Actor Masahiro Motoki appears on TBS talk show A-Studio+ on June 19 for the first time in 14 years. The episode includes an interview with his eldest son UTA, who discusses Motoki's fatherly side, as well as segments on director Kiyoshi Kurosawa and photographer Kazuhiro Nakamura.
Sunborn revealed during the 1.5th anniversary program for Girls' Frontline 2: Exilium a large-scale collaboration with Ultraman and SSSS.Gridman. Specific content and timing are not yet disclosed. A limited-time Bee Robo Kabutack collaboration skin for Voimastina is also available until June 30, 2026.
The summer movie for Kamen Rider Zeets has been officially titled Kamen Rider Zeets: Sayonara no Mission, with its main trailer and poster released on June 14. The film is part of a double feature alongside Cho Uchuu Keiji Gavan Infinity: Taiyou ga Naita Hi, both set for a July 24 nationwide release. In the Zeets movie, Shunta Sono (of the group M!LK) plays Kudo Soma, who transforms into the antagonist Kamen Rider Yumemi and seeks to turn the real world into a daydream. The trailer shows the full CODE team assembling for the first time, including Nox (Yuki Furukawa) who tells the protagonist Baku that it is his turn to save him. YUTA (NCT 127) performs the theme song Dreams Never Sleep, continuing his role from the TV series. The song was composed by Hi-yunk (KENJI03 of BACK-ON) with lyrics by Seiko Fujibayashi. YUTA said he was incredibly happy to be involved with a franchise he loved as a child. The Gavan Infinity half of the double bill features Kohei Osada as Reiji Nushiro facing off against Tsutomu Takahashi as Gavan Killer.
Dengeki Hobby Web reports the top 20 manga volumes on Amazon Kindle's bestseller ranking as of June 12, 2026. Discounted backlist titles Kakugo no Susume and Gokuudou, both priced at 99 yen each, dominate the chart alongside new releases like That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Vol. 32 and Sengoku Komachi Kuroutan Vol. 20. Pre-order volumes for Solo Leveling Vol. 25, Darwin's Incident Vol. 11, and Tsuki ga Michibiku Isekai Douchuu Vol. 17 also rank highly.
Ado's second Utattemita album is set for a winter 2026 release. Worldwide voting is now open until June 21, 2026, letting fans choose which songs she will cover. Voters select a genre-J-pop, non-Jpop Western music, or Vocaloid-then submit a song title and artist, along with personal details.
The main promotional video for Bungo Stray Dogs Wan! 2 features the full cast of the spin-off series and previews the ending theme song "Bokura ~Ryunosuke Akutagawa Ver.~" performed by Kensho Ono. The anime begins airing on TOKYO MX and other channels on July 2, 2026, with streaming on d Anime Store the same day. The first season will also be rebroadcast starting July 2.
The ninth volume of Mato Kauta's The Beloved Imperial Bride manga announced the series will conclude with its 10th volume in early spring 2027. The ninth volume ships on July 3 and is available early on Comic CMOA. Comikey publishes the English version.
The TV anime adaptation of Jinushi's manga "Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You" will begin airing on July 9. A second main PV was released featuring the opening theme "Ichijiku Kemuri" by Zutto Mayonaka de Ii no ni. The cast includes Takuya Sato as Sasaki and Seina Hoshiki as Yamada/Tayama. A special ABEMA program on July 4 will feature the main cast.
ABEMA published its weekly anime ranking for the week starting June 1, 2026. The top five most-watched titles on the streaming service were listed. 'Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World' (Season 4) took first place for the third consecutive week. The early release version of 'Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You' ranked second, having started its ABEMA-exclusive advance distribution on June 3. 'That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime' (Season 4) held third place, matching its position from the previous week. 'Classroom of the Elite' (Season 4) ranked fourth, and 'Witch Hat Atelier' placed fifth. The early release version of 'Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You' consists of the first six episodes of the TV broadcast cut into roughly 10-minute segments. The full TV broadcast is scheduled to begin on July 9 on TBS network 28 stations.
The collaboration between the theatrical film Uta no Prince-sama Taboo Night XXXX and the brand MAYLA will start accepting preorders for four shoe models on June 12, 2026. The pumps are inspired by Reiji Kotobuki, Ranmaru Kurosaki, Ai Mikaze, and Camus, priced at 30,800 yen each.
Famitsu's latest weekly sales chart for May 25-31 shows Tomodachi Life on Switch in first place with 52,483 copies sold, bringing its total to over 1.25 million. New releases include 007 First Light on PS5 and Utawarerumono: Past and Present Rediscovered on both PS5 and Switch.
