A Munich court ruled on July 31 that AI music service Suno infringed copyright by using songs managed by German rights group GEMA without permission. The court ordered Suno to disclose revenue information and pay damages, though the ruling is not final.
The television anime adaptation of Nikumura Q's Giant Ojo-sama manga has its main staff, a teaser visual, and a January 2027 premiere date. The official website opened on Friday, August 7, 2026, to announce the project. Hiroshi Ikehata, known for WITCH WATCH, directs at Tatsunoko Production. Katsuya Oshima is the assistant director, Hajime Mitsuda is the character designer and chief animation director, and Yu Sato handles series composition and scripts. The story follows Oriko Fujido, the daughter of an ultra-wealthy family who received an entire town as a birthday present. When a giant invader attacks, her butler Sebastian gives her a drink that makes her grow to giant size to defend the town, though her efforts often cause destruction. The manga has been serialized on Shogakukan's Sunday Webry service since July 2020. Shogakukan will publish the 12th compiled volume on August 10. The manga was nominated for best web manga in the eighth Next Manga Awards in 2022 and ranked fifth in AnimeJapan's sixth Most Wanted Anime Adaptation poll in 2023.
DMM Pictures announced on Thursday that Mitsuki Mii's manga "Kusunoki's Flunking Her High School Glow-Up" is receiving a television anime adaptation. The series will star Yūto Uemura as Keisuke Shizuki and Tomori Kusunoki as Shizuka Kusunoki. Midori Yui, who has served as an episode director on series including "Carole & Tuesday" and "Love Flops," is directing the anime at studios Passione and Hayabusa Film. Yui is also handling the series composition. Koji Haneda, known for character design on "Spice & Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf," is the character designer. Hyadain, the composer for all seasons of "Rent-A-Girlfriend," is composing the music. Suzune Ishikawa is the animation producer. The original manga launched on Ichijinsha's Comic POOL service in October 2022 and has seven volumes in circulation. Kodansha USA Publishing releases the manga in English. The story follows two high school students, Keisuke Shizuki and Shizuka Kusunoki, who were both social outcasts in middle school and are now navigating their new lives. A teaser visual and trailer accompanied the announcement.
Visual Arts announced a new brand, VISUAL ARTS Scripts, and its first title, Sayagatari -Yōtō no Yakusoku-, a visual novel where players fight monsters and receive kisses from a heroine who seals cursed swords. The game launches September 25 on PC, with a Steam version in development. Tomori Kusunoki voices the lead heroine. The download version is priced at 990 yen as a special launch price.
Kadokawa CEO Takeshi Natsuno retained his positions as CEO and board member after receiving enough votes at the company's 12th annual general meeting on Wednesday. Oasis Management, Kadokawa's largest shareholder with a 15.25% stake, had called for his removal, citing declining profitability since 2021. Kadokawa argued that removing Natsuno without a successor would disrupt reform efforts.
Anime News Network published a five-part roundup of Tanabata greetings from across the anime, manga, and video game industries on July 7, 2026. The collection includes wishes and illustrations from official accounts for series such as Bungo Stray Dogs, Detective Conan, My Hero Academia, Sakamoto Days, Doraemon, Chibi Maruko-chan, Hell's Paradise, and Dragon Quest. Video game franchises like Final Fantasy, Monster Hunter, and Like a Dragon also participated, alongside creators including Hideo Kojima, Yuki Kaji, and Shoko Nakagawa. Several series tied their posts to new releases: the second season of Yoroi Shin Den Samurai Troopers premiered on July 7, My Happy Marriage released a special Tanabata illustration and announced a three-episode special for 2026, and My Stepmother and Stepsisters Aren't Wicked began airing on July 8. The roundup also features greetings from manga titles like Chiikawa, MARRIAGETOXIN, and Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, as well as from studios Tatsunoko Production and Square Enix.
Shochiku is offering the 2004 live-action film 'CASSHERN' for free on its official YouTube channel from July 3 to July 16. The film adapts Tatsunoko Pro's anime 'Neo-Human Casshern', directed by Kiriya Kazuaki, with a cast including Yusuke Iseya and Kumiko Aso.
FURYU's F:NEX brand announced 1/7 scale figures of Kaho Hinoshita, Sayaka Murano, and Rurino Osawa from the Love Live! Hasunosora Girls' Academy School Idol Club movie. Pre-orders opened June 19, 2026, and close August 19, 2026. A deluxe three-figure set is also available. Shipments are scheduled for March 2027.
The previously unaired Season 4 episode 13 of Osomatsu-san, 'The Matsunoten,' will air on TV for the first time on June 13, 2026. Streaming began early on June 12 across multiple platforms including U-NEXT and AnimeTimes. The episode was originally shown only in limited theatrical screenings during the franchise's 10th anniversary event.
Shueisha Games announced during the Future Games Show on June 7, 2026, that the exploration action-adventure game Chronoscript: The Endless End, developed by DeskWorks, will launch in fall 2026 for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam. A prologue trailer debuted at the showcase, revealing for the first time the 3D character designs of the vampire writer Viola S. Chambers and the protagonist editor Frederick G. Müller, as well as a new stage set in Ancient Egypt. The game follows an editor who, after finishing a long-running series, receives a strange editing request and becomes trapped inside a manuscript world written by a vampire who has lived for a thousand years. Gameplay alternates between 2D spaces drawn on manuscript paper and 3D-rendered mansion interiors, with Metroidvania-style exploration and combat. The creative team includes Mari Shimazaki, known for Bayonetta and Ōkami, handling 3D character design, and composer Yasunori Mitsuda of Chrono Trigger and Xenogears fame, leading music production alongside Procyon Studio members Shunsuke Tsuchiya, Mariam Abounnasr, and guest composer Manami Kiyota.
The official website for the Hell Mode anime announced four new cast members for its second season on May 20, 2026. Reiji Kawashima will voice Keel, a boy with a strong attachment to money. Kiyono Yasuno will play Sophialohne, the princess of an Elven kingdom. Hikaru Midorikawa will voice Volmaar, Sophialohne's guard. Miyu Tomita will play Meruru, a dwarf with exceptional military leadership skills. The second season is scheduled to premiere in Japan in July 2026 on Tokyo MX, MBS, and BS Nippon Television. The staff previously announced that Takahiro Sakurai will join the season as Helmios. Masato Tamagawa directs the anime at Yokohama Animation Lab, with Daishiro Tanimura handling series scripts and Kei Tsushima designing characters. The first season aired 12 episodes in Winter 2026. HIDIVE streamed the first season and is also streaming an English dub. The light novel series by Hamuo and illustrated by Mo began on Shōsetsuka ni Narō in November 2019 and is published in print by Earth Star Entertainment. J-Novel Club licenses the light novel and manga adaptation for digital English release.