Dengeki Hobby Web compiled the top 20 comic volumes in Amazon's Kindle manga bestseller ranking as of August 13, 2026. The latest chapters of "Konjiki no Gash!! 2" and "J⇔M" lead, joined by new volumes of "Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun" and "Black Lagoon." Sale titles include "Mamotte Shugogetten" and "Investor Z."
Happinet Phantom Studios announced that the film Backrooms will screen in 4DX, Dolby Cinema, and Dolby Atmos formats in Japan, with two new posters and a comment poster featuring praise from Christopher Nolan, Hideo Kojima, and Genki Kawamura. The film opens September 4 at TOHO Cinemas Hibiya and nationwide.
Riddle Kamimura released the 26th and final chapter of the Mikiri Kara Hajimeru Garyū Kenjutsu manga adaptation on August 8. The series, based on Hisumi's light novel, launched in Mag Garden's Mag Comi website in June 2023. Mag Garden published the fourth compiled volume in October 2025.
The open-world racing game JDM: Japanese Drift Master received a major update at the end of July, adding a multiplayer mode for up to eight players on Steam. The update also introduces a new side story campaign called Ayumi, along with various bug fixes and improvements.
The official website for the With Vengeance, Sincerely, Your Broken Saintess anime began streaming the second season's second teaser promotional video on Monday. The video confirms the returning cast from the first season, including Asami Seto as Rua. The season premieres on October 1 on TV Kanagawa, with Saya Fukase directing at IMAGICA Infos / Imageworks Studio.
NVIDIA canceled original Rubin Ultra development after CoWoS-L interposer warping made prototypes non-functional. The 180-layer CoWoS-L warped in multiple directions, causing dies and wiring to peel. NVIDIA shifted to calling a different configuration Rubin Ultra and introduced a stopgap NVL576 rack solution using eight NVL72 (V2) units.
Anime and manga accounts celebrated International Cat Day on August 8 with cat-themed art and messages. Participants included Cyberpunk 2077, Pragmata, Inherit the Winds, Black Torch, Akira Failing in Love, Kodansha, and Kojima Productions, among others.
Parco Games announced new August products for the Kojima Productions pop-up store in Shibuya, including a knit tote bag with the Ahiru-Ludens motif, a T-shirt with a new Ludens illustration by Yoji Shinkawa, and collaborations with Disk Union and BLOCKHEAD MOTORS. A special exhibition of Shinkawa's rough sketches and an RC car event are also planned.
km5 will launch the Instant Disc Audio Cp1 DEATH STRANDING 2 Model, a wireless CD player designed after the BB Pod, on August 1, 2026. The official collaboration with Kojima Productions will also be sold at the KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS × PARCO GAMES STRAND STORE at Shibuya PARCO. The model has special coloring, caution marks as accents, and a redesigned outer, plus a limited-design postcard.
Drone Show Japan held the first Ojamajo Doremi drone show on July 25, 2026, at Funabashi Racecourse Lawn Square. One thousand drones depicted the series' characters, transformation scenes, and a birthday cake for Doremi. The event also included a dance show, anime screening, and a high-five session.
The DJ unit JAMBORIDE, formed by BANVOX and SEKITOVA, is restarting after three years. The pair will play NIGHT HIKE 2026 in Makuhari on November 1, and will host a clubasia event in Shibuya on August 15 with tofubeats, Haraguchi Sasuke, valknee, and others. New music is in production.
The Japan Magazine Publishers Association reported on Wednesday that Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump averaged 985,000 certified print copies per quarter from April to June 2026, the first time the magazine has dropped below one million since the association began publishing audited figures in 2008. The decline means no print magazine in Japan now has a certified circulation above one million copies. Weekly Shonen Jump's print circulation has fallen steadily for at least 12 years, from 1,290,417 copies in April-June 2022, below two million in 2017, and below 1.5 million in late 2020. The magazine's record circulation was 6.53 million copies with the combined New Year 1995 issue, released in December 1994, when it serialized Dragon Ball and Slam Dunk. In the same quarter, Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine averaged 281,000 copies, Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday averaged 120,000, and Monthly CoroCoro Comic averaged approximately 213,000. The figures come as Japan's manga magazine market shrank by 12.7% in 2025, and the print market as a whole fell below one trillion yen for the first time since 1976.
