Minoru Ota is the director of Kyoto Animation's first major anime series since the 2019 arson attack, which premiered on Netflix on July 5, 2026.
Minoru Ota directed the first two episodes of Sparks of Tomorrow, which screened at Anime Expo 2026 before the series premiered on Netflix on July 5, 2026. The series is set in an alternate-history Meiji-era Kyoto and follows a clumsy girl and an inventor in a steampunk world on the cusp of an electric age. Ota appeared at a Q&A session after the screening alongside producer Satori Senami.
The project was shelved after the 2019 arson attack on Kyoto Animation and is now the studio's first major anime series since that tragedy. Ota is a first-time director for the series, which marks a deliberate stylistic and thematic departure from the studio's previous work. The premiere positions the series as a new frontier for Kyoto Animation.
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SLOC WORKS Research Institute LLC relocated its head office from Beppu, Oita Prefecture to Sapporo, Hokkaido, effective October 1, 2026. Rira Tsubota became Representative Member CEO, succeeding Yu Miyamoto. The company calls the move a second founding and runs two businesses: SLOC model research and development, and business support. Its corporate website was renewed.
A collaboration visual pairing Aoko Aozaki from the theatrical anime Mahoyo with Saber from Fate/Zero was revealed on October 1, drawn by ufotable, which handles production for both works. The visual accompanies the special project "Let's Watch Together! TYPE-MOON x ufotable." Fate/Zero, marking 15 years since its TV anime broadcast, gets a selection broadcast on Fuji TV in the Kanto local area over four nights, with the episodes chosen by viewer vote.
Developer Shobota published the Steam page for 'Zankure Bahamut de Maou Toubatsu' on September 30, with a demo also released. The fantasy ADV stars Leon, lent the dragon Bahamut by God, who must repay 100,000 gold each month on a 1 billion gold contract. A residual-value credit clause means Bahamut's battle wear affects God's appraisal. It is planned for release within the year on PC (Steam) at 490 yen.
Total War: WARHAMMER III passed 100,000 concurrent Steam players after the September 24 release of the Lords of the End Times DLC, which adds four Legendary Lords: Nagash, the Glottkin, Thanquol, and Boris Todbringer. The article reports this is the first time the game has reached that mark in about four years, since August 2022. Steam user reviews are mixed for three of the four DLCs.
The Prime Original drama God's Quiz, starring Shotaro Mamiya, will stream worldwide on Prime Video from Friday, December 4, with a teaser visual and cast and staff comments also released. A reboot of the Korean drama, the series moves to modern-day Tokyo. Mamiya plays Haruto Hatsushima, a former brain surgeon turned medical examiner. Director Shunki Hashizume directs.
Total War: Warhammer 40,000 will be the first entry in the Total War series with full Japanese localization and full Japanese voice acting, a first in the series' 25-year history. Director Attila Mohácsi told Denfaminicogamer at Tokyo Game Show 2026 that Creative Assembly made the decision because the Asian market matters to the studio, Warhammer 40,000 miniatures are selling in more Tokyo stores, and Sega owns the studio, with internal staff long asking why Japanese support was missing. Console expansion also factored in.
The 19th issue of Shogakukan's Big Comic announced Friday that Tetsuya Chiba's Hinemosu Notari Nikki will go on hiatus because of his poor health. The editorial department said it will prioritize his health and recovery. In a separate statement, Chiba said severe summer heat may be the cause and that he will focus on recovering. He apologized to readers and asked for patience.
Starto Entertainment announced on Thursday that the idol group WEST. will end its group activities on September 30. The agency had said on August 30 that Ryusei Fujii and Nozomu Kotaki would leave the group, and it held talks with the remaining five members about continuing as a five. All seven members stay with the company and continue as individual talents from October 1.
Aniplex released the 90-second final trailer for the theatrical anime Mahoyo on September 30, confirming Soujuurou Shizuki, voiced by Yusuke Kobayashi, among the cast. The same day, a special program announced the theme song: "Yoru to Ao" by supercell, with lyrics, composition, and arrangement by ryo and vocals by Yanagi Nagi. Mahoyo is based on the TYPE-MOON visual novel written by Kinoko Nasu and is animated by ufotable. The film opens in Japanese theaters on November 20, with screenings set for 347 theaters nationwide and an overseas rollout beginning with a U.S. release on January 29 that covers more than 45 countries and regions. Advance tickets go on sale October 2 in two versions: a newly drawn character visual by original character designer Hirokazu Koyama and a special key visual, with an A5 acrylic plate bonus offered through Aniplex Online.
