Odekake Kozame Season 2 Gets New Key Visual Ahead of its Premiere

By
Soul Kiwami
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Odekake Kozame Season 2 anime

Kadokawa has revealed a new key visual and two new cast members for Odekake Kozame Season 2, the continuation of the anime adaptation of Penguin Box’s manga series.

Odekake Kozame Season 2 key visual
©ペンギンボックス・KADOKAWA／おでかけ子ザメ

The new cast members include:

  • Shiori Izawa as Tamamo Yо̄ko

  • Ryōta Suzuki as Dhurandaru

Odekake Kozame Season 2 will premiere on April 12 at 7:00 a.m. JST during the “Animori!” program on TV Tokyo and affiliate channels. The anime will also stream on YouTube. 

The cast of Odekake Kozame Season 2 includes a returning Kana Hanazawa as Kozame-chan alongside Megumi Han as Ankō-chan, Misaki Kuno as Usame-chan, and Karin Takahashi as Kitsune-chan. Chihiro Kumano returns to direct the second season at ENGI. Hiroaki Nagashima is the script writer once more, and returning character designer Ayumi Takeuchi is also part of the staff. 

The Eiga Odekake Kozame Tokai no Otomodachi anime film opened on August 22, 2025 in Japan. Much of the main staff from the film return for the anime. Lozareena performed the film’s theme song “Where you come from.”

Penguin Box launched the manga on X (formerly Twitter) in June 2021, and the manga’s sixth compiled book volume shipped on December 24, 2024 in Japan. The manga’s first anime adaptation came in August 2023 on YouTube, and its 60th and final episode streamed in May 2024. Hanazawa wrote and performed the anime’s theme song “Yorimichi” (Detour).

Lastly, here’s an overview of the manga series, via MyAnimeList:

The adventures of a baby shark in nostalgia-filled Yauo Town.

Whether it’s cider on a summer day, freeze pops, radio calisthenics, festival stalls, or hanging out with friends, the world sparkles when reflected in the eyes of the baby shark.

Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You Anime Reveals New Trailer, Key Visual and Ending Theme Song

By
Soul Kiwami
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The staff of the TV anime adaptation of Jinushi’s Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You (Super no Ura de Yani Sū Futari) manga revealed a new trailer and key visual. The new trailer for Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You confirms that imase will perform the ending theme song “Fiction.” ZUTOMAYO will perform the opening theme song. 

Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You key visual
©地主／SQUARE ENIX・「ヤニすう」製作委員会 ©Jinushi/SQUARE ENIX

The Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You anime premieres in July 2026 on TBS and more than 20 other channels. 

Takuya Satō voices Sasaki and Seena Hoshiki voices Yamada/Tayama in the anime series.

Asahi Production is producing the anime series with directors Masato Suzuki and Aori Mori at the helm. Mio Inoue handles series composition, Sayaka Aoki and Shin Kono are the music composers, and Yasuka Otaki is the character designer.

Jinushi released the Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You manga on X (formerly Twitter) in March 2022, before serialization in Square Enix’s Big Gangan magazine in August 2022. The manga is available to read in English via BOOK WALKER.

Lastly, here’s a synopsis of the Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You manga via Square Enix:

An overworked salaryman and a mischievous cashier with a dual personality form an unexpected bond in this sweet-and-sour comedy!

At age forty-five, office worker Sasaki has had enough of the corporate grind. His only solace is smoking-and the friendly smile of supermarket cashier Yamada. When Sasaki can’t find Yamada after a particularly trying day, a striking woman invites him to smoke with her. The despondent man thinks he’s made a new smoking buddy in the cool, teasing Tayama, but Sasaki doesn’t realize he already knows her!

Kaiju Girl Caramelise Anime Premieres in July 2026

By
Soul Kiwami
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Kaiju Girl Caramelise anime series

Pony Canyon has announced that the TV anime adaptation of Spica Aoki’s Kaiju Girl Caramelise (Otome Kaijū Caramelise in Japanese) manga will premiere in July 2026 on TBS and BS11 channels. A new teaser trailer and key visual for the Kaiju Girl Caramelise anime were also released.