Episode 5 of Draw This, Then Die! has the girls seeking parental permission to attend a manga event, which means talking to their parents about the manga club. Yasumi's conversation plays for comedy, while Fujimori's is the serious one, built on episode two's setup. Fujimori's manga expresses her feelings, and her mother agrees after reading it, though the review finds the confrontation resolves too easily. The episode also reveals Hikaru was held back a year and that her mother may be the manga artist Miss Teshima met when she was younger.
The fourth season of the Fate/Grand Order: Ritsuka Fujimaru Doesn't Get It anime shorts was announced at the FGO Fes. 2026 event. It launches August 7 within the Club Chaldea FGO Radio Station program at 9:00 p.m. JST, with new episodes every two weeks. The shorts adapt Tsuchida's slapstick comedy manga about humanity's last master Ritsuka Fujimaru.
Gosei Furukawa, author of My Life as Inukai-san's Dog, will launch a new romantic comedy manga titled Jūmonji-kun Shika Mienai!! in Kadokawa's Alive+ online magazine on August 23. The manga will debut with three chapters and centers on Asahi Nishizono, who meets her childhood friend Toya Jūmonji in high school.
Gaming Factory and Beep Japan released a large update for the open-world drift racing game JDM: Japanese Drift Master on July 30, 2026. The update adds multiplayer events to the PC (Steam) version, supporting online versus play for up to 8 players. Players can join from the open world or the main menu and compete in 15 race events across three categories: grip races, drift races, and 1-on-1 challenges. Examples include the drift event Haikama Lake Drift, Highway Grip, and Tofuna Downhill / Uphill 1vs1. The developers are preparing future support for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions. The update also adds a new side story campaign called Ayumi, available for free on all platforms. This campaign includes 8 events, told in manga format, and clearing all events rewards players with a vehicle exclusive to Ayumi. The update includes bug fixes and gameplay improvements across all platforms, such as adjustments to vehicle display and garage features, crash fixes, photo mode improvements, and open-world behavior adjustments. The PS5 version adds basic Fanatec steering wheel support and improved Japanese localization.
Kohei Horikoshi, the creator of My Hero Academia, is returning to Weekly Shonen Jump with a new one-shot manga titled Warawanaide yo, Shijima-san (Don't Laugh at Me, Shijima). The 61-page story is described as a "boy-meets-girl horror" manga and will appear in the magazine's combined 37th and 38th issue, which goes on sale in Japan on August 10. Shueisha released a color illustration of the story's protagonists alongside the announcement. The one-shot marks Horikoshi's first manga published in Weekly Shonen Jump since My Hero Academia concluded in August 2024 after a decade-long serialization. During the final arc of My Hero Academia, Horikoshi wrote that he had "a small desire to draw a horror manga," and after the series' final volume shipped in December 2024, he stated he planned to start a new manga "as soon as I possibly can." The same issue of Weekly Shonen Jump will also include a feature celebrating the 50th anniversary of Osamu Akimoto's KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops, with horror novelist Settsu supervising a special article and an illustrated card drawn by Akimoto as a bonus.