Kei Urana, creator of Gachiakuta, and graffiti designer Hideyoshi Andou have deactivated their X accounts after a wave of online harassment. Urana faced backlash for sharing a fan parody video, and Andou was targeted after defending her. A Studio Bones animator publicly condemned the toxicity.
The NPD BookScan Top 20 adult graphic novels for April 2026 has 16 manga volumes, led by Jujutsu Kaisen volume 29. Gachiakuta volume 1 debuts at fourth. Five manga titles also appear on the New York Times Best Sellers list for May 2026.
Sega announced new collaborations for Sonic Racing CrossWorlds at Summer Games Fest, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Avatar: The Last Airbender in Year One, and Godzilla and Evangelion in Year Two. The game is out now on multiple platforms, and a new indie title, Sonic Pico Park, was also teased.
Paramount Games Studio announced during the Summer Game Fest 2026 livestream on June 5 that PlatinumGames is developing a new game based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic series, titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin. The game is described as an AAA action-adventure title. The story follows a lone surviving Turtle in a future, battle-ravaged New York City on a mission for justice. The comic series debuted in October 2020 and concluded in April 2022. The announcement trailer did not reveal gameplay details or show the usual four brothers, but featured imagery evoking the subtitle, including a sewer setting and a figure with two swords. The game is scheduled for release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. This marks PlatinumGames' return to the franchise after developing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan in 2016.
Crunchyroll announced its Anime Expo lineup for July 3-4 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, featuring over 20 programming blocks. Highlights include a Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle event with the voice cast and ufotable footage, panels for The Apothecary Diaries Season 3, Gachiakuta Season 2, and new acquisitions like Goodbye, Lara and Tomb Raider King.
The ABEMA-exclusive early distribution version of the TV anime Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You began streaming June 3 at 8:30 PM. It splits the first six broadcast episodes into roughly 10-minute shorts. Special OP and ED themes by Zutto Mayonaka de Ii no ni. and imase respectively feature animation different from the July TV broadcast.
Hip-hop crew Mall Boyz released a new single 'MUTANT NINJA TURTLES feat. ralph, JUMADIBA' on June 3. The track is inspired by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles manga. The jacket art shows turtles with headbands incorporating features of Tohji, gummyboy, ralph, and JUMADIBA. Mall Boyz also announced 'Mall Tape 3' for May 2026.
Yutaka Izubuchi, mechanical designer and HEADGEAR member, directed a Patlabor title for the first time with the theatrical film Mobile Police Patlabor EZY. In an interview, he discussed the series' 38-year history, the meaning of the title, and the ending theme by Mariko Nagai.
The 4K remaster of Satoshi Kon's Paprika will expand to 82 theaters across Japan starting August 7, 2026, following a January revival run. A 4K UHD plus Blu-ray set is scheduled for September 9. The film marks its 20th anniversary this year.
Anime Expo 2026 will host the world premieres of the Black Torch television anime and a new Magic Knight Rayearth anime, with guest Rie Takahashi. The event also features Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE producer Shohei Sakakibara and scenario writer Kazutaka Kodaka, a first look at Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 from Studio Trigger, and U.S. premieres for Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia and Sparks of Tomorrow.
Sakuga Blog published a translated interview from Comic Natalie featuring Shiboyugi director Souta Ueno and sound director Noriyoshi Konuma. The two discussed their creative process for the anime, which premiered on January 7. Ueno said he wanted to avoid common death game tropes by not reveling in the girls' deaths or making a spectacle of them. Konuma explained that the sound design aimed for abstraction rather than dictating emotions, using atonal and dissonant music from composer Junichi Matsumoto. The recording sessions for the hour-long first episode took two sessions, with three takes per episode and five-hour sessions. Konuma noted that voice actress Chiyuki Miura's performance made Yuki more human than expected, adding nuance to her character. Ueno revealed that the opening sequence was inspired by his own experience of wandering at night, which he compared to feeling suicidal, and Konuma's dream of a burning double-decker bus. The interview also covered the casting of lesser-known talent, the decision to use instrumental music for the opening, and the thematic exploration of love in the story's world.
Hikaru Utada released the performance video of 'Flavor Of Life -Ballad Version-' from the May 11 broadcast of TBS's 'CDTV Live! Live!' on her official YouTube channel. The video is available in full length for four weeks. The song is a special arrangement made for that broadcast. The video trended high on X on the day of broadcast.