©Aoki Spica/KADOKAWA/Otome Kaiju Caramelise Production Committee

The main cast of the anime includes:

  • Hikari Senga as Kuroe Akaishi
  • Daishi Kajita as Arata Minami
  • Akira Sekine as Manatsu Tomosato
  • Haruka Shiraishi as Raimu Kono
  • Kotono Mitsuishi as Rinko Akaishi
  • Katsuyuki Konishi as Kotaro Hibino
  • Eriko Matsui as Jumbo King

Teruyuki Omine directs the anime at LIDEN FILMS. Yuniko Ayana handles the series scripts, and Mitomi Nakayama is the character designer. GOOD SMILE FILM is producing the series.

Aoki launched the manga series in Kadokawa’s Monthly Comic Alive magazine in 2018, and the series is still ongoing. The ninth compiled book volume will ship out on December 23. Yen Press publishes the manga series in English.

Here’s a story synopsis, via Pony Canyon:

Love… or Destruction?

Kuroe Akaishi, a high-school girl suffering from a mysterious illness, has always lived avoiding others because of her awkwardness in social situations.
One fateful encounter leads her to fall in love with Arata Minami—the most popular boy in her class.

And the moment she realizes her feelings, the dormant power within her awakens…
A battle between love and reason is in conflict.
A shocking twist that shatters the conventions of shoujo manga is about to sweep across Japan!

Reincarnated as a Sword Season 2 Premieres in October 2026

By
Soul Kiwami
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Reincarnated as a Sword Season 2

Season 2 of the anime adaptation of Yuu Tanaka’s Reincarnated as a Sword will premiere in October 2026, according to the anime’s official website. As previously announced, HIDIVE will exclusively stream Reincarnated as a Sword Season 2 when it premieres. A new promotional video was also released.

©棚架ユウ・るろお／マイクロマガジン社／転剣Ⅱ製作委員会

Reincarnated as a Sword Season 2 was initially announced after the first season’s finale in December 2022. The first season premiered in 2022 and consisted of 12 episodes. Fans can watch the first season in both English and Japanese on HIDIVE. 

Studio C2C is returning to animate Season 2, with Shinji Ishihira at the helm as director. Takahiro Nagano is handling the series composition, and Atsuki Saito is the character designer.

Yu Tanaka first released the novel on the Shosetsuka ni Naro website in October 2015 with illustrations by LLO. A manga adaptation by Tomoo Maruyama was later released in 2016. The series also inspired a spin-off manga titled Reincarnated as a Sword: Another Wish by Hinako Inoue, which debuted in 2020.

Seven Seas Entertainment licenses both the manga and novel and describes it as follows:

Reincarnated as a sentient weapon with memories of his past life, but not his name, a magical sword saves a young beast girl from a life of slavery. Fran, the cat-eared girl, becomes his wielder and wants only to grow stronger, while the sword wants to know why he is here. Together, the strange duo’s journey has only just begun! 

Black Torch Anime Reveals New Cast Members and July 4 Premiere

By
Soul Kiwami
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Black Torch anime premiere

The TV anime adaptation of Tsuyoshi Takaki’s Black Torch manga will premiere on July 4 on Tokyo MX and other channels. As previously announced, Black Torch will be streaming worldwide, excluding Asia, on Crunchyroll.

The following cast members were also announced:

  • Toshiyuki Morikawa as Amagi

  • Nobuhiko Okamoto as Koga

The Japanese main cast includes:

  • Ryota Suzuki as Jiro Azuma
  • Yoji Ueda as Rago
  • Sayaka Sembongi as Ichika Kishimojin
  • Junya Enoki as Reiji Kirihara
  • Reina Ueda as Hana Usami
  • Junichi Suwabe as Ryosuke Shiba

Black Torch will receive an English dub with AJ Beckles starring as protagonist Jiro Azuma.

