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Nabe
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Village Vanguard is running two separate limited-time collaboration merchandise pre-orders with VTubers, starting in late August 2026. The first, with active dairy farmer VTuber Petra Nightmare, opens August 21 at 10:00 JST and runs through September 8. The lineup, illustrated by Nabe, includes a double-sided cushion cover, a gadget pouch, mini character stands, sparkling stickers, acrylic keychains, a frosted mug, a t-shirt, a desk mat, can badges, and clear cards. Prices range from 660 yen for badges and cards to 5,500 yen for the cushion cover. Orders placed during the period are estimated to ship in mid-to-late October 2026. The second collaboration, with VTuber artist Unnämed, opened for pre-order on August 20 at 8:00 JST and runs through September 20. The theme is a librarian who guides visitors to books matching their tastes. Illustrator Scocasr drew the artwork. The product range includes acrylic figures, keychains, a tote bag, a long sleeve t-shirt, a cheki album, cheki-style cards, and backstage stickers, priced from 700 yen to 8,000 yen. Estimated delivery is mid-to-late November 2026. Both sales are exclusive to the Village Vanguard online store.
Aug 10
The staff for the live-action film based on Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura's Blue Lock soccer manga confirmed three more cast members on Monday, August 10. FANTASTICS member Yusei Yagi will play Rin Itoshi, Keisuke Watanabe will play Jyubei Aryu, and Omi Natsuki will play Aoshi Tokimitsu. Character visuals showing the actors in costume were released alongside the announcement. The film opened in Japan on August 7 and recorded 188,212 admissions and 277,648,800 yen (about $1.7 million USD) at the box office from August 7 to 9. Starting on August 21, the film will screen in MX4D, 4DX, and Dolby Cinema formats. Cheering screenings, where audiences are allowed to shout and interact with the film, will be held at five theaters in Hokkaido, Tokyo, Aichi, Osaka, and Fukuoka. The film is directed by Yusuke Taki, with a screenplay by Tetsuo Kamata. CREDEUS is producing, and TOHO is distributing. The cast includes Fumiya Takahashi as Yoichi Isagi, Kaito Sakurai as Meguru Bachira, and Masataka Kubota as Jinpachi Ego, among others.
Jul 23
Yellow Tanabe announced that her Kai-hen Wizards manga will resume in Weekly Shonen Sunday's 35th issue on July 29. The series went on hiatus on February 9. It previously paused in January 2025 and June 2025, returning each time within months. The manga launched in September 2024.
Jul 21
Otakon announced it will host cast and staff from the television anime of Kazuto Mihara's The World Is Dancing, the anime adaptation of Dr.Poro and Nabana Naba's The Vermillion Mask, and Orange's Trigun Stargaze. The guests will participate in panels at the convention, which runs from July 31 to August 2 in Washington, D.C.
Jul 11
The manga 'Nabe ni Dangan wo Ukenagara' has been announced for a TV anime adaptation, with J.C.Staff handling animation and a 2027 broadcast target. To coincide, Amazon is running a 50% off sale on Kindle volumes 1-4 and a 50% points back campaign. The series is a nonfiction gourmet report comic with a surreal premise.
Jul 4
The official website for the television anime adaptation of Haka Tokura's Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! light novel series released a new promotional video on July 4. The video and accompanying announcement revealed three additional cast members: Akeno Watanabe as Camilla, Masaaki Mizunaka as Chronos, and Wakana Kuramochi as Rita Heinkes. They join previously announced leads Reiji Kawashima as Wim Strauss and Hana Hishikawa as Heidemarie. Crunchyroll confirmed at its Anime Expo 2026 panel on July 3 that it will stream the series and also showed an English-subtitled version of the trailer. The anime is set to premiere in January 2027. It will air on Tokyo MX, MBS, BS11, and 17 other channels, and will also be available on Netflix. Hideki Okamoto is directing the series at J.C. Staff. Takao Yoshioka is handling series scripts, Yu Murakami is designing the characters, and Yuki Hayashi, Luke Standridge, and Asa Taylor are composing the music. Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the light novel and its manga adaptation for English release.
Jun 27
Tatsuya Watanabe, representative director and president of ROLEUP, participated in the PIVOT official channel &TALK program. The discussion covers structural reasons large corporations struggle to change, prescriptions for revitalizing the Japanese economy, and the role of a management strategist in supporting strategy and M&A execution.
