Ten years is a long time in anime — long enough that the production staff scattered, life happened, and fans wondered if that particular lightning would ever strike again. On July 12, 2026, almost all of the original Mob Psycho 100 team answered that question at the “Mob Psycho 100 Anime 10th Anniversary Event: Reunion” at the Fukagawa Mirai Hall in Kawaguchi City, Saitama. They showed a brand-new animated short movie. It is now live on YouTube, and you can watch it right now.
The Anniversary Short: Reigen in Trouble, Original Staff Back Together
MOB PSYCHO 100 10th Anniversary Special Movie — via Warner Bros. Japan Anime on YouTube
The short is set at the Spirits and Such Consultation Office and features the core crew: Reigen Arataka, Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama, Ekubo (Dimple), and Tome Kurata. The premise, fittingly, starts with an ordinary day at the office before Reigen lands himself in serious trouble — which is very on-brand. No spoilers on how it plays out.
Image courtesy of ONE / Bones / Warner Bros. Japan
Ten Years of Mob Psycho 100: A Quick Recap
Image courtesy of ONE / Bones
Mob Psycho 100 is the anime adaptation of ONE’s manga of the same name — ONE being the same creator behind One Punch Man. The anime debuted in July 2016 under studio Bones and director Yuzuru Tachikawa, and immediately turned heads for its hyper-kinetic animation and the surprisingly sincere emotional core beneath all the psychic carnage. Three seasons followed: Season 1 (July–September 2016), Season 2 (January–April 2019), and Season 3 (October–December 2022).
Image courtesy of ONE / Bones / Warner Bros. Japan
For Singapore anime fans who somehow missed all three seasons — all of them are on Crunchyroll, available to stream now. The anniversary short itself is free on YouTube with no subscription needed. For more on what is airing this season and beyond, see our manga and anime coverage.
Demon lords, reincarnation and a hero who refuses to leave you alone — Liden Films’ summer 2026 romantic comedy Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life makes its streaming debut today (11 July 2026). Singapore and Southeast Asia fans can catch it on Aniplus Asia, while most other regions get it on Crunchyroll with a same-day English dub.
Image courtesy of Liden Films / Pony CanyonHanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life | Main PV — via ANIPLUS Asia on YouTube
The Story: A Demon Lord Who Just Wants to Game
Ryusei Narukami is a self-described NEET who keeps to himself and spends his days playing video games. What nobody knows is that he is the reincarnation of a fearsome demon lord from another world. He is perfectly content in his new, quiet existence — until a high school girl named Meteor Hanaori shows up uninvited at his apartment. She is the reincarnation of the very hero who defeated him in his past life, and she is absolutely not willing to let the grudge go.
What follows is a sharp, energetic romantic comedy that plays with the classic isekai power fantasy from an unexpected angle: the protagonist actively wants less adventure and just wants to be left alone. Based on the manga by Hekiru Hikawa, serialised in Kodansha’s Morning Two seinen magazine since 2021, the series mixes fish-out-of-water comedy with a genuinely warm dynamic between its leads.
Production and Voice Cast
The anime is produced by Liden Films, with direction by Hideyo Yamamoto, series composition by Yukie Sugawara and character design by Yousuke Okuda.
Still from ANIPLUS Asia’s official trailer
The cast is headlined by Jun Fukuyama (Lelouch in Code Geass, Felix in Re:Zero) as Ryusei Narukami and Akira Sekine as Meteor Hanaori. Maaya Uchida, who also performs the ending theme “Very Good Encounter,” voices Meru Tsumugina. The opening theme, “High Maintenance Girl,” is by Masayoshi Oishi.
Where to Watch in Singapore
Aniplus Asia is the streaming home for Singapore and Southeast Asia. Crunchyroll does not serve Southeast Asia for this title; the Crunchyroll stream (which includes the same-day English dub) covers North America, Europe, the Middle East, India, Oceania and other regions. Singapore viewers should head to the Aniplus Asia app or website — the dub situation on Aniplus is to be confirmed, but expect the Japanese audio with subtitles as the default.