Black Torch key visual
©Tsuyoshi Takaki/Shueisha, Project BLACK TORCH

The Black Torch manga series was first serialized in Shueisha’s Jump Square and Shonen Jump+ between 2017 and 2018. VIZ Media publishes the manga in English. 

Lastly, here’s a synopsis of the story, via Crunchyroll:

Jiro Azuma is not your average high schooler. Hailing from a long line of ninja, Jiro has been brought up by his grandfather in the ancient warrior art of the shinobi. Jiro also happens to be a particularly skilled communicator able to converse with the animal world. But life takes an abrupt turn thanks to a mysterious encounter in the forest with an injured black cat named Rago.

Only, Rago’s feline appearance is deceiving…
It turns out the “ordinary” cat is the stuff of mononoke legend–the Black Star of Doom!

Swarming in the shadows are more mononoke, eager to exploit Rago’s uniquely immense powers. To fight back against the tide of dark spirits, the undercover Bureau of Espionage is poised to seek and destroy.

Of course, everyone has their motives when it comes to Rago’s powers. But Jiro and Rago are ready.

A shinobi clash between boy and mononoke is about to ignite!

A Tale of the Secret Saint Anime Gets First Key Visual

By
Soul Kiwami
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The staff for the TV anime adaptation of Touya and illustrator Chibi’s A Tale of the Secret Saint light novel series has revealed the anime’s first key visual. As previously announced, the A Tale of the Secret Saint anime was delayed to October 2026 “in order to aim to provide a more enjoyable work for everyone.”

A Tale of the Secret Saint anime first key visual
© Touya/​EARTH STAR Entertainment/​BLACK DRAGON KNIGHTS

Kaya performs the opening theme song “Flare of Soul,” which was composed and arranged by Hiroaki Suzuki (SUPA LOVE). In addition, Utahime Dream All Stars perform the ending theme song “Stellar.” Kyōichi Miyazaki (KEYTONE, RUCCA) wrote the ending theme song’s lyrics and composed the song. Hiroto Kikuchi from KEYTONE arranged the song.

The cast includes:

  • Shion Wakayama as Fia Ruud
  • Shinnosuke Tokudome as Zavilia
  • Yūichirō Umehara as Saviz Náv
  • Nobunaga Shimazaki as Cyril Sutherland
  • Tasuku Hatanaka as Desmond Ronan
  • Daiki Hamano as Zachary Townsend
  • Tomokazu Sugita as Quintin Agata

The staff of includes:

  • Director: Tomoe Makino
  • Animation Production: Felix Film
  • Assistant Director: Naoki Murata
  • Series Scripts: Deko Akao
  • Character Design: Satomi Kurita
  • Music: Kenichiro Suehiro
  • Sound Director: Ryōsuke Naya

Touya first released the novel on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in January 2019. In 2019, Earth Star Entertainment began publishing the novels in print, with illustrations by Chibi.

Here’s an overview of the series, via Seven Seas Entertainment:

Fia always dreamed of becoming a knight. Born into a family of knights, she’s the least talented among them, but she still clings to her hope and trains with everything she has.

When the day comes for her to slay a small demon and prove her worth, she ends up face to face with a dragon instead! A deadly injury makes her life flash before her eyes…and she suddenly remembers her former life, when she was a powerful Saint in a bygone era who defeated the Demon King.

That life ended in pain because of who she was, making her fear ever becoming a Saint again. Now that the magic from her previous life has been rekindled, she may become a more powerful knight than she ever dreamed–if only she can survive long enough!

Inherit the Winds Anime Premieres in January 2027

By
Soul Kiwami
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Inherit the Winds anime trailer

Aniplex revealed a new promotional video for the new Inherit the Winds (Kaze wo Tsugumono) original TV anime series, confirming the anime’s January 2027 premiere. The staff also announced that Nichika Ōmori is joining the cast as the cat Kurosuke.

