Rock unit XASTAR, formed by V-singer MaiR and guitarist FKBC, launched a crowdfunding campaign on August 8 for their 2nd full album and 2nd one-man live. The target is 10 million yen, with 95% already collected. The live will be held at harevutai and streamed via Z-aN. The album is slated for spring 2027, featuring guest artists for the first time, starting with Asano Ruri.
The French manga 'Dreamland' by Reno Lemaire will be adapted into a television anime that will broadcast in Japan starting October 2026. The series will air on ABC TV and TV Asahi network stations nationwide as part of the ANiMAZiNG!!! block, every Saturday at 2:00 AM. The original manga, a shonen series heavily influenced by Japanese manga, has sold over 800,000 copies in France. The anime is produced by the French studio Ellipse & La Chouette Compagnie, with direction by Juan Pablo Machado and Joe Celse. The Japanese broadcast will be a fully localized version with Japanese voice actors. A key visual and the official Japanese website have been released. Author Reno Lemaire expressed his surprise and honor that the work is reaching Japan, while the directors noted they grew up watching Japanese anime.
Cygames released a new "Umamusume Pretty Derby" commercial featuring jockeys Yutaka Take and Christophe Lemaire. The "Rich Flavor" edition is themed around ramen, tying into the new training scenario. Lemaire sings a homage to the 1992 Sharan Q song "Ramen Daisuki Koike-san no Uta" in the ad. A second CM with Uma Musume characters also launched.
The fourth series of Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun, airing two consecutive cours on NHK E-Tele since April, released its second main PV and visual. The visual shows the team Devimus-Irumi, Kuromu, Rindy, and Merry-opposite the akudol Garry. Yuma Uchida, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, and Misato Matsuoka join the cast as Leviathan Reiji, Belial Berry Raspberry, and Garry respectively.
Voice actor and ADR assistant director Ben Stegmair appeared on the podcast Something Genuine Season 2, Episode 2. He discussed his early focus on voice acting, the mentors who shaped his career, and his role as Yuru in Daemons of the Shadow Realm. Stegmair also shared his Mt. Rushmore of manga and his ambition to create original comics.
The anime adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa's manga Daemons of the Shadow Realm (Yomi no Tsugai) has released its first preview for the 9th episode, which airs on May 30, 2026. The series debuted on April 4, 2026, and streams on Crunchyroll. The manga, which began in 2021, has over three million copies in circulation. The anime is directed by Masahiro Ando with scripts by Noboru Takagi, character designs by Nobuhiro Arai, and animation production by Bones Film. The Japanese cast includes Kensho Ono as Yuru, Yume Miyamoto as Asa, Yuichi Nakamura as Dera, and others. The opening theme is "Tobu Toki" by Vandy, and the ending theme is "Tobo Yo" by yama. In a separate interview, English dub voice actors Ben Stegmair (Yuru) and Molly Zhang (Asa) discussed their approaches to the roles, with Stegmair noting he plays three distinct versions of Yuru and Zhang describing how she used a different voice for the fake Asa.