Developer D-CELL GAMES released Patch 2.2 for the rhythm adventure game UNBEATABLE on July 28, adding Japanese and Simplified Chinese language support to the PC version. The update also includes subtitle functionality for certain cutscenes and a free new song, NOT LOSING, for Arcade Mode. Simultaneously, the collaboration DLC The Jamie Paige Content Companion launched, featuring over 12 new songs co-produced with Vocaloid producer Jamie Paige, two playable characters including Jamie Paige himself, and two new stages. The DLC is priced at 1,200 yen. The game is set in a world where music is illegal; players control the protagonist Beat, forming a band and rebelling against authorities through story and rhythm gameplay. UNBEATABLE is available on PC via Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Japanese support for the PS5 and Xbox versions is delayed by a few days pending approval. The Nintendo Switch 2 digital version, originally planned for simultaneous release, has been postponed for performance improvements with no new date set. To mark the update, the Steam version is 30% off at 2,240 yen until August 4, and the PS5 version is 20% off until July 29.
Shueisha and Bandai Namco Entertainment's mobile game Jump+ Jumble Rush will end service on September 17, 2026. The game, a tower defense title featuring characters from Shonen Jump+ manga series, launched in September 2025 as part of the platform's 10th anniversary. In-game currency sales have already stopped.
DIG has announced two new entries in its DIGSTA PVC statue series. From the anime Bocchi the Rock!, Nijika Ijichi appears in a maid outfit based on her appearance during the Shuka Festival cultural festival episode. The figure stands approximately 175mm tall including the base, is priced at 12,100 yen including tax, and is scheduled for release in December 2026. A purchase bonus exclusive to the DIG official online store includes a replacement face part with an intimidating expression. Separately, Goro Majima from the game Like a Dragon 8 Gaiden: Pirates in Hawaii joins the series in pirate costume. That figure stands approximately 180mm tall including the base, is priced at 15,400 yen including tax, and also ships in December 2026. The DIG online store exclusive bonus for Majima is a Goro (Monochrome) Figure that can be swapped between two styles. Both statues are painted PVC, ABS, and acrylic resin finished products. DIG uses digital modeling to reproduce costume textures and details. Photos shown are of prototypes and may differ from the final product.
Kadokawa announced on Wednesday that Agri Uma's manga Studio Cabana will receive a television anime adaptation premiering in 2027. The announcement included a teaser visual and the main staff and cast. Shin'ichirō Ushijima, known for directing I Want to Eat Your Pancreas and UniteUp!, is directing the series at animation studio JUVENAGE. Sawako Hirabayashi, whose credits include Wolf Girl & Black Prince and Delicious Party♡Precure, is handling series composition. Haruka Sagawa, a character designer for Call of the Night and Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- seasons 3 and 4, is designing the characters. Sayumi Suzushiro, who voices Nijika Ijichi in Bocchi the Rock!, will reprise her role as protagonist Yukari Maki, a part she previously played in a 2022 promotional video for the manga. The staff did not announce the voice actor for the other main character, Yūsuke Kusaka, but released a character visual for him. The manga, which began serialization on Kadokawa's pixiv Sylph online magazine in June 2021, has eight compiled volumes as of November 2025, with a ninth volume scheduled for August 21. Yen Press has licensed the manga for English release, with the first volume arriving in winter 2027.
TOHO Movies has unveiled the first full trailer, teaser, cast, and character visuals for the new live-action Kaiji film, titled Kaiji: Jinsei Revenge Game. Tatsuya Fujiwara returns as Kaiji, with Kazuya Kamenashi, Mahiro Takasugi, Sara Minami, and Susumu Terajima joining the cast. The film opens in Japanese theaters on January 29.
A limited-time pop-up shop for the Ojamajo Doremi series, the Ojamajo Doremi Mado-Do Platt Market, has been announced. It will feature newly drawn illustrations from Motto! Ojamajo Doremi, goods from the Yuru Tabi YouTube series, and items from the Doremi Nyon social media shorts. Advance sales of four Yuru Tabi goods will be held at the Hoshimi Yagura Bon Odori Carnival!! event at Toei Uzumasa Eigamura on August 1, 2026.