The Inherit the Winds anime will air during the “Agaru Anime” programming block on CBC, TBS, and 26 affiliate networks when it premieres in January 2027.

The cast of Inherit the Winds includes:

  • Daisuke Sakuma (Snow Man member) as Jinsuke Tachikawa
  • Yūki Kaji as Sōji Okita
  • Aoi Yūki as Hyōgo Koganei
  • Kōki Uchiyama as Hijikata Toshizō
  • Yūichi Nakamura as Kondō Isami

A four-panel manga adaptation will launch on Star Seas Company’s Twi4 (Tsuiyon) X (formerly Twitter) account in 2026. Matsuri Muramatsu will draw the Inherit the Winds manga.

Yutaka Narui and Aniplex are in charge of the original story with cooperation by Azuki Mashiba. Tomohiro Kawamura directs the anime at Live2D Creative Studio and Drive Inc. Narui is writing the scripts, Fumi Ebina is the character designer, and Shigeru Kishida is composing the music.

The story of Inherit the Winds takes place in the Bakumatsu era in Kyoto. A soldier who lost his memories is helped by Shinsengumi member Sōji Okita. Okita names the soldier “Junsuke Tachikawa” and enlists them amongst the Mibu soldiers.

Inherit the Winds was first announced during Aniplex Online Fest 2025, alongside a new teaser trailer for the new feature-length film Rakuen Tsuihō -Expelled from Paradise- Kokoro no Resonance (Heart’s Resonance).

Yaiba: Samurai Legend Season 2 Anime Reveals Teaser Visual

By
Douglas
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During AnimeJapan2026, the staff of the Yaiba: Samurai Legend anime revealed a new teaser visual for the upcoming second season. Yaiba: Samurai Legend Season 2 will focus on adapting the Kaguya Arc.

© 青山剛昌／小学館／真・侍伝YAIBA製作委員会

The Yaiba: Samurai Legend anime is currently streaming on Netflix.

The cast of the anime includes:

  • Minami Takayama as Yaiba Kurogane
  • Manaka Iwami as Sayaka Mine
  • Yoshimasa Hosoya as Takeshi Onimaru
  • Katsuyuki Konishi as Kenjūrō Kurogane
  • Junichi Suwabe as Musashi Miyamoto
  • Isshin Chiba as Kagetora
  • Kōsuke Echigoya as Shonosuke
  • Atsushi Miyauchi as Raizō Mine
  • Rina Satō as Shizuka Mine
  • Kimiko Saitō as Fuji Mine
  • Takeharu Ōnishi as Gerozaemon Geroda
  • Shūhei Sakaguchi as Kumo Otoko (Mr. Spider)
  • Kana Ichinose as Namako Otoko (Mr. Sea Cucumber)
  • Gō Inoue as Sasaki Kojirō

Gōshō Aoyama’s hit manga made its debut in September 1988 on Shogakukan’s Weekly Shonen Sunday. The series finished in December 1993 with 24 compiled book volumes.

Lastly, here’s an overview of the manga via VIZ Media:

Upon enrolling in school, Yaiba quickly crosses swords with his soon-to-be rival, Onimaru. When Onimaru is transformed into a demon by the cursed power of Fujinken, the Wind God’s Sword, Yaiba embarks on a quest to Mount Tengu to find his own enchanted sword. But Yaiba lacks the skill and knowledge to use such a powerful weapon. If he can’t control himself, it will control him!

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian Season 2 Gets New ‘Ultra’ Teaser Trailer and Visual

By
Soul Kiwami
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Season 2 of the TV anime adaptation of Sunsunsun and artist Momoco’s Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian light novel series received a new “ultra” teaser trailer and key visual during AnimeJapan 2026. As previously announced, Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian Season 2 was delayed until 2027, since more time was needed to further improve the quality of the series.

