyroll as it airs.
Jun 15
Viz Media's SuBLime imprint has licensed two new boys-love manga for English digital and physical release in early 2027: Mayuharu's Bursting with Love and Fumi Tsuyuhisa's Palace of the Omega: A Snowflower's Tale. Volume 1 of Bursting with Love arrives April 13, 2027; Palace of the Omega: A Snowflower's Tale volume 1 releases February 9, 2027.
Jun 13
The original anime Grow Up Show: Sunflower Circus Troupe (Grow Up Show: Himawari no Circus-dan) will premiere on July 4 at 24:00 on Tokyo MX, BS11, and other channels, effectively July 5 at midnight. Aniplex, A-1 Pictures, and Psyde Kick Studio released a new main visual and two television commercials on Saturday that preview the opening theme song "Yurari Yureru" by NOMELON NOLEMON and the ending theme song "DAYS!" by Aooo. The series is set in the late 1950s to early 1960s, during Japan's economic boom when traveling circuses were a major form of entertainment. The story follows the Sunflower Circus troupe, led by ringmaster Maria, as they travel Japan despite financial struggles. Their fortunes change when circus prodigy Mizuka Tsurumaki arrives under mysterious circumstances. Tomoka Noda voices Mizuka, and Shiori Kurosaki plays Oka Kawasumi. Kanta Kamei directs, Kurehito Misaki provides original character designs, and Takeshi Kikuchi writes and oversees the series scripts. A-1 Pictures and Psyde Kick Studio are producing. The anime will stream first on ABEMA and d Anime Store in Japan before other platforms.
Jun 9
King Records is streaming all 13 episodes of the 2013 TV anime The Flowers of Evil for free on the KING AMUSEMENT CREATIVE YouTube channel until July 6. The anime, based on Shuzo Oshimi's manga, was the first Japanese TV series to use full rotoscope animation, a technique that traces live-action footage frame by frame.
May 31
Anime Feminist published a series review of "The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity" on March 6, 2026, praising the anime for its realistic handling of socioeconomic assumptions and teenage romance. The review highlights the central dynamic between Rintaro, a Chidori High student with a gentle heart and a punkish appearance, and Kaoruko, a scholarship student from the elite Kikyo Academy. The series explores how the two characters and their friends dismantle stereotypes about delinquent boys and high-class girls, building a relationship that develops naturally over the course of the show. The review also notes the presence of many women on the production staff, including director Miyuki Kuroki, series composer Rino Yamazaki, scriptwriter Honoka Kato, and art director Asuka Koki, many of whom previously worked together on "Akebi's Sailor Uniform" or "Spy x Family." The reviewer's only criticism is that the anime ends at the start of the romantic relationship, while the ongoing manga continues with twenty-two volumes. The review recommends the series for its grounded storytelling and thematic depth.
May 30
The original anime "Grow Up Show: The Sunflower Circus Troupe" has released a set of character trailers. The promos focus on the acrobat twins Aoi and Akane Yura, illusionist Imari Ogano, acrobat Isuzu Ikazuchi, flyer Oka Kawasumi, and protagonist Mizuka Tsurumaki. The series is set in 1950s Japan, during the economic boom, when circus troupes travel the country competing for a spot in the "Circus Collection" festival. The story follows Mizuka, a circus prodigy who joins the financially struggling Himawari Circus, led by ringmaster Maria. Kanta Kamei, director of the "Saekano" series, is directing the anime. Takeshi Kikuchi is the series composer and scriptwriter, and Kurehito Misaki is the original character designer. The animation is produced by A-1 Pictures and its Psyde Kick Studio label. The cast includes Tomoka Noda as Mizuka, Rie Kugimiya as Maria, and Shiori Kurosaki as Oka Kawasumi. The anime was announced in July 2025 and is set to premiere in July 2026.
May 22
Kadokawa announced on Friday that Tōru Himuka's manga The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom is being adapted into a television anime. Koichiro Kuroda, an episode director on Detective Conan and Yowamushi Pedal New Generation, is directing the series at Studio Elle. Risa Mizuno, writing under the pen name Aki Mizuki, is handling series scripts. Akira Ono is designing the characters, Hozumi Gōda is directing sound, and Shiho Terada is composing the music with Highway Star producing. The main cast includes Rina Hidaka as Koyō, Takeo Ōtsuka as Keiun, Taito Ban as Shingdam, and Shōya Chiba as Shiei. A teaser trailer has been released, but no premiere date has been set. The manga began serialization in Kadokawa's Asuka magazine in 2018 and has 15 volumes as of May 2026. Seven Seas Entertainment publishes the English edition, which describes the story as a Chinese-style imperial medical fantasy about a young doctor and a crown prince confronting conspiracy and tradition.
May 16
Kodansha named the winners of its 50th Manga Awards on May 11, 2026. Gachiakuta, written and drawn by Kei Urana with graffiti art by Hideyoshi Andou, took the Shonen category. The series beat fellow finalists Ichi the Witch, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity, and Utsuranain desu. Urana posted on X that she never expected the honor and would keep working at full speed. The prize includes two million yen, a certificate, and a bronze statue. In the Shojo category, Gin Shirakawa's Re-Living My Life with a Boyfriend Who Doesn't Remember Me won. The manga adapts Eiko Mutsuhana's light novel Return from Death, with original illustrations by Yugiri Aika. Shun Umezawa's The Darwin Incident won the General category after being a finalist in two previous years. The series follows Charlie, a half-human half-chimpanzee raised by human parents, who is pulled into an eco-terrorist plot. Judges for the 50th awards included Hiro Mashima, Hikaru Nakamura, and Natsumi Ando.