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Kano
1h ago
Singer Kano, known for anime theme songs, has joined the VTuber agency Million Production under the name Kano Mahoro. The announcement was made on August 16, 2026, and includes her participation in the newly established in-house group Milpro SONA. Kano Mahoro is one of three initial members, alongside Otono Nono and Akubi Demonspeed. The group emphasizes individual artistry over group activities, with a focus on music and personal expression. Her first stream as a member is scheduled for August 22, 2026, at 8 PM JST. Kano, who began as a cover song poster on Nico Nico Douga in 2010, made her major debut in 2015 with the single 'Stella-rium,' which served as the opening theme for the anime 'Sora no Method.' She has also performed theme songs for 'Azur Lane' and other series. Since 2019, she has pursued VTuber activities under both names. She left her previous agency, Inkstoenter, in July 2026. Million Production, founded in 2023, now has 11 talents and over 5 million cumulative YouTube subscribers.
6d ago
Eiko Kano's commentary version of Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion began streaming exclusively on TVer on August 10 at 7 PM. The four-episode release commemorates the August 28 premiere of Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Walpurgisnacht: Rising. Kano's earlier commentary on the TV edition drew roughly 3.62 million total views.
Aug 5
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.
Jul 23
AVIOT and Pierre Nakano's PNK brand release their first wireless speaker, the WS-Q1PNK, on July 31, 2026. Pre-orders begin July 22. The compact speaker features Nakano's sound tuning, an IP67 dust and water resistance rating, 20-hour battery life, and has already won the VGP2026 SUMMER Planning Prize.
Jul 20
Shogakukan's shoujo manga magazine Cheese! will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a limited-time collaboration café at Cafe Lish in Tokyo from July 24 to September 15, 2026. The menu features seven food, dessert, and drink items inspired by series including Pintokona, Kanojo wa Uso o Aishisugiteru, and Coffee & Vanilla. Each order comes with a random novelty item.
Jul 17
Comedian and streamer Eiko Kano announced he will stream Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! for the first time at 9 PM on July 17. He was told it is a romance game. His confusion over the opening warning message is already generating buzz on X. Kano's YouTube channel has 2.96 million subscribers.
Jul 15
Manga creator Nyoijizai, known for Harukana Receive, launched a new series on Kadokawa's Dra Dra Sharp# magazine. The story follows newlyweds Yuto and Asuka, a professional volleyball player and team captain who agrees to abstain from sex until a tournament ends. The series began last Saturday, shortly after Nyoijizai ended Cinderella Athletes in February.
Jul 13
T.M.Revolution's one-shot performance of 'HOT LIMIT' on THE FIRST TAKE has reached 10 million views since its July 10 release. The video features Takanori Nishikawa in the iconic 'HOT LIMIT Suit,' showing his physique and vocal power. It is his first appearance on the channel in two years and his third overall. The 1998 midsummer anthem has sparked widespread discussion online.
Jul 13
Kodansha released the gravure mook 'FRIDAY GOLD 2026 Summer' on July 13, featuring talent and YouTuber Shinonome Umi on the cover and opening pages. The issue includes 30 pages of new photos of Umi, a selection of gravure photos from other talents including voice actress Kanon Shizaki, and a 100-minute making DVD. The mook is priced at 1,300 yen.
Jul 12
Takanori Kikuchi, a former executive at GungHo Online Entertainment, was arrested by Tokyo police on suspicion of breach of trust for allegedly embezzling about 246 million yen through fictitious business orders. He has admitted to the charges. GungHo had filed criminal charges in October 2025 but kept the matter quiet during the investigation.
Jul 10
Hideaki Nakano, who storyboarded and directed episodes in Wistoria: Wand and Sword season one, was promoted to director for season two after chief director Tatsuya Yoshihara became too busy. Nakano focused on maintaining consistent quality across the season, personally reworking layouts on episode 21 and using art boards to control mood and coloring. He cited Takahiro Ōmori's precise layouts as an influence.
Jul 10
GAN (Takanori Iwata) released the single "Who's Next / RISE NOW" on July 1, 2026. The song "RISE NOW" is the tie-up CM song for Lenovo, official technology partner of the FIFA World Cup 2026. YONDE produced a TikTok game effect called "⚽ Language Challenge" that uses voice recognition to have users pronounce "soccer" in various languages to advance a soccer ball toward a goal. Users can record and post their gameplay.