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian Season 2 ultra key visual
©Sunsunsun,Momoco/KADOKAWA/Alya-san Partners2

The first season of Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian premiered in April 2024 and aired for 12 episodes. Fans can watch the anime in English or Japanese on Crunchyroll. Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian Season 2 will pick up and adapt from the light novel’s fourth volume.

Sumire Uesaka, who voiced Alya, performed the opening theme song “Ichiban Kagayaku Hoshi” (“The Brightest Star”). The voice actress also performed different covers of popular songs as the ending theme for each episode.

The anime stars:

  • Sumire Uesaka as Alisa “Alya” Mikhailovna Kujō
  • Kōhei Amasaki as Masachika Kuse
  • Wakana Maruoka as Yuki Suō
  • Yukiyo Fujii as Maria “Masha” Mikhailovna Kujō
  • Saya Aizawa as Ayano Kimishima
  • Maki Kawase as Chisaki Sarashina

Hiroshi Haraguchi, who directed the fourth episode of the first season, replaces Ryota Itoh as director at Dōga Kōbō. Yūhei Murota returns to handle the character design, while Yuka Yamada now handles the series scripts, replacing Itoh.

Lastly, here’s a synopsis of the anime, via Crunchyroll:

Alya is a transfer student enjoying popularity at her new high school, often sporting a cold shoulder while earning high marks in class. She ignores her nerdy classmate, Kuze Masachika, except for when she blurts out a flirtatious line to him in Russian. Little does she know, Kuze understands Russian, though he pretends not to. Let’s see where this wacky love story takes them!

Dandelion Anime Premieres April 16 Worldwide on Netflix

By
Soul Kiwami
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Dandelion anime

The staff of the anime adaptation of Gintama creator Hideaki Sorachi’s Dandelion one-shot manga have announced the anime’s April 16 premiere, exclusively on Netflix. A new key visual for the Dandelion anime was also revealed.

Dandelion anime release date key visual
©Hideaki Sorachi/SHUEISHA

Seven episodes of the Dandelion anime will be released in total on Netflix.

Kocchi no Kento performs the theme song “Goron to Doron.”

The main cast of the Dandelion anime includes Chikahiro Kobayashi as Tetsuo Tanba and Megumi Han as Misaki Kurogane. 

Daisuke Mataga directs the anime at studio NAZ. Yōsuke Suzuki oversees the series scripts, Ai Asari is the character designer, and Yūki Hayashi is the music composer.

Additional staff members include:

  • Assistant Director: Atsushi Ikariya
  • Prop Design: Yoshihiro Sono
  • Main Animators: Norie Igawa, Momoko Kawai, Yutaka Matsuhara, Hitomi Takechi
  • Art Director: Ryūsuke Shiino
  • Color Design: Emiko Okada
  • 3DCG Director: Kunihiko Mita
  • Director of Photography: Tsubasa Takagi
  • Editing: Yoshiaki Kimura
  • Sound Director: Kisuke Koizumi
  • Sound Production: FUTOKOROGATANA
  • Sound Effects: Shota Yaso
  • Animation Producer: Yasuo Suda

Sorachi’s popular Gintama series began with the manga in 2004 and ran all the way until June 2021, but the Dandelion manga preceded it in 2002 in Weekly Shonen Jump. The original Gintama anime series is streaming with English subs on Crunchyroll. Hulu is also streaming Gintama Seasons 2 and 3 with an English dub. In addition, GINTAMA – Mr. Ginpachi’s Zany Class spinoff anime is now streaming on Crunchyroll. 

Gintama New Film Version: Yoshiwara in Flames opened in theaters on February 13 in Japan. The film adapts the Gintama anime’s Yoshiwara in Flames arc, including episodes 139 through 146. What’s more, the film features newly animated scenes and characters who didn’t originally appear in the arc. 

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