The Gachiakuta stage play canceled its Wednesday and Thursday performances after lead actor Hikaru Imamaki tore his meniscus during Tuesday's evening show. Imamaki will withdraw from the remaining run, and Ryota Kamiya will take over the role of Rudo starting Friday.
The New York Times released its monthly Graphic Books and Manga bestseller list for early May, featuring multiple volumes of Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen and the first volume of Kei Urana's Gachiakuta. Jujutsu Kaisen volume 29 ranked at #6, followed by Gachiakuta volume 1 at #9, Jujutsu Kaisen volume 1 at #10, volume 28 at #11, and volume 26 at #15. The list also included the KPop Demon Hunters: The Movie comic adaptation at #4. Separately, Circana BookScan's Top 20 adult graphic novels list for April placed Jujutsu Kaisen volume 29 at #1. That list featured 16 manga volumes, with Gachiakuta volume 1 at #4, and other titles such as Dandadan, One Piece, Witch Hat Atelier, Chainsaw Man, Demon Slayer, The Summer Hikaru Died, and My Dress-Up Darling also appearing. The BookScan chart covers approximately 85% of the U.S. trade print book market and ranks by piece sales.
Manga creator Yuu Yoshinaga will debut a new series titled Saredo, Futari wa Kusare En (Even So, We Have an Undesirable, Yet Inseparable Love) in the next issue of Shogakukan's Betsucomi magazine on June 12. The announcement came from the magazine's June issue, which was released on Wednesday. The story centers on childhood friends Muku Mochigi and Kyo Yakumo, who are constantly at odds with each other but remain stuck together. As they enter high school, their relationship begins to shift in unexpected ways. Yoshinaga is best known for the series Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki, which launched in Betsucomi in August 2021. The main story of that manga concluded in May 2025, and Shogakukan released the 12th and final compiled volume on January 26. Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the series in English and shipped the fifth volume on January 13. The series also returned for a short special episode serialization in the August 2025 issue of Betsucomi. The new series marks Yoshinaga's next project following the conclusion of her previous work.
The short anime adaptation of Sakura Kurihara's yuri manga Let Me Fix You has been rescheduled to mid-June following an internal investigation. Buta Productions and FAR are no longer involved, and the project's future beyond the current scope is uncertain.
Bandai Namco Filmworks released a new video for the Patlabor EZY anime project on Thursday, introducing the main characters of the Special Vehicles Division 2. The project consists of eight episodes released as three theatrical films. The first film, File 1, debuted on May 15, 2026, and contains the first two episodes in an omnibus format. File 2 follows on August 14, 2026, with episodes four through six, and File 3 arrives in March 2027 with the final two episodes as a two-part story. The story is set in the 2030s, where Labors have become commonplace and are increasingly replaced by autonomous robots. SV2 still uses a tuned-up version of the SV-98 Ingram. The cast includes Sumire Uesaka as Towa Kuga, Kikunosuke Toya as Kippei Atori, Ami Koshimizu as Saki Hirata, Chikahiro Kobayashi as Akihiko Hazama, Setsuji Sato as Yuta Yanai, Yume Matsumura as Hachikuma Yuzuki, and Megumi Hayashibara as Kimika Saeki. Shigeru Chiba reprises his role as Shigeo Shiba. Yutaka Izubuchi directs at J.C. Staff, with Kazunori Ito writing the script. Mori Calliope performs the opening theme, and Mariko Nagai performs the ending theme.
Com2uS announced during its latest earnings call that games based on Gachiakuta and Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint are targeting a 2027 release. The company had previously announced both projects in 2025. The earnings call also mentioned an anime adaptation of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint for 2027, but that date has not been confirmed by distributors or production partners.
Kodansha named the winners of its 50th Manga Awards on May 11, 2026. Gachiakuta, written and drawn by Kei Urana with graffiti art by Hideyoshi Andou, took the Shonen category. The series beat fellow finalists Ichi the Witch, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity, and Utsuranain desu. Urana posted on X that she never expected the honor and would keep working at full speed. The prize includes two million yen, a certificate, and a bronze statue. In the Shojo category, Gin Shirakawa's Re-Living My Life with a Boyfriend Who Doesn't Remember Me won. The manga adapts Eiko Mutsuhana's light novel Return from Death, with original illustrations by Yugiri Aika. Shun Umezawa's The Darwin Incident won the General category after being a finalist in two previous years. The series follows Charlie, a half-human half-chimpanzee raised by human parents, who is pulled into an eco-terrorist plot. Judges for the 50th awards included Hiro Mashima, Hikaru Nakamura, and Natsumi Ando.