New episodes follow the Japanese broadcast schedule, with the first airing on ABC TV and TV Asahi on 11–12 July. For more anime news, keep checking back.
If you spent your early teens sneaking chapters of a time-travel shoujo epic when you were supposed to be studying, your wait is finally over. Red River — the beloved manga that gripped Shojo Comic readers from 1995 to 2002 — has its first-ever anime adaptation, and it landed on Crunchyroll this week. Twenty-five years after the final chapter ran, Yuri and Prince Kail are animated at last.
Image courtesy of Tatsunoko Production
What Is Red River (Anatolia Story)?
For anyone who missed the manga: Red River (天は赤い河のほとり, Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori — also published in English as Anatolia Story) follows 15-year-old Japanese schoolgirl Yuri Suzuki, who is summoned against her will to the Hittite Empire in 1500 BC Anatolia. Queen Nakia plans to use Yuri as a human sacrifice to curse the royal princes and clear the path for her own son’s succession. The one who intervenes is Nakia’s stepson, the charming and politically savvy Prince Kail Mursili, who mistakenly — and then very deliberately — passes Yuri off as the reincarnation of the war goddess Ishtar.
What follows across 28 volumes is a dense mix of Bronze Age political intrigue, large-scale battles, and a romance that earns its slow burn. Creator Chie Shinohara packed an enormous amount of historical detail into the series — it remains one of the most meticulously researched shoujo manga ever written — and the story’s reach showed: over 20 million copies sold in Japan, an English-language licence from VIZ Media, a Takarazuka Revue stage production in 2018, and the 46th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shoujo category. The one thing it never had was an anime. Until now.
Red River | Official Trailer — via Crunchyroll on YouTube
The Studio, Staff, and Commitment to Historical Accuracy
The adaptation is being produced by Tatsunoko Production — the studio behind classics like Gatchaman, Yatterman, and Casshern Sins — a choice that fits a story this rooted in craft and ambition. Kōsuke Kobayashi directs, with Yoriko Tomita handling series composition and Kenji Fujisaki designing the characters.
Particularly notable is the production’s approach to historical authenticity: the team brought in historians from the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology to advise on ancient Hittite architecture, clothing, weapons, and court politics. For a story built on the real bones of a Bronze Age civilisation, that kind of scholarly input matters — and it suggests the team understands what made the source material special.
The Voice Cast — Including a 30-Year Reunion
Mirai Tachibana voices Yuri, with Wataru Kato as Prince Kail. Hiroki Nanami — who also performs the opening theme, “Akatsuki no Sora” (暁の空; Dawn Sky) — takes the role of Yuri’s present-day boyfriend Satoshi Himuro and serves as the series narrator. Aya Uchida plays the villain Queen Nakia; the wider ancient court features Shoya Chiba (Zannanza), Tomoaki Maenon (Ilbani), Koji Yusa (Urhi), and Kohsuke Toriumi (Mattiwaza), among others. Miisha Shimizu performs the ending theme, “Reunion.”
Image courtesy of Tatsunoko Production
The casting announcement that generated the biggest reaction came on July 8, one day after the series premiere: veteran voice actors Minami Takayama and Kazuhiko Inoue have been cast as Yuri’s parents. The two originally voiced the series lead couple in the original Red River drama CD — released some thirty years ago. Their return to the franchise, now a generation older in-universe, is exactly the kind of easter egg that rewards long-time fans. It is a small creative decision that communicates something important: the people behind this adaptation know the fandom they are making it for.
Image courtesy of Tatsunoko Production
Where Singapore Fans Can Watch Red River
Red River is streaming on Crunchyroll for international audiences. In Japan the series airs on NTV’s AnichU block on Monday nights (technically 1:35 AM Tuesday JST), with Crunchyroll carrying the simulcast. The show premiered on July 7, meaning there are episodes already waiting if you’re jumping in right now.
