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A BANANA FISH pop up shop themed 'That Summer.' runs August 28 to September 6 at the SHIBUYA109 Shibuya Store. The event sells original goods with artwork evoking the season Ash and Eiji shared, plus purchase-based gifts. A simultaneous mail order runs on the Kadostore EC site with shipping scheduled for December.
Fuji TV will air the sixth series of Emergency Room 24 Hours in the Monday 9 slot starting October 12. Yosuke Eguchi and Nanako Matsushima reprise their roles as Issei Shindo and Kaede Kojima, marking their first co-starring appearance in about 16 years. Fans flooded social media with excitement, and many are hoping DREAMS COME TRUE returns for the theme song.
Amazon Prime Video announced that Yugo Aosaki's Jirai Glico novel is getting a live-action adaptation titled Rock Paper Landmine. The series streams worldwide on the service starting November 13. Nana Mori stars as Mato Imoriya, Aju Makita plays Kazahi Koda, and Kazuaki Seki directs. The Seven produces.
NBC Universal revealed two new cast members for the television anime of Otsuji's My Stepmother and Stepsisters Aren't Wicked manga on Monday. Hiroki Nanami plays student council president Sadame Mikuriya, and Nao Toyama plays vice-president Hachi Ura. The characters appear in the anime's eighth episode on August 26.
The second 'NANA' x Godiva collaboration, the 'Godiva x NANA Collection,' will launch on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at Godiva shops nationwide and online, with limited quantities and a limited sales period through Saturday, October 31. Ai Yazawa drew new artwork for the collaboration showing Nana holding the heart-shaped chocolate 'Cool,' Hachi enjoying a Chocolixir, and the Black Stones members in a mature mood. The lineup includes an assortment with printed chocolates and rose- and heart-shaped pieces, G Chocolat in a heart-shaped tin, a gift bag, and a Mixed Berry Cake Chocolixir with a tumbler set. Prices range from 275 yen for the Gift Bag S to 4,400 yen for the Chocolixir & Tumbler Set. A cup ice cream cooler bag set follows on Monday, October 5, and a sticker giveaway campaign starts September 16. The collaboration marks Godiva's 100th anniversary season, and the eight chocolate types are named after characters such as Nana, Hachi, and Black Stones members.
Lefto Studio and publisher TARK revealed the full version content of BOMBANANA!, a three-player cooperative bomb defusal game, on August 27. The game stars the three monkeys See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and Speak No Evil, each with asymmetric access to information. See No Evil can touch the bomb but cannot see wire colors or module symbols. Speak No Evil reads the defusal manual but communicates only through gestures and emotes. Hear No Evil cannot hear the others but sees the bomb and the other players, acting as a bridge. The demo drew about 6 million unique users during Steam Next Fest June 2026, making it the most played title at the event and the second most played demo across Steam from June to July 2026, with over 1 million wishlist registrations. The full version, launching on Steam on September 2, adds three modes: Campaign with 30 stages, Endless with procedurally generated waves, and Custom for designing bombs. It also introduces 14 new modules, including three Chaos Modules that keep See No Evil busy, environmental gimmicks like power outages, unlocked emotes and hand gestures for all monkeys, and a new slap feature. An airplane stage is planned at launch, with others in development.
The second season of the television anime based on Nana Mikoshiba's The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World light novel series will premiere on TBS on October 8 at 1:23 a.m., followed by an October 9 airing at 11:00 p.m. The announcement came from the anime's official website on Thursday, which also revealed the theme song performers and a new key visual. Sizuk will perform the opening theme "Diamond Dust," and Maaya Uchida will perform the ending theme "Compression:[". Both artists previously contributed theme songs to the first season. Crunchyroll will stream the anime as it airs. Masahiro Takata returns to direct, write, and oversee scripts, and serve as sound director. Zero-G is now animating the series, replacing Cloud Hearts, which animated the first season. Mariko Kawamoto takes over as character designer from Makoto Shimojima. The returning cast includes Junya Enoki as Ray White, Iori Saeki as Amelia Ros, Akira Sekine as Ariane Olgren, and others. Miyu Kubota will voice Elisa Griffith, replacing Nana Harumura, who retired from voice acting in January due to health reasons. The first season premiered in January 2023.