KADOKAWA will have a booth at Fate/Grand Order Fes. 2026 Chaldea School Festival on August 1-2, 2026, at Makuhari Messe. The booth will sell advance items from 14 Fate-related works, including newly illustrated goods for Fate/Grand Order: Fujimaru Ritsuka Doesn't Get It, Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Silver Blue, and others. Venue-limited clear cards and purchase bonuses are also planned.
Nana Saejima held a release event July 5 at Sofmap AKIBA for her 3rd DVD Nikkan Sessha 2, the second installment of Takeshobo's close-up series. The 141-minute disc includes a reverse bunny maid outfit, a first for her. She also discussed a 4th DVD due August 10.
The manga adaptation of Shinkoshoto's light novel series The Strongest Sage With the Weakest Crest is ending with the 36th volume, which ships on September 11. The adaptation launched in 2017. The 35th volume shipped June 11, while the 21st novel volume shipped in June 2025. The series also had a 2022 anime adaptation.
Fujimi Model announced the 1/150 Train-NEXT Series, a new N scale plastic kit line with snap-fit assembly requiring no glue or paint. The first two releases are 2-car sets of the Enoden 1000 Series and Enoden 1100 Series, each using pre-colored molded parts and stickers for color separation. Bonus parts and compatibility with TOMYTEC railway model parts are included. Both kits are priced at 4,400 yen and release on October 28, 2026.
MARGINE has begun sales of 'The Story That Begins at the Akizuki Teahouse,' a historical town exploration mystery ARG set in the real Edo-period castle town of Akizuki in Fukuoka Prefecture. The work contains no negative elements and is described as a 'light ARG.' Players solve story-driven puzzles tracing over 400 years of history, feelings, and memories. A VTuber guide, Akizuki Miihi (CV: Mashima Hiyori), accompanies the experience. The ARG is recommended by the current head of the Akizuki domain and supported by local tourism associations. It is priced at 2,500 yen.
The 33rd issue of Weekly Shonen Jump sold out at bookstores and convenience stores across Japan after scalpers targeted its bonus One Piece Card Game promotional card, leaving many readers unable to purchase the magazine. Publisher Shueisha had increased the print run by 500,000 copies ahead of release in response to demand for the card, but the extra supply was quickly exhausted as resellers bought multiple copies. The shortage particularly frustrated fans of Blue Box, as the issue contained the manga's final chapter after a five-year serialization. While the chapter is available digitally, many readers wanted a physical copy as a keepsake. In an interview with Oricon, a university student admitted buying about 25 copies of the magazine within an hour, reselling the promotional cards for 800 to 1,000 yen each and earning roughly 18,000 yen in profit. When asked about the impact on other readers, he said, "You can read it digitally anyway. I understand why people want the physical copy, but I don't feel like I've done anything wrong." Convenience store employees described the release day rush as unusually intense, with one clerk telling Oricon that customers grabbed copies the moment they were placed on shelves, calling the atmosphere "a little scary."
TOKYO MX will broadcast the second One Piece theatrical film, "One Piece: The Adventure on Clockwork Island," on July 19, 2026, at 19:00. This marks the third consecutive summer the channel has aired a One Piece film, following 2024's "Straw Hat Chase" and 2025's first film. The 2001 film features the Straw Hats battling the Trump Pirates to reclaim the Going Merry.
Game Spark's weekly ranking of the most-read articles from July 3 to July 9, 2026, features three entries from the top five: a Dragon Quest XII development update, Hideo Kojima's comments on the end of PlayStation disc production, and a Battle Brothers content update. The list reflects reader interest in major franchise news and industry commentary.
Independent developer Renka announced the mystery visual novel 'Ren: Kujūshima Warabebuta Serial Murder Memorandum' for Steam on July 28, 2026. The game is set on an isolated island where a crime notice is given via a children's song and seven geniuses gather. It features classic locked room mysteries, astrology, and a puzzle of flesh and blood. Renka has released five games in 2026 so far.