If you haven’t read the manga, VIZ Media’s English edition — all 28 volumes — is the ideal companion. The anime has a lot of ground to cover, and the source material rewards time with it. For longtime fans who read it in serialisation or in collected volumes as kids, this adaptation is something that didn’t seem certain to ever happen. Check out our manga and anime coverage for more on this summer’s anime season.
The wait is over: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage premieres on Netflix on 25 September 2026, with a new episode dropping every Friday. Warner Bros. Japan confirmed the date during the series’ panel at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles on 3 July, alongside a new trailer and the first official character designs for three of the manga’s most anticipated figures.
Image courtesy of Lucky Land Communications / Shueisha
Into the Devil’s Palm — What Stage 2 Covers
Stage 1 of the anime adapted the opening of Hirohiko Araki’s landmark manga with a measured, almost Western-drama pacing — long stretches of horse racing, growing rivalry between Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli, and the first hints of something stranger beneath the surface. Stage 2 is where Steel Ball Run stops pretending to be a period sports story.
Johnny and Gyro push deeper into the continent, arriving at the leg of the Steel Ball Run that crosses a roughly 750-mile Arizona desert passage known as the “Devil’s Palm.” This is Stand-battle territory: supernatural encounters, rival users with lethal abilities, and story developments that Araki fans regard as some of the best chapters he has ever written. Stages 2 and 3 together span 11 episodes total.
New Characters: Valentine, Mountain Tim, Hot Pants
Three characters fans of the manga have been waiting to see animated finally have official designs and voice actors:
Image courtesy of Lucky Land Communications / Shueisha
Funny Valentine is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita — the 23rd President of the United States and the race’s most consequential shadow figure. Sugita (known to SG anime fans as Joseph Joestar in Battle Tendency and Gintoki in Gintama) is inspired casting: Valentine needs both quiet menace and a veneer of patriotic warmth, and Sugita can do both without blinking.
Image courtesy of Lucky Land Communications / Shueisha
Mountain Tim, voiced by Tomoaki Maeno, is a lawman and fellow racer whose calm exterior hides abilities that put him directly in Johnny and Gyro’s path. And Hot Pants, voiced by Yōko Hikasa, is a masked racer whose true allegiances and Stand power make their arc one of Stage 2’s most memorable threads.
Image courtesy of Lucky Land Communications / Shueisha
Watch the Official Stage 2 Trailer
STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure 2nd STAGE | Official Trailer | Netflix — via Netflix on YouTube
Weekly Episodes Starting 25 September
After the backlash Netflix received for dropping Stone Ocean in batches, both Stage 1 of Steel Ball Run and now Stage 2 are following a weekly release structure. A new episode lands every Friday — which in Singapore time means Saturday mornings, a decent slot if you want to start your weekend with something that will make your jaw drop. The last of the 11 Stage 2-and-3 episodes will carry the story through to the end of 2026.
If you have not yet started Stage 1, it is currently streaming on Netflix. With two-and-a-half months before Stage 2 arrives, there is plenty of time to catch up and arrive at the Devil’s Palm fully prepared. Keep an eye on our manga and anime coverage for episode notes as the season unfolds.
One of the most beloved JRPGs ever made is finally becoming an anime. Suikoden: The Anime, Konami Animation’s full-series adaptation of Suikoden II, has confirmed an October 2026 TV premiere — and a second promotional video released on 5 July added even more fuel to the hype, unveiling a new opening theme from Japanese rock band amazarashi and a wave of additional voice cast names including Miyuki Sawashiro.
Image courtesy of Konami
What Is Suikoden: The Anime?
The series is a new production by Konami Animation adapting the story of the 1998 PS1 classic Suikoden II — widely considered one of the greatest RPGs ever made and a formative game for a generation of Singapore and Southeast Asian fans who discovered it on PlayStation. The anime follows Riou and Jowy, two young soldiers from the Highland Kingdom whose bond is tested by war, betrayal, and the weight of the 27 True Runes.