Midori Games released a demo of the retro-style turn-based strategy simulation Banana Kingdom on Steam on August 16. The full early access version launches August 31, priced at 530 yen with a 20 percent launch discount. The demo includes about 25 maps and a restricted map editor, with saves carrying over.
A Banana Fish pop up shop titled "That Summer." runs August 28 to September 6 at SHIBUYA109 Shibuya store's 8th floor DISP!!! space. The event sells 20 original goods items using original artwork, priced from 400 to 5,000 yen, with a simultaneous mail order via Kadokawa's Kadostore. The theme references "1985 Cape cod."
Banana Tiger Studio launched Stonewards into early access on Steam on August 12. The first-person roguelite action game supports solo and up to 4-player co-op, mixing wave defense with procedurally generated mining. It holds a Very Positive rating from about 260 reviews, with 96% positive. The demo at Steam Next Fest in June was well received, and wishlists surpassed 100,000 before release.
Publisher TARK and developer Lefto Studio announced on August 12 that the three-player co-op bomb defusal game BOMBANANA! will launch on Steam on September 2. The release time is not yet fixed, so it may become available in the early morning of September 3 Japan time. The game is built around the three wise monkeys motif: the blind monkey can touch the bomb but cannot see visual information, the mute monkey holds the defusal manual but cannot speak or use chat, and the deaf monkey can see everything but cannot hear. Players must build a communication chain through gestures and body language to defuse bombs before the timer runs out. The demo, released during Steam Next Fest June 2026, has been played by over 6 million people and added to more than 1 million wishlists. It also holds an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam from over 5,000 reviews. The full game will include a free mode where players can design their own bombs. The price is undecided, and the game will support 15 languages including Japanese.
Manga creator Ryuta Amazume announced on August 6 that they have been diagnosed with cancer. Amazume will undergo treatment and aim for a complete recovery, but will pause commercial manga serialization for a while. The announcement follows the recent conclusion of their Sefure series.
Lefto Studio's three-player cooperative bomb defusal game BOMBANANA! has surpassed 6 million players and 900,000 wishlists before release. The Turkish developer, surprised by the response, has partnered with a local publisher and expanded its team. The game is planned for an August 2026 release.
Shueisha announced on Thursday the launch of Manga Million, a global digital manga platform offering over one million pages of translated manga from approximately 400 titles in more than 100 languages. The service is available worldwide for a limited time, free of charge and without registration. The launch lineup includes One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Jujutsu Kaisen, Kingdom, Oshi no Ko, Spy x Family, Chainsaw Man, Nana, and Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, among others. More than 150 of the titles are shojo manga. According to Shueisha, nearly 300 titles are receiving their first-ever translations, and 50 works have been translated into multiple languages. The platform also includes special chapters and one-shots, such as Tatsuki Fujimoto's Look Back. Shueisha confirmed to Anime News Network that AI translation was not used for the project. The initiative is part of Shueisha's 100th anniversary celebration. Shuhei Hosono, Editor-in-Chief of Manga Plus by Shueisha, initiated the project, which was developed across Shueisha's editorial divisions with support from international licensing partners.
The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World season 2 will debut in October on TBS and BS11. The staff revealed new cast members, including Miyu Kubota as Elisa Griffith, replacing Nana Harumura, who retired in January. Masahiro Takata returns to direct, and Zero-G now animates the series.