Jun 27
Wataru Watanabe's Yowamushi Pedal character Onoda Sakamichi is on the cover of Tarzan issue 928, released June 25. The issue's theme is "10 minutes a week, all-purpose stretching." Inside, Watanabe discusses stretches for manga artists, celebrating the series' 100th volume.
Jun 25
The manga "Nabe ni Dangan wo Ukenagara" (also known as "Nabetama") is getting a television anime adaptation by studio J.C.Staff, with a planned debut in 2027. The announcement was made on June 25, 2026, via the manga's official X account, which also released a teaser visual. The series is written by Juntarō Aoki and illustrated by Shin Moriyama. It is described as a "non-fiction, chaos, hard gourmet report" comic following the protagonist Juntarō, a character who perceives all humans as beautiful girls due to excessive exposure to 2D media, as they travel to dangerous locations worldwide to sample unusual local dishes in pursuit of "50,000 points of deliciousness." The manga began serialization on Kadokawa's Comic Newtype web magazine in 2021, and Kadokawa has published five compiled volumes as of October 2024. It was listed among the top 20 manga for male readers in the 2023 edition of Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook. Aoki commented on the adaptation, calling it "one of the craziest Manga ever" and expressing anticipation for overseas reactions.
Jun 25
TV Asahi announced nine new regular cast members for its Thursday drama 'Dai Kūkō ~GATE24~,' starring Shuri, including Kaoru Okunuki, Sayaka Akimoto, Masaki Kaji, Shion Machida, Riku Kashima, Naoto Nishimura, Haru Tsubakihara, Seiichi Tanabe, and Mitsuru Fukikoshi. The series will also be distributed worldwide on Netflix. It premieres July 23.
Jun 24
Tomokazu Sugita will voice Ryuji Bito, an assassin chef who uses XO sauce, in the TV anime Iron Wok Jan! A new key visual and a PV featuring food critic Otani's commentary were also released. The ending theme is "Nakita Akuma" by emunimini. A special program and a collaboration menu are scheduled for July.
Jun 19
The live-action film "Osomatsu-san: Jinrui Kuzu-ka Keikaku!!!!!?" will host limited audio commentary screenings from June 26 to July 31, featuring Aぇ! group and Nishimura Takuya. New live footage of Watanabe Miho and Noguchi Iori performing a duet has also been released on YouTube for a limited time until July 12.
Jun 18
The stop-motion TV anime based on CHOCOLATE Inc.'s CG short Babies of Bread revealed its cast, composed mostly of comedians, in a new promotional video. The series premieres July 4 on KTV, Fuji TV, and affiliates. Haruka Ichikawa returns to direct, write, and plan at CHOCOLATE Inc. with dwarf studios.
Jun 16
A pre-release event for the new Keroro Gunsou film was held in Tokyo on June 16. Cast members Kumiko Watanabe, Etsuko Kozakura, ano, and Soshu discussed the film, the first theatrical entry in 16 years. Kozakura praised the death voice technique in the theme songs performed by ano and Soshu.
Jun 12
The cast of "Osomatsu-san: Jinrui Kuzuka Keikaku!!!!!?" appeared at a first-day stage greeting on June 12 at TOHO Cinemas Hibiya in Tokyo. The live-action film, based on the anime by Fujio Akatsuka, follows the sextuplet Matsuno brothers as they confront a world that has begun praising their lazy lifestyle. Members of Ae! group-Seimei Yoshinori, Masaki Sawa, Ken Kojima, and Masaya Sano-star alongside Takuya Nishimura, Miho Watanabe, Yusuke Onuki, Naenano, and Iori Noguchi. Director Taisuke Kawamura revealed that the choreographer said the sextuplet actors could handle the most difficult dance, so he requested maximum difficulty choreography, which the cast learned in two hours. The actors described the dance as more challenging than Ae! group's own songs and said it took a full day to film, like a music video. Koji Mukai of Snow Man, who played Osomatsu in the 2022 film, appears as "Old Osomatsu" and added ad-libs that raised the cast's morale. The film was postponed by about five months before its release.