Direction is by Yūzō Satō, known for Hunter × Hunter: The Last Mission, with series composition by Michihiro Tsuchiya. The character design trio — Fumi Ishikawa (original game designs), Arata Suzuki (anime concept art), and Ryō Yamauchi (TV animation adaptation) — has been working to translate the distinctive look of Suikoden II into a full animated series.
Image courtesy of Konami
New Trailer and amazarashi’s Opening Theme
The second promotional video, released 5 July, is the most substantial look at the series yet — and it opens with the first bars of the new theme song. “Kanashimi Sae Otonabite” (Even Sorrow Resounds) by amazarashi is the series’ opening theme, a band whose work on Dororo and Fumetsu no Anata e made them a favourite among fans of emotionally heavy anime — a fitting match for a story about friendship, war, and political betrayal.
Suikoden: The Anime — 2nd Promotional Video (opening theme: amazarashi) — via NBCUniversal Anime/Music on YouTube
Voice Cast Highlights
The main duo is played by Toshiki Kumagai (Riou) and Shimba Tsuchiya (Jowy). Jowy’s arc — starting as Riou’s closest friend and evolving into the story’s most tragic antagonist — gives Tsuchiya one of the more demanding roles in the season.
Image courtesy of Konami
Among the supporting cast, Miyuki Sawashiro (best known internationally as Celty in Durarara!! and Jolyne in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean) will voice Anabelle, the Mayor of Muse City — a key political figure in the Highland-City-State conflict. Hiroki Sakai joins as Jess, and King Agares Blight, the ailing Highland ruler, will be voiced by Yamanoi Hitoshi. The cast also includes Katsuyuki Konishi and Yuichi Nakamura, two veterans whose combined credits span Fate/stay night, My Hero Academia, Gintama, and dozens of other flagship titles — signalling that Konami Animation has gone all-in on the production.
Japan Theatrical Premiere and TV Broadcast
Before the series airs on TV, the first three episodes will receive a theatrical premiere in Japan on 21 August 2026 — giving audiences an early, big-screen look at the adaptation before the broadcast run begins.
The TV broadcast launches on 3 October 2026 with a 60-minute extended first episode, rolling out across TOKYO MX, Kansai TV, BS Asahi, and 32 stations nationwide.
Image courtesy of Konami
What Singapore Fans Should Know
International streaming for Suikoden: The Anime has not been confirmed yet, and there is no confirmed SG or SEA release date for the theatrical cut. Crunchyroll handled the Suikoden I & II HD Remaster marketing in the region, and NBC Universal Entertainment Japan (the distributor behind the 2nd PV) handles many titles that end up on streaming platforms globally — so a Crunchyroll or similar simulcast pick-up is plausible, but officially still to be confirmed.
For now, Suikoden: The Anime goes down as one of the most anticipated Fall 2026 series for JRPG fans and veteran anime watchers. Follow the Konami Animation official site and other anime news here for streaming announcements as they come.
Kyoto Animation’s latest series, Sparks of Tomorrow, dropped its first episode on Netflix on 5 July — and Singapore fans can stream it right now. Based on the acclaimed light novel 20 Seiki Denki Mokuroku (20th Century Electrical Catalog) by Hiro Yūki, the show marks KyoAni’s Netflix debut and, if early reactions are anything to go by, another emotionally charged chapter in one of anime’s most beloved libraries.
Image courtesy of Kyoto Animation
A Steampunk Kyoto Where Electricity Never Arrived
The series is set in 1907 Kyoto — but not the Kyoto you know from history books. In this alternate past, electricity was never adopted, and the city runs on coal and steam, its streets choked with a perpetual amber smog. Into this world steps Kihachi Sakamoto (voiced by Yuma Uchida), a once-hopeful young inventor whose drive collapsed after losing his brother. A chance encounter with Inako Momokawa (Sora Amamiya), the quietly ambitious second daughter of a sake-brewing family, sets both of them on a hunt for the mysterious 20th Century Electrical Catalog — a document said to contain blueprints that could transform the city.