Google rolled back the Nano Banana 2 image generation feature in Google Earth on July 31, 2026, roughly one day after its launch, following rapid criticism that it could create convincing fake satellite images of disasters and military facilities. The feature, announced on July 30, let web version users select a location, enter text, and generate images based on satellite photos, aerial imagery, and 3D data. Google pitched it for history education, real estate development, and urban planning, including restoring Pompeii to its Roman-era appearance. Within hours, investigative reporter Henk van Es of Digital Digging generated images of refugees near the Mexican border, Iran's nuclear facilities, a fatal accident in Amsterdam, and bomb damage at a Gaza hospital. NPR produced images of Iranian oil facilities on fire and the U.S. Capitol flooded. Google said the generated images carried the SynthID watermark and were not shown in the main Google Earth view, but screenshots shared without context could pass as real satellite imagery. The company suspended the feature until stronger safety measures are implemented, calling it a temporary rollback rather than a permanent removal. Google has not said when it will return or what the new guardrails will be.
Anime Limited has licensed the Banana Fish television anime for release in the United Kingdom, North America, and France. The company plans a Blu-ray Disc release in early 2027. Netflix will stream the series in select regions starting August 12, including English and French dubs. The anime previously streamed on Amazon Prime Video, which briefly added AI-generated dubs before removing them. Hiroko Utsumi directed the series at MAPPA.
Belgian chocolate brand Godiva and Ai Yazawa's manga "NANA" are releasing the first wave of their "Godiva × NANA Collection" on August 7, 2026. The collaboration includes two limited-edition Chocolixir drinks inspired by the manga's dual protagonists. The Dark Chocolate Cherry Chocolixir represents Nana Osaki, combining bittersweet dark chocolate with cherry sauce and chocolate whipped cream. The Milk Chocolate Strawberry Chocolixir represents Nana Komatsu (Hachi), pairing milk chocolate with strawberry jelly, whipped cream, and heart-shaped marshmallows. Each drink comes with a character-specific sticker sleeve. A Chocolixir & Tumbler Set priced at 4,400 yen includes one selectable drink and an original tumbler featuring the cover art of manga Volume 2. A Cup Ice Cream Cool Bag & Tote Bag Set includes four flavors of Godiva cup ice cream, a cool bag, and a tote bag, priced at 2,700 yen in stores and 3,564 yen online. The first wave items are available while stocks last at Godiva shops nationwide, Godiva cafés, and the Godiva Online Shop. A second wave featuring chocolate collections with Yazawa's illustrations is planned for around autumn.
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 color contact lens brand Urumia has announced a collaboration with manga artist Ai Yazawa, releasing a line of five daily disposable lenses inspired by heroines from four of her classic manga series. The Urumia x Ai Yazawa Heroine Collection draws from NANA, Gokinjo Monogatari, Tenshi Nanka ja Nai, and Paradise Kiss. Each lens design corresponds to a specific character: Nana Osaki (Veil Black), Nana Komatsu (Drop Pink), Mikako Kouda (Dolly Brown), Midori Sajima (Glow Olive), and Yukari Hayasaka (Muse Blue). The lenses are priced at 1,870 yen per box of 10 and will be available for reservation on the Urumia official online shop starting July 29, 2026 at 20:00 JST, with shipping beginning in late August. Pop-up stores will be held at Laforet Harajuku in Tokyo from August 19 to 31 and at Shinsaibashi PARCO in Osaka from September 5 to 13. Purchase bonuses include a membership card with any purchase, a compact mirror for five boxes, and a jewelry bag for ten boxes.
Mao Nanami, known for the Real Girl manga which ran from 2011 to 2016 and inspired two anime seasons and a live-action film, will launch a new manga adaptation of Ryō Midorikawa's light novel Tensei Hakushaku Lilina no Kekkon in Square Enix's Gangan Online on July 26. The story follows a reincarnated countess navigating aristocratic society and a suspicious duke.
