Tag Archives: Anime Announcement

Manga Anime

Youjo Senki II Premieres 8 July — Saga of Tanya the Evil Returns After Nine Years

Leave a comment

Nine years is a long time to wait. Youjo Senki II — the second television series adaptation of Carlo Zen’s alternate-history military fantasy light novel — has an official premiere date: 8 July 2026. Studio NUT confirmed the date via the official Youjo Senki anime website (Japanese) and Kadokawa’s anime channel, and the first main PV is already live. After the 2017 Season 1 and the 2019 theatrical film, the TV story is finally continuing.

Youjo Senki II — official Season 2 key visual
Image courtesy of KADOKAWA / Studio NUT
TVアニメ『幼女戦記Ⅱ』 — Official Main PV #1 — via KADOKAWAanime on YouTube

Nine Years in the Making — Why This Is Such a Big Deal

Youjo Senki (The Saga of Tanya the Evil) premiered in January 2017, ran for twelve episodes, and quickly built an audience well beyond the usual isekai crowd. Its pitch — a ruthless Japanese salaryman reincarnated as a small girl with extraordinary magical ability in a WWI-analogue fantasy world, then conscripted into an imperial air corps — was strange enough to be memorable and executed with enough tactical and moral seriousness to keep people watching. The 2019 film extended the story but left the main arc unresolved on television. Season 2 picks up that thread.

For Singapore anime fans, the franchise has stayed in the conversation: both the series and the film are on Crunchyroll in the region. Season 2 is the continuation those viewers have been waiting for since 2017.

New Setting, Higher Stakes

Season 2 moves the war east. It is Autumn 1926 in the show’s Unified Calendar — Tanya von Degurechaff has been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and now commands the newly formed Kampfgruppe Salamander, a mobile strike unit built for harsh-weather operations against the Federation on the eastern front. The shift in theatre matters: the eastern campaign in Season 2’s source material is darker, more attritional, and involves opponents with a different strategic logic than the western-front enemies of Season 1. The PV suggests the production is leaning into that tonal shift.

Youjo Senki II — Season 2 announcement event visual
Image courtesy of KADOKAWA / Studio NUT

New Characters Join the Fight

Two significant additions to the cast have been confirmed. Mikhel, a Federal aerial mage on the opposing side, is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita — one of the most recognisable voices in Japanese animation (Joseph Joestar, Persona 5’s Ryuji, Genshin Impact’s Zhongli). Lilia, a political commissar attached to Mikhel’s unit, is played by Yoko Hikasa, known for Mio Akiyama in K-On! and Rias Gremory in High School DxD. Neither character is a simple antagonist; both carry the moral complexity the show has always used to keep its ideological debate alive.

Youjo Senki II — new character Mikhel, voiced by Tomokazu Sugita
Image courtesy of KADOKAWA
Youjo Senki II — new character Lilia, voiced by Yoko Hikasa
Image courtesy of KADOKAWA

Behind the Camera

Studio NUT returns for Season 2, preserving visual continuity with the original run. The director’s chair changes, however: Yutaka Uemura, who led Season 1, is replaced by Yamamoto Takayuki. Series composition is by Inohara Kenta, with character designs by Hosokoshi Yuji. The PV’s animation quality holds up well against the benchmark the 2017 series set, and the orchestral score carries the same propulsive military energy the franchise is known for.

When and How to Watch From Singapore

Youjo Senki II premieres on 8 July 2026, airing at 9:30 PM JST on AT-X, TOKYO MX, Sun TV, KBS Kyoto, BS11, and TV Aichi in Japan. Streaming details for Singapore and Southeast Asia have not been officially announced as of this writing — the regional licensing for anime in this tier typically lands in the weeks before broadcast. Given that Season 1 and the film are on Crunchyroll in the region, that platform is the most likely home for Season 2; Muse Asia is the other strong candidate. Keep an eye on both for a confirmation before 8 July.

The first main PV is already up on the official KADOKAWAanime YouTube channel (embedded above) — worth watching even if you do not read Japanese. For more anime news and seasonal coverage, check our Manga Anime section.

Manga Anime, News

Fool Night Anime Revealed — Sunrise × SHAFT’s First Collab Streams on Netflix in 2026

Leave a comment

The wait is over. At the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2026, the Sunrise × SHAFT anime project that has had the fandom buzzing for a week finally has a name: Fool Night. The dark sci-fi thriller will stream exclusively worldwide on Netflix later this year — yes, including Singapore.

「Fool Night」 Teaser PV — via Bandai Namco Film Works on YouTube

What Is Fool Night?