Episode 1, “The Electric Boy,” is deliberately unhurried — a table-setter that prioritises atmosphere and character texture over plot mechanics — but the alternate-history Kyoto that KyoAni has built is extraordinary: painterly, lived-in, and strikingly original. Early reviews have singled out the show’s visual identity as its strongest hook, with the steampunk streetscapes packed with the kind of incidental detail the studio is famous for.
Sparks of Tomorrow | Official Trailer | Netflix Anime — via Netflix Anime on YouTube
The Studio and the Staff Behind the Magic
Kyoto Animation needs no introduction to Singapore anime fans. The Uji-based studio behind K-On!, Violet Evergarden, A Silent Voice, and Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid has produced some of the most visually polished and emotionally resonant anime of the past two decades. Sparks of Tomorrow is the directorial debut of Minoru Ōta, working from scripts by Tatsuhiko Urahata (Overlord, Strike the Blood). Character designs are handled by Kohei Okamura, who also serves as chief animation director, with music by Hitomi Koto.
Notably, the source novel is a KA Esuma Bunko title — published by Kyoto Animation’s own in-house light novel imprint — making this an entirely KyoAni-born project from page to screen, without the usual licensing layers involved in a manga adaptation.
Image courtesy of Kyoto Animation
The Cast That Brings It to Life
Leading the series is Yuma Uchida as Kihachi — a natural fit for brooding, grief-shaped young men after standout turns in Oshi no Ko and Vinland Saga. Sora Amamiya (Re:Zero‘s Aqua, Black Clover‘s Noelle) voices Inako with characteristic warmth, although early episodes suggest the character is considerably more complicated than she first appears. Antagonist Yosuke Mizoe is voiced by Koki Uchiyama (Bleach‘s Uryu Ishida, My Hero Academia‘s Tomura Shigaraki), with Daisuke Ono, Minako Kotobuki, and Shunsuke Takeuchi among the supporting cast.
Image courtesy of Kyoto Animation
Music: Ginger Root Meets Luna Goami
The opening theme, “Eureka Evrika,” is performed by Luna Goami, a rising J-pop artist whose slightly nostalgic, dreamlike sound suits the show’s alternate-Meiji atmosphere perfectly. The ending theme, “Soarin’,” comes from indie pop group Ginger Root — the Los Angeles-based band with deep Showa-aesthetic roots and a cult following among anime fans across Singapore and Southeast Asia. Both tracks dropped on streaming on 6 July and are available now.
How to Watch in Singapore
Sparks of Tomorrow streams exclusively on Netflix — no premium tier required beyond a standard Netflix plan available in Singapore. New episodes drop weekly every Sunday at 10:00 PM SGT (simultaneous with Japan broadcast), meaning Singapore viewers are among the very first in Southeast Asia to catch each new instalment. Episode 1 is live right now; Episode 2 arrives on 12 July.
Whether Sparks of Tomorrow captures the mainstream moment that Violet Evergarden did remains to be seen, but the craft on display in the opening episode is unmistakably KyoAni. For Singapore fans who have been waiting for the studio’s next big swing, the wait is over — open Netflix. For more on the summer 2026 anime season, check out our Manga & Anime coverage.
CLAMP’s classic 90s isekai fantasy is making its long-awaited comeback. The new Magic Knight Rayearth anime has officially locked in an October 7, 2026 premiere, with a second main trailer and brand-new key visual unveiled this weekend at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles — along with three more cast members to complete the ensemble.
Three Magic Knights, Three All-Star Voices
Image courtesy of TMS Entertainment
The three Magic Knights are voiced by some of the biggest names working in anime today. Ayane Sakura (Ochako in My Hero Academia, Yor in Spy x Family) takes the lead as Hikaru Shidō; Rumi Ōkubo voices Umi Ryūzaki; and Rie Takahashi — Emilia in Re:ZERO and Megumin in KonoSuba — voices Fū Hōōji. Princess Emeraude is voiced by Saori Hayami, with Yuki Ono as the antagonist Zagato and Mika Kikuchi as the magical creature Mokona.