J.C. Staff announced on July 13 that it is producing a television anime adaptation of Umihoshi Nanai's Kizuguchi to Hōtai manga. The series will premiere in January 2027 on ABC and TV Asahi's Animazing!!! broadcasting block. Miyuki Ishida, who previously directed the I.Cinnamoroll animation and served as episode director on One Punch Man seasons 2 and 3, is directing the anime. This is her first time directing a TV series. Susumu Yamakawa, known for The Way of the Househusband and Murai in Love, is writing the scripts, and Natsuki Ōyama, who worked on Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive?, is designing the characters. The romantic comedy follows Riyo Washizu, the daughter of a yakuza boss, and her caretaker Gō Kiritani, a young subordinate. Riyo has a fetish for seeing strong people when they are weak, a trait the story terms a "yowara" (weak loving) fetish. The manga began serialization on Kodansha's Comic Days app in August 2024. The fifth volume is scheduled to ship on July 16. Two teaser visuals were released, one of which the staff calls the "weak loving" version.
Netflix announced it will add the television anime of Akimi Yoshida's Banana Fish manga in select regions on August 12. The series previously streamed on Amazon Prime Video with subtitles, but left that service recently. The 2018 MAPPA adaptation updates the setting to modern day New York.
The August issue of Shueisha's Ribon magazine announced on July 3 that manga authors Nana Haruta and maki will launch a new manga titled Sugarless Romance in the magazine's September issue on August 3. Haruta is credited for the original story, and maki is drawing the manga. Haruta previously ended her Tsubasa to Hotaru manga in 2017. The love comedy centers on first year high school student Aoi Nanase, who is determined to have a wonderful high school romance.
The staff for the second season of The Detective Is Already Dead released a new promotional video, theme song details, and character visuals on July 4. The season is now scheduled to premiere in October 2026, after being delayed from its originally planned July 2026 air date. The opening theme song "Kono Shinzō ni Hanabata wo" (A Bouquet for This Heart) is performed by Kōme, while the ending theme "Hakuchumu" (Daydreams) is performed by Kagura Nana. Both songs are composed, arranged, and have lyrics written by 40mP. New character visuals were unveiled for the returning main cast: Kimihiko Kimizuka, Siesta, Nagisa Natsunagi, Yui Saikawa, and Charlotte Arisaka Anderson. Manabu Kurihara returns to direct the second season at studio ENGI, with Deko Akao handling series scripts and Yōsuke Itō designing the characters. The second season was first announced in July 2022. The first season aired 12 episodes starting in July 2021. As part of the franchise's fifth anniversary, voice actress Saki Miyashita, who voices Siesta, recorded a cover of the first season's opening theme, and a seasonal visual and voice drama project has launched. The 14th volume of the light novel series is set for release in Japan on October 23.
Banana Tiger Studio announced on July 1 that its co-op mining defense roguelite Stonewards will enter Early Access on Steam on August 11 (August 12 in Japan). The game supports solo and up to 4-player online co-op, with Japanese display planned. The Early Access period is expected to last about a year.
Google announced Nano Banana 2 Lite, an image generation model that outputs images from text in 4 seconds, and Gemini Omni Flash, a video generation and editing model. Both are available on Google AI Studio, Gemini API, and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform. Pricing starts at $0.034 per 1K resolution image and $0.10 per second of video output.
The anime for Yōsuke Kaneda's manga The Classroom of a Black Cat and a Witch released a third promotional video on Monday, announcing Akari Nanawo's new opening theme "∞Rettō-Sei" for the second cour. Comedian Attack Nishimoto joins the cast as Ursa Minor, a Virgo Magic student appearing in episode 13.
The Japan-Taiwan co-production Sinsin and the Mouse, based on Banana Yoshimoto's short story and directed by Yukinori Makabe, opens in Japanese theaters on June 26. The film follows a grieving woman who travels to Taiwan and meets a man named Sinsin, gradually finding small joys. Early viewer reactions praise the leads and the film's sensory focus on sound and imagery.
Virtual artist Kagura Nana has produced a limited edition gaming chair through AMICIS, a brand operated by Game & Co. Pre-orders open July 7, 2026, and run through August 14, 2026, on the AMICIS website. The chair, priced at 60,000 yen, features new illustrations of Kagura Nana and her mascot Chiririn, with embroidered signatures. It has a 55.5 cm wide by 55 cm deep seat, a backrest pocket, a butterfly mechanism for tilt adjustment, built-in lumbar support, and a headrest. The chair is completely supervised by Kagura Nana herself. She is a multi-creator active in illustration, games, and music, with over 480,000 YouTube subscribers and 2.14 million subscribers on bilibili, where she streams as Kagura Nana. In 2021 she performed the ending theme for the TV anime The Detective Is Already Dead. AMICIS describes itself as a brand that produces collaborative products by pooling IPs, creators, streamers, manufacturers, and factories. The chair is available for pre-order only during the specified period.