Doyusha is adding two racing prototypes to its electric RC car series. The 1/14 Toyota GAZOO Racing GR010 Hybrid WEC is about 352 x 143 x 93 mm, has switchable speeds of 7-9 km/h and 9-11 km/h, takes five AA batteries in the body and two in the transmitter, and costs 14,080 yen. The 1/24 Ferrari 499P is about 208 x 85 x 58 mm and costs 5,478 yen. The 1/24 Volkswagen Beetle returns at 5,478 yen. All three are scheduled for release in October 2026.
Golden Horn Studios announced Potato Please on September 20. The first-person simulation game tasks the player with peeling a mountain of potatoes to feed an army, starting with a knife or peeler by hand and later adding machinery that processes potatoes in batches. It is planned for PC via Steam, with Japanese in-game text listed on the store page. The workspace carries Russian slogans urging the labor on.
Total Mayhem Games will release We Were Here Tomorrow on October 20 for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, the studio announced during the PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct 2026 stream on September 21. Japanese text support is planned, and cross-play between PC and consoles is also planned. The game is the newest entry in the two-player-only We Were Here puzzle adventure series. Two explorers on an Antarctic expedition fall beneath the ice and wake in a retro-futuristic research complex run by a company called Nolchek Industries, where a research team led by director Kathleen Bow has disappeared. Players move along separate paths and rely on walkie-talkies or in-game voice chat. Total Mayhem Games Executive Producer Leite Dauma said development ran two and a half years; Creative Director Martin Mitna said a full playthrough may take around 12 to 15 hours.
One or Eight's village-building action RPG Warota, Ore no Ie no Tonari Maoujou www was playable at Tokyo Game Show 2026 on Switch 2 and PS5. The game has finished its closed and open beta tests and is set to begin early access on November 13, 2026. Players reincarnate as a Bounder, build a village, assign more than 20 jobs through hats, and fight off fan monsters drawn by the neighboring idol demon lord's live.
One or Eight announced on September 16 that Warota, My House's Next Door Is a Demon King's Castle www, developed by Team EARTH WARS, will launch in early access on November 13 for PC via Steam. A Nintendo Switch 2 and PS5 version is scheduled for 2027. The action RPG mixes village building with combat, and jobs switch by wearing hats.
Sega released a TGS2026 game introduction trailer for Total War: Warhammer 40,000, the strategy title set for release in 2027 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The trailer covers turn-based strategy in the Era Indomitus setting and large-scale real-time battles, with four playable factions: Space Marine, Astra Militarum, Ork, and Aeldari.
V Inc. and Hakuhodo's Metaverse Consumer Lab released a survey of 1,129 VRChat users on how virtual life shapes real-world spending. Avatars and costumes (84.1%) and PCs and VR devices (78.1%) topped purchases, while 15.6% spent on real-world travel and events. Participation in company-run worlds reached 60.9%, but recall for company and brand names stayed near 20%.
One or Eight will release the Steam Early Access version of Warota, My House Is Next to the Demon King's Castle www on November 13, priced at 2,800 yen with a 10 percent discount sale planned until November 20 at 23:59. The build was moved up from a planned winter official release and covers content through the Platinum Chapter. A roughly 15-minute demo runs at Tokyo Game Show 2026, held at Makuhari Messe from September 17 to September 21. Official release is planned for 2027.
Yaya, a VTuber affiliated with the Avivi partner agency, took first place in the Rookie Top Challenge, an event that ran from August 1 to August 7, 2026. Avivi is a partner agency of Avvy, the avatar creation and streaming app operated by AnotherBall. In a posted comment, Yaya thanked viewers, commenters, and supporters, and asked for continued support.
SEGA Europe and The Creative Assembly announced Total War: SHOGUN 2 - Complete Edition, a version of the Sengoku-period strategy game that bundles the base game, Rise of the Samurai, Fall of the Samurai, faction packs and content updates. It adds Japanese and Chinese voice and subtitle support, updated lighting and shadows, UI scaling for 1440p and 4K, 64-bit support, ultrawide and mod.io integration, and 50-plus playable factions. Release is October 14 on Steam, the Epic Games Store and the Microsoft Store.