Anime News Network published a five-part roundup of Tanabata greetings from across the anime, manga, and video game industries on July 7, 2026. The collection includes wishes and illustrations from official accounts for series such as Bungo Stray Dogs, Detective Conan, My Hero Academia, Sakamoto Days, Doraemon, Chibi Maruko-chan, Hell's Paradise, and Dragon Quest. Video game franchises like Final Fantasy, Monster Hunter, and Like a Dragon also participated, alongside creators including Hideo Kojima, Yuki Kaji, and Shoko Nakagawa. Several series tied their posts to new releases: the second season of Yoroi Shin Den Samurai Troopers premiered on July 7, My Happy Marriage released a special Tanabata illustration and announced a three-episode special for 2026, and My Stepmother and Stepsisters Aren't Wicked began airing on July 8. The roundup also features greetings from manga titles like Chiikawa, MARRIAGETOXIN, and Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, as well as from studios Tatsunoko Production and Square Enix.
Michi Iijima, the former manager of SMAP who helped build the group into a national idol phenomenon, has been appointed J-POP Executive Producer at HYBE JAPAN. She will continue her role at CULEN while working to create new entertainment originating from Japan. HYBE JAPAN cited her multi-talent model and content creation know-how as key to its Japan-specific strategy under HYBE 2.0. Iijima said she is convinced the future lies in fandom and will focus on fusing fandom with entertainment.
Hasegawa is reissuing the VR-747 Temjin Type a8 White Knight Order 1/100 scale plastic model kit to mark the 30th anniversary of Cyber Troopers Virtual-On. The kit, designed by Hajime Katoki, features four-color molded parts, a Sleipnir Mk.6/w weapon, and White Knight Order decals. It is priced at 5,280 yen and ships October 1, 2026.
The final two episodes of Hundred Scenes of AWAJIMA form a two-part story about Wakana's book on Emi Okabe and the tragedy at Awajima. The first part covers her research and writing, the second the aftermath of publication. The show maintains its quiet, bird's-eye view of the school, rarely focusing on theatrical performance. Wakana, a former student who became a writer, embodies the series' recurring theme that most alumni do not become actors. The penultimate episode explores journalistic ethics through the differing reactions of Emi's surviving family members.
Atomic Semi, the hardware startup co-founded by chip engineer Jim Keller and DIY fabricator Sam Zeloof, has changed its name to Fab2 and is building a facility in Texas that mass-produces small semiconductor manufacturing plants and their internal equipment. The company aims to produce prototype chips in hours using software-defined small fabs.
At an Anime Expo 2026 panel, the creators of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End revealed behind-the-scenes details of Season 2 and stated that Season 3 aims to surpass Season 2's quality. Director Tomoya Kitagawa, Chief Director Keiichiro Saito, Character Designer Keisuke Kojima, and Madhouse Producer Yuichiro Fukushi appeared before a packed audience.
The second season of the anime adaptation of Yūsei Matsui's The Elusive Samurai manga will premiere on July 13 on Fuji TV. The main promotional video previews the opening theme song "Onigoto" by Kento Nakajima. Returning staff include director Yuta Yamazaki and character designer Yasushi Nishiya at CloverWorks. Prime Video will stream the series.
Square Enix has released the digital version of Final Fantasy X-2.5 ~Eien no Daishou~, a novel by Kazushige Nojima that continues the story after Final Fantasy X-2. The book follows Yuna and Tidus on a new adventure in Spira and is available at e-book stores for 1,540 yen.
Square Enix Manga & Books announced eight new manga licenses and two Final Fantasy books during its Anime Expo panel on Thursday. The manga slate includes titles like Not Quite Love, My Classmate James, Inuta: My Canine Classmate, Daughter of the Dragon God, and Supervillain Boy, with releases starting January 2027.