The demo for 'BOMBANANA!', a three-player asymmetric bomb defusal game from Turkish developer Lefto Studio, has seen a rapid surge in popularity on Steam since its June 16 release. The game assigns players the roles of 'See No Evil,' 'Hear No Evil,' and 'Speak No Evil,' each with restricted communication and perception abilities. The 'Speak No Evil' player reads the defusal manual but cannot speak, the 'Hear No Evil' player sees the bomb but cannot hear, and the 'See No Evil' player defuses the bomb while blind to fine details. According to SteamDB, the demo peaked at around 13,000 concurrent players, and the official Discord announced over 200,000 total players. The demo has earned an 'Overwhelmingly Positive' rating on Steam, with 98% of approximately 700 reviews being positive. The game ranked second on the 'Top Trending Demos' chart during Steam Next Fest. The full version is scheduled for release in August.
Eiga Natalie's Heisei Drama Committee column, written by Terebi no Sukima, revisits the 2006 late-night drama Akihabara@Deep. The piece calls it a symbolic work of the era and a turning point for Gen Hoshino, who met his best friend Toma Ikuta and ally Bananaman through the production. The drama featured Shunsuke Kazama, Toma Ikuta, Gen Hoshino, and Yuki Himura before their major breakthroughs.
The TV anime adaptation of Hibari Ugisu's novel "Tembin" will begin airing on July 6. A second main visual and PV were released, and the ending theme is "Tilt" by the voice actor unit harmoe. Comments from harmoe members Haruki Iwata and Moeka Koizumi were also published.
Alliance Arts announced on June 19 that the denpa song rhythm game Yunyun Denpa Syndrome has surpassed 100,000 copies sold on Steam. A 20% off sale runs until June 26, and a music video for the song Douni Demo Naare will premiere on June 20. The game has maintained a Very Positive rating with 90% positive reviews from over 3,000 user reviews.
The official website for the Red River anime began streaming a full promotional video on Friday. The clip previews the opening theme song "Akatsuki no Sora" by Hiroki Nanami. The anime is set to premiere on NTV's AnichU block on July 7 at 25:35 (effectively July 8 at 1:35 a.m.).
Nanatsu Mukunoki, creator of Watashi ni Tenshi ga Maiorita!, will launch a new manga titled Barikyari JK Mone-senpai in Comic Yuri Hime on July 16. The story follows two adult women, a career-focused office worker and a manga creator, as they navigate their own paths.
Lefto Studio released a demo of BOMBANANA! during Steam Next Fest on June 16. The cooperative bomb defusal game assigns each of three players the role of one of the See No Evil, Hear No Evil, or Speak No Evil monkeys, each with a different communication limitation. The demo has earned a Very Positive rating on Steam, with 99% of roughly 200 user reviews positive. The full version is planned for August 2026.
Moonana's 2D action game 'Bathory - Heritage of Blood' will support Japanese, as revealed on its Steam page. Inspired by Castlevania and Gothic literature, it follows vampire princess Ursula Bathory as she fights her mother for the Blood Throne. Combat consumes life force but blood restores it. Release is set for 2027 on PC.
The eye makeup brand Love Liner is releasing limited-edition collaboration products with Ai Yazawa's manga NANA from mid-June 2026. The lineup includes two types of liquid eyeliner and one mascara, each in two color variants inspired by characters Nana Osaki and Nana Komatsu. The packaging forms a single heart when placed side by side and incorporates details from Room 707.