NHN PlayArt plans to release the high-speed card battle RPG OVER RUSH for iOS, Android, and PC via Steam. An open beta test runs from September 17 at 10:00 to September 24 at 14:59. Both cluster articles come from Automaton, one a hands-on preview of the beta build and one an interview with development producer Kota Terada. The game is set in Sync City, a near-future city where AI robots and humans live together, and where robots called Workroids have gone out of control and caused incidents that harm people. Players are the captain of R.U.S.H, a unit assigned to handle rogue Workroids, and they fight next to a partner Workroid called a Buddy. Battles use red, blue, and green cards, four to a hand, and linking four of one color raises the Link Level. A same-color Link Card in the fourth slot fires a Link Attack that boosts the card's effect by 500 percent. A store page and a special site are already public.
OTAGROUP has opened applications for the Meta Grandma Silver Shield Project, a collaborator drive aimed at bringing the YouTube channel of late-stage elderly VTuber Meta Grandma to 100,000 subscribers. The channel has roughly 80,000 subscribers, and the project notes the timing could work as a Respect for the Aged Day plan. Hiroko, the 84-year-old original member from Mihara City, debuted in December 2022.
Tweet Conductor announced on the 12th that it released four songs by Kubota Matsuri, the local VTuber and protagonist of the RPG "Akita City Quest." The set includes her first enka song "Akita Sake Gokoro," the Halloween track "Kashikko Keneba, Gosyagu Do-", the self-introduction song "Matsuri wa Genki Ippai," and "Mata Rainen, Ano Sora e," a J-POP song about the Kanto Festival.
Bushiroad Creative opened pre-orders on Amazon.co.jp for PalVerse Hololive vol.2, the second set of its deformed trading figure line. The lineup is Hoshimachi Suisei, Yuzuki Choco, Ozora Subaru, Himemori Luna, and Shishiro Botan. Each figure stands about 90mm and is made of PVC. The box is listed at 7,260 yen including tax, with a scheduled release on March 12, 2027.
The musical adaptation of S. S. Rajamouli's film RRR has released its main visual, showing Matsuya Onoe and Yu Shirota in the lead roles. Seven additional cast members were announced, including Manyuko Kominami and Naomi Trauden as Jenny, Nanami Takano as Seetha, Rena Yamazaki as Malli, Takuma Wada as Jake, Yuki Matsuzaki as Governor Scott, and Saki Takaoka as Lady Catherine. Yu Shirota also co-wrote, directs, and co-composed the music.
Crunchyroll has acquired the anime feature film Witch on the Holy Night and will release it in theaters in the United States and Canada on January 29, 2027. The film is animated by ufotable and distributed by Crunchyroll with Sony Pictures Entertainment. It adapts the 2012 visual novel written by Kinoko Nasu and developed by Type-Moon. The story follows Aoko Aozaki, a high school student who is an apprentice Magician, and her housemate Alice Kuonji. Screenings will be offered in Japanese with English subtitles and in an English dub. The international rollout opens earlier in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on January 21, then moves through Austria, Germany, and German-speaking Switzerland on January 26, France, Belgium, and French-speaking Switzerland on January 27, and a larger group of markets including Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand on January 28. The United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, Poland, Sweden, and India join the January 29 date, with Spain and Kazakhstan on February 5.
V Inc. supported a Taiko Odori experience event hosted by Hioki City, Kagoshima Prefecture on VRChat on Saturday, August 29, 2026. The event ran inside the Taiko Odori world released in January 2026 and was staged with VRC EN-JP, a language exchange community. Participants in Japan and abroad used avatars to try the dance's movements, heard about the local festival Myoenji Mairi, and received guidance in Japanese and English. Organizers gathered participant impressions and interest in visiting.
Square Enix will release all 20 items in Dragon Quest DQ+g Level 6, the sixth volume of its collaboration label with Graniph, on September 18 at Graniph domestic stores and the official online store. Prices start at 3,300 yen for the Custom Pouch Slime. The lineup includes a Death Pizarro Track Jacket at 8,900 yen and a King Slime Stadium Jumper at 17,000 yen.
The TV anime Lent Magic Is Forcibly Collected via [Revolving Payment] will air from October 3, 2026 on TV Asahi's nationwide 24-station network and other channels. A second promo video confirms Daisuke Namikawa as Roger, leader of the A-rank party Meteor Swarm. BUDDiiS performs the opening theme Risk Rate and Kotani performs the ending theme Iremono. Reiji Kawashima voices Rent, with animation by SynergySP under director Takahiro Kyo.