The three cast additions announced at Anime Expo complete the core group: Yuki Kaji as the mage Clef, Emiri Katō as Presea, and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Ferio. It is a near-unprecedented concentration of top-tier voice talent for a single series, and it signals that TMS is treating this revival as a prestige production from the ground up.
Image courtesy of TMS Entertainment
Watch the New Main Trailer
TVアニメ『魔法騎士レイアース』メインPV — via TMSアニメ公式チャンネル on YouTube
The main PV showcases the three girls mid-battle in Cephiro, their armour designs faithfully updated from the original CLAMP artwork. Magic sequences, giant robot silhouettes, and an emotionally rich orchestral score that is unmistakably Kajiura all make their presence felt in just a few minutes of footage. For fans who grew up with the 90s series, it is a genuinely exciting first proper look at what this revival will deliver.
Yuki Kajiura on Music — The Score Singapore Fans Have Been Waiting For
Image courtesy of TMS Entertainment
The production team is stacked. Yuki Kajiura — the composer whose name alone is enough to guarantee sweeping, emotionally devastating music — is scoring the series alongside Takumi Ozawa and Shiho Terada. Singapore fans who followed Kajiura’s work on Sword Art Online, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero, and the Kara no Kyokai films know exactly the kind of atmospheric, orchestral magic she brings to fantasy settings.
Directing the series is Yui Miura, making his series directorial debut after serving as episode director on Ninja Kamui and Bullet/Bullet. Shigeru Murakoshi handles series composition, with character design by Satomi Watanabe. Animation production is by E&H production, with planning and production overseen by UNLIMITED PRODUCE by TMS.
The Story — and Why It Still Hits in 2026
Image courtesy of TMS Entertainment
Magic Knight Rayearth follows three middle-school girls — Hikaru, Umi, and Fū — who are magically transported from Tokyo Tower to the fantasy world of Cephiro while on separate school trips. There, the mage Clef tells them that the world is dying: its Pillar, Princess Emeraude, has been kidnapped by the high priest Zagato, and only three fated Magic Knights can summon the legendary Rune-Gods (giant mechanical spirits) and save her.
Originally serialised by CLAMP in Monthly Shōnen Magazine from 1993 to 1995 and adapted into an anime by TMS in 1994, the series was groundbreaking — one of the earliest isekai to feature magical-girl protagonists who also pilot giant mecha, a combination that still feels fresh decades on. Many Singapore fans in their 30s and 40s caught the original on local TV, and the emotional gut-punch of the story’s mid-series twist remains legendary among those who experienced it unspoiled. This new version, with CLAMP’s involvement as original creators, promises to honour that legacy while bringing it to a new generation.
When and Where Singapore Fans Can Watch
Image courtesy of TMS Entertainment
The new anime premieres in Japan every Wednesday from October 7 at 11:45 PM on TV Asahi’s nationwide IM Animation W block. International streaming rights have not yet been officially announced for Southeast Asia, so Singapore fans should watch streaming platforms like Crunchyroll and Disney+ for updates as October approaches. If you want to get ahead of the premiere, the original 1994–1996 series is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll — fair warning that the ending hits hard even on a rewatch.
Science SARU’s new Ghost in the Shell anime is just 48 hours away — and today’s Anime Expo 2026 panel in Los Angeles delivered the soundtrack reveal fans have been waiting for. King Gnu will perform the opening theme “GO GHOST”, with MILLENNIUM PARADE’s “Blue” bookending every episode as the ending. Singapore fans can catch the international exclusive on Prime Video from 10:30 PM SGT this Tuesday, July 7 — no waiting for a delayed Asian release.