Sony announced on July 1, 2026, that production of physical discs for new PlayStation games will end in January 2028. Social media users, including influencer KAMI and analyst Daniel Ahmad, noted that game creator Hideo Kojima posted in August 2021 about digital data no longer being personally owned, calling it a prediction. Others expressed sadness and nostalgia, with some recalling Microsoft's 2013 Xbox One policies.
Pony Canyon announced on Thursday that Kamitsuki Rainy's light novel series 'Witch and Hound' is being adapted into a television anime. The announcement came with a teaser promotional video, a teaser visual, and the reveal of the main staff. Takanori Tsujimoto is directing the anime at TriF Studio, with Okamoto serving as assistant director. Original creator Kamitsuki Rainy is handling series composition alongside Jun Tsukida, who is also writing scripts. Kengo Saito is designing the characters, and Yuki Hayashi is composing the music. The story follows Rollo, an assassin known as the 'Black Dog,' who is sent by his lord to recruit seven feared witches to defend the small nation of Campus Fellow from the invading Kingdom of Amelia. The light novel series, illustrated by LAM, launched in October 2020 under Shogakukan's Gagaga Bunko label and has six volumes as of December 2024. A manga adaptation by Minori Tsukahara ran from May 2023 to August 2025 and concluded with four volumes. Yen Press will release the manga's first English volume in November.
Good Smile Arts Shanghai is releasing a Nendoroid of Hideo Kojima, the creator of Metal Gear and Death Stranding. The figure stands about 100mm tall, includes three expression parts and optional accessories, and is available for pre-order on Amazon Japan at 6,500 yen with a December 31, 2026 release date.
The 2nd cour of the TV anime Daiya no A actII -Second Season- will air from October on TV Tokyo's 6-station network, AT-X, and others. A teaser visual shows Kazuya Miyuki and Narumiya Mei facing off as Seido High School clashes with Inashiro Industrial High School in the finals. GLAY performs the opening theme, OxT the ending.
In the fourth episode of Something Genuine season two, singer-songwriter Hana Hope opens up about growing up Japanese-American in Tokyo, how her bicultural identity shapes her songwriting, and the pressures of a professional music career. She also performs "Blue Hour," the opening theme for A Hundred Scenes of AWAJIMA, and reveals she will sing the ending theme for the upcoming series Goodbye, Lara.
Gaming Factory released 'The American Classics' DLC for JDM: Japanese Drift Master, adding six American-style vehicles with new engine sounds and handling. A free update also adds two Nissan 180SX models (1994 and 1996 Type X) for multiplayer and tuning. The game is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, with a 50% off Steam sale until July 10.
Nexile released Jump King Quest on PC on May 26, 2026. Developer Felix Wahlström discussed the game's origins as a prank prototype made in Scratch in 2018, its evolution into a full sequel with multiplayer and battle elements, and the team's diverse influences including Zelda, Metal Gear Solid, and Armored Core VI.
The television anime adaptation of Tadatoshi Fujimaki's manga Kill Blue will receive a second season. The announcement came immediately after the first season's 12th and final episode aired in Japan on Saturday. Fujimaki, best known for creating Kuroko's Basketball, drew a commemorative illustration to mark the news. The first season, directed by Hiro Kaburagi at studio CUE, premiered on April 11 on multiple TV Tokyo stations and began streaming the same day. The series follows legendary hitman Juzo Ogami, who after a mission is transformed into a 13-year-old boy and must infiltrate a middle school. South Korean girl group aespa performed the opening theme "ATTITUDE," and boy band RIIZE performed the ending theme "KILL SHOT." The manga ran in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump from April 2023 to September 2025, spanning 13 volumes. Viz Media publishes the series in English. Fujimaki is scheduled to attend Anime Expo 2026 next week for a panel and autograph session.
Bufff Inc. has been selected for Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry IP360 initiative, which aims to expand overseas sales of Japanese content to 20 trillion yen by 2033. The company will use the subsidy to develop JAMMM, an AI-powered casual game platform designed for non-engineers to create, play, share, and monetize games.