Solo developer Hirasaka opened the Steam store page for Death Momotaro, a horror action comedy based on the Japanese folktale. The player takes the role of Death Momotaro and fights Death Grandpa, the Death Animals, and the Death Oni across four chapters. Chapter one is an escape from a giant peach, chapter two feeds Death Kibidango to the animals, and chapter three shoots the oni on Onigashima. Release is set for late September 2026 at around 400 yen, with Japanese, English, and Simplified Chinese support.
Four TARMACWORKS 1/64 scale diecast mini cars are open for pre-order on Amazon Japan, including the Safari Rally Kenya 2024 winning Toyota GR Yaris and a Pandem Mazda RX-7 FC3S. Prices run from 5,060 to 6,160 yen, and all four are scheduled for a February 28, 2027 release.
The TV anime Hotaru no Yomeiri held a preview screening on September 6 at United Cinemas Toyosu, showing episodes 1 through 3 ahead of its October 9 premiere on Fuji TV's noitamina block. Voice actors Lynn, Kouki Uchiyama, and Kento Itou appeared in kimono, discussed their auditions, and played a game guessing which scene Lynn found most romantic. The answer was the episode 2 scene where Shinpei shows Satsuko fireflies and confesses his love.
C'CLOCK, the voice actor digital clock line, is launching a new series called C'CLOCK MASTERS built around veteran voices. Aoni Production's Tetsu Inada, Mitsuo Iwata, and Ryota Takeuchi get models with orders opening at noon on September 9, 18, and 28, 2026. All voice data is newly recorded for the series, and the line is designed so buyers can collect multiple actors by swapping microSD cards.
P Maru-sama will appear on NHK's Minna no Uta for the first time with "Zettai Seiten!!," airing October through November. She co-wrote the lyrics with producer Ryota Saito, her first attempt at writing lyrics. NOVECHIKA and Taishi Noguchi composed the track, and Kasuki Kato of Shirogumi handled the animation. Three other new songs join the same broadcast window.
TV Asahi announced that Kotaro Koizumi and Dori Sakurada will guest star in the annual Doraemon Birthday Special on September 6. Koizumi plays Howard Richie, a 22nd-century billionaire whose gem is stolen, and Sakurada plays Konrobo, a fox robot officer trying to catch the wanted Doraemon.
The live-action series of Mitsubachi Miyuki's boys-love manga It's Strictly Business will premiere November 5 on BS Fuji. Sōta Uemura plays Ren Ashihara and Rio Takahashi plays Issei Kuji. Kozue Sasaki and Kana Urara direct, and Uiko Miura writes the script. Yen Press publishes the manga in English and ships the first volume on September 22.
The Sirotan TV anime will premiere October 3 at 4:29 p.m. JST in TV Asahi's new short anime programming block PicoAni. Aoi Yuki voices the white seal Sirotan, with Miyu Hanasaki, Rina Hidaka, and Riyo Iwai in supporting roles. Arisa Okada directs at Lesprit, Sei Yoshitsuki writes the scripts, and TV Asahi and Shinei Animation produce.
OneEight launched an open beta test on August 30 for the village-building action RPG Warota, Ore no Ie no Tonari Maoujou www, running until September 7 at 1:59 p.m. The test needs no application and has no participant cap, offering 2-3 hours of play up to the first boss. Players reincarnate as a Bounder, build a village, switch jobs via hats, and fend off the idol demon king Platinum Goldcast's live concert monster waves.
One or Eight Co., Ltd. announced the open beta test for 'Warota, My House Is Next to the Demon King's Castle www' starts today, August 31, at 2 PM JST. The action RPG blends village building, life simulation, and base defense. The test runs to September 7, supports Japanese, English, and Chinese, and covers play up to the first boss.
Premium Bandai is taking pre-orders for the Sesotai Risogu Grandiose Number One Set, an unauthorized item from Unauthorized Sentai Akibaranger modeled after the Sentai Ring series of Number One Sentai Gojuujager. The set includes rings themed after the three Akibarangers, Season Pain versions, and a GOLDEN EDITION, and it is compatible with the separately sold DX Tegasword.