Jul 9
Takanori Nishikawa (T.M.Revolution) is set to appear on THE FIRST TAKE, with a teaser image showing an outfit that fans immediately associate with a specific famous song. Nishikawa humorously claimed he cannot reveal what he sang, but the outfit sparked confident guesses. His previous appearances on the channel included 'FREEDOM' and 'WHITE BREATH.' The episode premieres July 10 at 10 PM JST.
Jul 6
Toei announced on July 6 that it will stream all 49 episodes of the 1996-1997 TV anime Hell Teacher Nube for free on its Toei Animation Museum Channel on YouTube, starting July 20 with 8 episodes released weekly. The free streaming celebrates the anime's 30th anniversary. A new anime adaptation aired in summer 2025.
Jul 2
The official website for Mebius Dust revealed five new cast members on Thursday. Kanon Amane, Kenshō Uesugi, Shōta Hayama, Kō Bonkobara, and Genta Nakamura join the series as members of the dangerous group Diabolic Ghost. The anime, an original TV anime by Dōga Kōbō based on Hajime Shinagawa's story, premieres July 9 on Tokyo MX and BS Fuji and streams on Crunchyroll.
Jul 2
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.
Jun 28
ILLUMINATION announced a 20% discount on VR Kanojo for the Steam Summer Sale, dropping the price from 6,200 yen to 4,960 yen. The sale runs June 26 to July 10, 2026. The game's VRM Heroine Function lets players load custom VRM models as heroines.
Jun 27
Visual Arts is holding a Steam Summer Sale 2026 promotion on 17 titles from its Key brand, including 'Kanon', 'AIR', 'CLANNAD', 'Little Busters!', and 'Summer Pockets', with discounts up to 65% off. The sale runs until July 10.
Jun 24
The August issue of Cheese! magazine, released June 24, includes a 4-piece reproduction original art set as a supplement for two consecutive issues. The set features art from Bokutachi wa Shitte Shimatta, Kanojo wa Uso o Ai Shisugiteru, Tsumi ni Nureta Futari, and 5-ji kara 9-ji made. The September issue will include a second set.
Jun 23
The manga adaptation of Heiseiowari's The Kind Adventurer and the Reincarnated Girl is listed to end with its fourth volume, scheduled for release on August 10. The series launched in December 2024 and will conclude after less than two years. The original novel series continues, with its third volume released digitally in June 2025.
Jun 11
The television anime adaptation of Jura's manga Kanojo no Tomodachi has announced its cast, staff, and an October 2026 premiere date. Ryūga Nagai, Sayahana Hanemurasaki, and Miki Hase lead the cast. Takashi Andō directs at Quad, with WWWave Corporation's Deregula label producing.
Jun 5
Takanori Higuchi, who played Kaoru Kino/Another Agito in Kamen Rider Agito, announced on June 5 via X that he has joined PLAN-D, the agency headed by co-star Jun Kaname. Higuchi recently reprised his role in the anniversary film Agito: Supernatural War, released April 29.
May 29
Shueisha will acquire all shares of Arch PR Co., Ltd. by March 31, 2026, making it a subsidiary, and rename it Shueisha MANGA-pr Co., Ltd. on April 13, 2026. The new company aims to combine Shueisha's content with social media to strengthen reader engagement and expand global recognition. Arch PR was established in 2020 as a subsidiary of Arch Co., Ltd., an IP and animation production company involved in projects including the theatrical anime Promare and the Jujutsu Kaisen Domain Expansion campaign. The new company's representatives are Takanori Asada and Karon Yoshida.
May 28
The July issue of Kadokawa's Comic Alive magazine announced that Yu Hibari's light novel Kokō na Kanojo to, Kanojo no Heya de Shiteru Koto is getting a manga adaptation by Mugiko. The manga will launch in the magazine's next issue on June 27. The story follows opposites Kotori Nabata and Takumi Hashio, who share a secret routine.
May 28
The July issue of Ichijinsha's Comic Rex magazine announced that pastime774 will launch a manga adaptation of Kei Takano's light novel series Dōtei Dakedo Akuyaku Kizoku ni Tensei Shita no de Harem o Tsukuru Isekai. The manga begins serialization in the magazine's next issue on June 26.