Image courtesy of THE GHOST IN THE SHELL COMMITTEE
Back to Where It All Started: The Original Manga, Animated at Last
Officially titled Ghost in the Shell THE GHOST IN THE SHELL, this new TV series is the first direct anime adaptation of Shirow Masamune’s original 1989 manga — the text that launched a global franchise spanning Mamoru Oshii’s landmark 1995 film, the Stand Alone Complex TV series, and a Hollywood live-action remake. Where those productions each carved their own artistic path, this series returns to the source: Shirow’s densely plotted, visually idiosyncratic cyberpunk world, now given a full weekly TV run for the first time.
The story unfolds in the year 2029, a Japan where the internet has merged with the human nervous system and fully cyberised bodies are commonplace. Major Motoko Kusanagi — a full-body cyborg officer — leads Section 9, a black-ops police unit created to fight crimes that blur the line between human consciousness and digital network. Threading through the early episodes is the Puppet Master, a ghost-hacker who can rewrite memories and identities without leaving a trace, whose true nature becomes the series’ central philosophical mystery.
King Gnu Confirmed for “GO GHOST” — A Double Debut at AX 2026
King Gnu — the four-piece alternative rock band known for Hakujitsu, their explosive run of anime tie-in tracks, and a reputation for pairing jazz-influenced arrangement with stadium-ready hooks — will open every episode of the series. PV5, released today alongside the Anime Expo announcement, sets the track against a rapid-cut sequence of Kusanagi and the Section 9 team, and you can watch it here.
PV5 featuring King Gnu’s opening theme “GO GHOST” — via Ghost in the Shell Official Channel on YouTube
For the ending, MILLENNIUM PARADE’s “Blue” was confirmed earlier in the production cycle. Tsuneta Daiki (常田大希) is the connection between both acts: he co-leads King Gnu as its primary songwriter and founded MILLENNIUM PARADE as a separate collective project. The two groups sharing theme duties on a single anime is a first — King Gnu and MILLENNIUM PARADE have never appeared on the same series before — and the pairing gives the show a rare sonic coherence between its opening and ending moods.
Image courtesy of King Gnu
Science SARU and a Literary Screenwriter You Should Know
Animation production sits with Science SARU, the Tokyo studio founded by Masaaki Yuasa and Eunyoung Choi, whose recent output includes Dandadan, Inu-Oh, The Heike Story, and The Cat and the Dragon. Science SARU is not a house style operation — each project looks and moves differently — but the studio consistently works with directors who lean toward expressive character drawing over photorealistic finish. For Ghost in the Shell, that orientation aligns well with Shirow’s original manga, which prioritised kinetic action and dense detail over the moody darkness of the Oshii films.
Direction is handled by Moko-chan (モコちゃん) in their TV series directorial debut. Series composition and screenplay go to Enjō Toh (円城塔) — an unusual and exciting hire. Enjō is a celebrated literary SF author: his novel collection Self-Reference ENGINE is considered one of the most formally experimental Japanese SF books of the 2000s, and his short story Dōkeshi no Chō (道化師の蝶) won the Akutagawa Prize, Japan’s most prestigious literary award, in 2012. Bringing that kind of philosophical weight to the Ghost in the Shell screenplay feels right for a franchise that has always used cyberpunk trappings to ask hard questions about consciousness, identity, and what it means to be human. Character design and chief animation direction are by Shuhei Handa (半田修平).
One curiosity heading into the premiere: as of today’s announcement, no voice cast has been revealed for any character — a rare degree of secrecy for a show less than 48 hours from air.
Image courtesy of THE GHOST IN THE SHELL COMMITTEE
When and Where to Watch in Singapore
Prime Video holds the international streaming rights as an exclusive, with episodes dropping simultaneously alongside Japan’s TV broadcast. Episode 1 streams from 10:30 PM SGT on Tuesday, 7 July 2026. New episodes will follow weekly in the same slot. The series airs in Japan in the late-night “火アニバル!!” (Tuesday Anival) slot on Kantele and Fuji TV.