Jun 4
The completion preview screening for the first new Keroro Gunsou theatrical film in 16 years took place on June 3 in Tokyo. Kumiko Watanabe, Jesse of SixTONES, ano, Shinobu Hasegawa, and Yuichi Fukuda attended. Jesse voiced original characters Aruru and Deruru, while ano performed the theme songs and voiced a role. The film opens nationwide on June 26.
Jun 1
A new clip from the sixth episode of Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World- season 4 shows Julius Euclius being hit with chopsticks. The scene is part of the Loss Arc, the first of two arcs that make up the 19-episode season. The Loss Arc began broadcast and streaming on April 8, 2026, and runs for 11 episodes. The Recapture Arc will follow with 8 episodes starting August 12, 2026. The season is directed by Masaharu Watanabe, with series composition by Masahiro Yokotani and character designs by Kyuta Sakai. Production is handled by White Fox. The opening theme is "Recollect" by Konomi Suzuki and Ashnikko, and the ending theme is "Ender Ember" by MYTH & ROID feat. TK (Ling tosite sigure). The clip was released by Crunchyroll, which streams the series. The season adapts the ongoing novels by Tappei Nagatsuki, which began in 2012.
May 30
The upcoming "New Theatrical Version ☆ Keroro Gunsō: Revival and Immediate Crisis of Earth's Destruction!" has announced seven new guest voice actors, including Keigo Sato (JO1), Yusei Yagi (FANTASTICS), Suzanne, Rina Watanabe (Hinatazaka46), Tomokazu Seki, Natsuki Hanae, and Koichi Yamadera. The film commemorates the anime's 20th anniversary and is the first new movie in 16 years, directed by Yuichi Fukuda. It opens nationwide on June 26.
May 30
A new anime short titled 'Narumi's Week at Work' will premiere this fall. The story, conceived by Kizuku Watanabe, follows Gen Narumi during his work week. Returning staff includes director Shigeyuki Miya, Production I.G, and voice actor Kōki Uchiyama as Narumi.
May 26
The official website for the Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. anime released the first promotional video for its second season on May 26, 2026, announcing a July 4 premiere on NTV in Japan. The video previews the ending theme song "BooooM!!!" performed by VTuber Marine Houshou. Two new cast members were revealed: Sayumi Watanabe joins as Iroha Akasaka, and Mariko Higashiuchi takes over the role of Hitomi Koshigaya, replacing Yumiri Hanamori, who stepped down. The season introduces several new staff members, including assistant director Hiroyasu Oda, sound director Yoshikazu Iwanami, and art director Shun Yoshii. Toshinori Fukushima directs the season at J.C.Staff, replacing first-season director Masahiro Hiraoka. Michiko Yokote handles series composition and scripts, while Masahiro Fujii returns as character designer and Makoto Miyazaki returns as composer. The first season aired from October to December 2024, and the manga by Sekka Iwata and Yu Aoki concluded in July 2025 with 160 chapters.
May 26
The official website for the new Sgt. Frog 20th anniversary anime film, Shin Gekijōban ☆ Keroro Gunsō Fukkatsu Shite Sokkō Chikyū Metsubō no Kiki de Arimasu!, announced seven additional guest voice cast members on Tuesday. The film opens in Japan on June 26. The new guest cast includes Tomokazu Seki as Warrior #7, Natsuki Hanae as an alien, Kōichi Yamadera as the Space Police Chief, JO1 member Keigo Satō and FANTASTICS member Yūsei Yagi as men in Shibuya, Suzanne as a Kumamoto announcer, and Hinatazaka46 member Rina Watanabe as a woman in Shibuya. Watanabe's role marks her first voice acting work. Jesse of the idol group SixTONES voices brothers Aruru and Deruru from planet Keron. Singer ano and comedian Soshina, who perform the opening theme song "Mata Kaettekita KERO! to MARCH," also appear as guest cast: ano plays a researcher robot, and Soshina plays a man in Shibuya. Yūichi Fukuda is supervising director and scriptwriter, with Fumitoshi Oizaki directing at Bandai Namco Pictures. A new Sgt. Frog television anime with a brand-new cast will debut in fall 2026.
May 17
Anime Expo announced it will host the first official North American screening of The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? on July 5. The convention also revealed guests including voice actors Masakazu Morita and Machico, and a Macross panel by BIGWEST on July 2.