Anime News Network's weekly roundup covers North American releases for the week of May 31-June 6, 2026. Highlights include the NANA - Complete Collection on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, the debut of Billy Bat from Kana, and Viz Media's I'm No Angel and Kodansha USA's Secondhand Sisters. The list spans 40 print manga, 31 digital manga, and one anime title.
Lefto Studio released the Steam store page for 'BOMBANANA!', a cooperative bomb defusal game for three players who take on the roles of the see-no, hear-no, and speak-no monkeys. Each monkey has a distinct limitation: one cannot speak, one cannot see colors or shapes, and one cannot hear. Players must establish their own communication methods to defuse bombs. The game supports Japanese and is scheduled for release on PC via Steam.
UK-based developer Moonana announced Bathory - Heritage of Blood, a 2D action game inspired by Castlevania and Gothic literature. Players control vampire princess Ursula Bathory as she returns to reclaim the Blood Throne from her mother, Regent Queen Elizabeth Bathory. Combat consumes life force but restores it through enemy blood. The game is planned for a 2027 release.
Three members of the idol group AVAM-Nanami Saeki, Hana Kikyo, and Yuka Himemiya-have been cast in the anime film "Kimi to Hanabi to Yakusoku to." They will voice classmates of the protagonist Makoto Natsume, played by Shori Sato of timelesz. The film is based on the novel by Matoka, published under Shogakukan's Gagaga Bunko. Directed by Kei Suzuki, the animation is produced by SynergySP and Answer Studio, with planning and production by Shin-Ei Animation. The story is a love drama set against the Nagaoka Festival Grand Fireworks Display in Niigata. It follows Makoto, who is approached by classmate Aki Hayama, who says her great-grandmother told her he would draw a picture for her. The film is scheduled for nationwide release on July 17, 2026. Saeki commented that voicing a theatrical anime was a goal of hers. Kikyo noted she lived in Niigata as a child and would watch the Nagaoka fireworks annually. Himemiya expressed hope the film becomes everyone's "unforgettable summer."
The anime film adaptation of Kaori Mado's novel series You, Fireworks, and Our Promise announced three new cast members on Tuesday. AVAM group members Nanami Saiki, Hanaka Kikyō, and Yuka Himemiya will voice classmates of protagonist Makoto Natsume. The film opens in Japanese theaters on July 17.
Kadokawa's Dengeki Daioh G magazine announced on May 27 that Rakuda's light novel series Shujinkō no Osananajimi ga, Wakiyaku no Ore ni Guiguikuru will begin a manga adaptation in volume 154 on June 29. The story follows a high school student given a second chance after being killed by a romantic comedy protagonist, only for the protagonist's childhood friend to propose to him. The series ranked #7 in the New Bunkobon category of the 2026 Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! guidebook.
Fanfare / Ponent Mon will reprint several manga by the late Jiro Taniguchi, including The Summit of the Gods, as well as Hideo Azuma's Disappearance Diary and Kiriko Nananan's Blue. The Summit of the Gods reprint arrives in July 2026 to mark the Everest ascent anniversary; other reprints follow later this year.
Ai Yazawa's manga "NANA" is collaborating with eye makeup brand Love Liner for a limited edition cosmetics line. The collection includes two types of liquid eyeliner and a mascara, all priced at 1,760 yen including tax. The packaging is designed so that placing two boxes side by side forms a single heart, referencing the relationship between protagonists Nana Osaki and Hachi (Nana Komatsu). The liquid eyeliners come in black for Nana and dark brown for Hachi, while the mascara features both characters together. Details from the story, such as the strawberry glass and key from Room 707 where the two lived, appear as accents on the packaging. Advance sales begin June 9 at the official online store of msh, the company behind Love Liner. From June 16, the products will also be available at msh's official Rakuten and Qoo10 stores. Limited quantities will arrive at variety shops and drugstores nationwide starting in mid-June, though release dates vary by store.
The June issue of Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan reports that Looseboy and Iori Furuya's Talentless Nana manga will conclude in two more chapters, likely finishing in July. The series launched in May 2016 and has 14 compiled volumes. An anime adaptation aired in 2020.