For more of this season’s anime highlights, our full anime coverage has everything currently airing and confirmed. The official Ghost in the Shell anime site (Japanese) will carry updates on the still-unannounced voice cast and weekly episode information going forward.
The wait is over. Hiromu Arakawa’s Yomi no Tsugai — known internationally as Daemons of the Shadow Realm — launches its second cour tonight, with episode 13 airing in Japan on 4 July at 11:30pm JST and streaming on Crunchyroll in Singapore shortly after. If you’ve been sleeping on one of Spring 2026’s most talked-about shonen anime, this is the best possible moment to catch up.
Image courtesy of Hiromu Arakawa / Square Enix / Aniplex / Bones Film
What Arakawa Has Built Since Fullmetal Alchemist
Hiromu Arakawa needs little introduction to Singapore anime fans. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood remains one of the most beloved anime productions ever made, and Arakawa-sensei has been busy since: Yomi no Tsugai (黄泉のツガイ) has been serialised in Square Enix’s Monthly Shonen GanGan since 2021. The anime adaptation — announced in July 2025 and premiering on 4 April 2026 — has been worth every year of the wait.
The story follows twins Yuru and Asa, raised apart in an isolated mountain village that appears, at first, to exist in feudal-era Japan. Yuru is a skilled hunter; Asa has been confined indoors since childhood, assigned a mysterious duty by the village elders. When armed attackers descend hunting specifically for Yuru and kill the village adults, the siblings are forced to flee — whereupon the outside world reveals itself as entirely modern: helicopters, firearms, mobile phones, contemporary cities. The village’s isolation was deliberate, concealing both the twins and the ancient supernatural creatures they’re bonded with: the Daemons of the title. Cour 2’s key visual — stamped with the phrase “Defy your fate.” — suggests the reckoning with that hidden truth is about to arrive.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm — Cour 2 Main PV, via Aniplex on YouTube
The Bones Film Team That Made Brotherhood
Image courtesy of Hiromu Arakawa / Square Enix / Aniplex / Bones Film
The production pedigree here is exceptional. Bones Film handles animation — the studio behind FMA: Brotherhood, My Hero Academia, and Soul Eater. Director Masahiro Ando worked on both the original 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist series and Brotherhood. Character design is by Nobuhiro Arai, who was part of the Brotherhood animation team. Series composition belongs to Noboru Takagi, whose credits include Attack on Titan, Golden Kamuy, and Kuroko’s Basketball. Music is composed by Kenichiro Suehiro (Vinland Saga, Chainsaw Man).
Voice cast highlights: Kensho Ono as Yuru, Yume Miyamoto as Asa, Misaki Kuno as the daemon Gabby, and Rikiya Koyama as Migi. An English dub launched simultaneously with the first cour on Crunchyroll.
New Themes Signal a Tonal Shift
Image courtesy of Hiromu Arakawa / Square Enix / Aniplex / Bones Film
Cour 2 arrives with a new pair of theme songs. “Back Shot” by Masanori Otoda takes over the opening slot from Vaundy’s Tobu Toki, and Kei Sugawara’s “Kujaku” (Peacock) closes episodes in place of Yama’s Tobō yo. Both were previewed in the Cour 2 main PV released on 27 June — and if the track choices are any indication, the back half of the season is going darker and harder than the first.
How to Watch Daemons of the Shadow Realm in Singapore
Crunchyroll is the streaming home for Singapore and Southeast Asia, with Muse Communication holding the regional licence. The full first cour — all 12 episodes — is available now in both Japanese with English subtitles and English dub. Episode 13 lands shortly after the Japanese broadcast on the night of 4 July JST, putting Singapore fans only hours behind Japan each week.
Elsewhere, Netflix begins streaming the series for subscribers outside Asia from 4 July, bringing the anime to a much wider global audience. If you’re in Singapore, Crunchyroll is your platform of choice — and with cour 1 fully available right now, there’s nothing stopping you from a weekend binge before episode 13 drops.
For more anime coverage, check out our Manga Anime section.