Publisher Polnoch released KOTAMON, a first-person junkyard simulation from developer KotaMota Games, on August 21 for PC via Steam. Players work as a janitor to recover a super-rare card thrown away by the protagonist's sister. The game earned a Very Positive rating on Steam, with 80% of 991 reviews positive and a peak concurrent player count of 4,832 at the time of writing.
DMM Pictures revealed a teaser promotional video and the January 2027 debut for Ore to Yu Nii!, the television anime based on Miyuki Nakayama's Shota Oni boys-love manga. Studio Hibari is animating the series, with Noriko Hashimoto directing and Yuniko Ayana overseeing the series scripts. The voice cast features Shinnosuke Tokudome as Tsubaki and Shuichiro Umeda as Yu. The story follows an elementary school boy named Tsubaki and his high school childhood friend Yu, whom Tsubaki loves but who treats him like a child. Nakayama debuted the manga in September 2021 on the Comic CMOA website as part of the launch for Square Enix's boys-love label Gangan BLiss. The manga won the Best Next Generation (Newcomer) award at boys-love website Chil-Chil's 13th annual BL Awards in 2022. Square Enix published the manga's seventh volume on March 21.
Sega announced the guest lineup for the Stranger Than Heaven stage at its Sega/Atlus booth during Tokyo Game Show 2026, which runs from September 17 to September 21 at Makuhari Messe. The event spans five days, with both special stages and gameplay stages scheduled. Actor Tsuyoshi Ukaji is set to appear on the September 18 special stage, while professional wrestler Kenny Omega joins the gameplay stage on September 19. Voice actor Akio Otsuka takes the special stage on the same day. The September 20 lineup includes streamer kson on the gameplay stage, with the special stage guest still listed as coming soon. The final day, September 21, features Ushizawa on the gameplay stage and a special last stage with actors Yu Shirota and Dean Fujioka. Sega plans to stream each stage program on the RGG Studio official YouTube channel.
The unofficial fan game HoloCure will add nine playable characters in its next update, Ver.0.8, scheduled for mid-autumn. The roster includes all four Hololive 5th Generation members and all five Secret Society holoX members. The developer cited scheduling as a reason the release may take time.
Investment learning platform SOBA OTOME announced a partnership with Web3 pet care app LOOTaDOG. The collaboration combines financial education with Web3 entertainment to help investment beginners take their first step. The first joint project is scheduled to be revealed soon, with more content and community events to follow.
To mark the 2026 Awa Odori, collaboration merchandise featuring Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Witch on the Holy Night will be sold from August 11 to 15 at ufotable Cafe Tokushima, Machi★Asobi CAFE Bizan, ufotable Cafe TOGO, and other locations. A stamp rally with ufotable's past Awa Odori illustrations runs concurrently, with a postcard reward for collecting all stamps.
Atlantis Models is re-releasing two vintage plastic model kits originally from the former Aurora Company: the 1/125 U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker and the 1/48 WW.II German Army Panzer V Panther. Both kits are scheduled for import and sale by Platz in October and November 2026.
Nijimen published the results of its otaku-selected ranking of characters voiced by Ryota Osaka, timed to the voice actor's birthday on August 2. Eijun Sawamura from 'Ace of Diamond' took first place with 768 votes out of 3,798 total, roughly double the runner-up. The 2026 edition saw significant movement in the top 10, with two newcomers entering the list.
The indoor theme park NAMJATOWN will host the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba event Demon Dwelling Town from August 21 to October 4, 2026. ufotable drew new illustrations of eight characters, including Akaza, Rui, Daki, and Gyutaro. The venue will sell original goods, offer mini-games and a rally, and serve themed food.
Medicos Entertainment is releasing a Super Action Statue of Jotaro Kujo Ver.2 from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders. The figure includes three head parts, a movable school uniform, and an effect piece recreating Star Platinum's ORA ORA rush. It is priced at 9,900 yen and ships in February 2027.
In an interview at Anime Expo 2026, Clevatess director Kiyotaka Taguchi and Lay-duce producer Seiichiro Kuriyama explained how they built the series' visual style. The episode one destruction scene was stretched from a few manga pages to about 20 minutes. Present-day scenes use a 1990s cel look, while flashbacks aim for a 1970s style like Heidi, A Girl of the Alps. Kadokawa producer Kosuke Arai also brought Ellie Goulding in for the ending song.