Based on the award-winning manga by Kasumi Yasuda, Fool Night is set in a bleak future where thick clouds permanently block the sun, plunging Earth into endless darkness. With plant life wiped out and oxygen depleting, humanity devised a drastic solution: transfloration, a process that converts dying humans into plant-like organisms to restore the oxygen supply.

At the centre of the story is Toshiro Kamiya, a young man who undergoes transfloration and discovers an unexpected side effect — he can hear plants. That ability sets him on a path to bridge the silence between humans and those who have transformed, a drama of identity, grief, and survival sitting somewhere between hard science fiction and quiet horror.

Fool Night anime key visual — Sunrise × SHAFT
Image courtesy of Fool Night Anime Production Committee / Bandai Namco Film Works

Two Studios. One Historic First.

This announcement caps a genuine historic milestone: Sunrise and SHAFT have never collaborated on an anime before. Sunrise’s legacy spans Cowboy Bebop, Code Geass, and the entire Gundam franchise; SHAFT built its reputation on the kinetic, visually daring style of Puella Magi Madoka Magica and the Monogatari series. Pairing them on a single dark, atmospheric sci-fi property is a bold creative bet — and the kind that tends to pay off.

Meet the Team Behind It

The production staff is full of names anime fans will recognise:

  • Director: Atsuyuki Yukawa — previously an episode director on Suzume no Tojimari; Fool Night marks his debut as a chief series director
  • Series Composition: Jin Tanaka — the writer behind Oshi no Ko
  • Character Design: Robert Sato
  • Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka — credits include A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi)
  • Music: Tatsuya Kato — the composer behind the acclaimed Dr. STONE score
Fool Night anime — Toshiro Kamiya and Yomiko Horai character visual
Image courtesy of Fool Night Anime Production Committee / Bandai Namco Film Works

The lead voice cast is equally well-matched. Koki Uchiyama — known to many as Tomura Shigaraki in My Hero Academia — voices protagonist Toshiro Kamiya. Minako Kotobuki (Tsumugi in K-On!) plays Yomiko Horai, Toshiro’s childhood friend.

An Award-Winning Manga with a Global Following

Yasuda’s manga is no newcomer to acclaim. Serialised in Shogakukan’s Big Comic Superior since November 2020, it currently runs to 12 volumes. It ranked in Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2023 — Japan’s reader-voted best manga guide — and took home the Japan Expo DARUMA Award 2023 for Best Suspense in France, signalling international appetite long before any anime was confirmed. Singapore and SEA readers can pick up the English-language volumes through Shogakukan Asia.

Netflix Streams Worldwide — Singapore Included

Netflix confirmed a worldwide exclusive for Fool Night in 2026. No specific episode count or premiere date beyond “2026” was given at Annecy, so keep an eye on the Netflix Singapore page for updates. Given how quickly Netflix rolls out its anime titles globally, expect close-to-simultaneous access for Singapore fans when the series premieres.

Last Words

Midnight in Singapore, and the anime news cycle just woke up. Fool Night checks every box for a prestige Netflix anime: an acclaimed manga source, a career-defining staff roster, and two studios whose visual signatures are so distinct that their collision alone is worth watching. Singapore fans who want to get ahead of the curve can dive into the English manga through Shogakukan Asia now. We will be covering this one closely as a premiere date firms up. For more anime news, check out our Manga Anime coverage.

Manga Anime, News

Akane-banashi Season 2 Confirmed — Rakugo Returns in January 2027

Leave a comment

Rakugo fans, the wait is officially short. Akane-banashi — the Weekly Shonen Jump series following a teenage girl’s journey into traditional Japanese storytelling — is getting a second anime season in January 2027, and the production has already dropped a teaser trailer, revealed the arc it will cover, and announced six new cast members.

TV Anime “Akane-banashi” | Season 2 Confirmed! Premieres January 2027 — via Akane-banashi Global on YouTube

The Apprentice Training Arc Takes the Stage

Season 2 will adapt the Apprentice Training Arc, the portion of Yuki Suenaga and Takamasa Moue’s manga where Akane Sakurazaka graduates from high school and commits fully to rakugo as a disciple. Under Shiguma Arakawa’s tutelage, she takes on the professional stage name Akane Arakawa — a formal debut in a world that still leaves little room for women at the top of the craft.

Studio ZEXCS returns to animate, with Ayumu Watanabe directing and Kii Tanaka continuing as character designer and chief animation director. The core returning cast, led by Anna Nagase as Akane, is intact. The announcement, which Anime Corner reported on 20 June 2026, was made on the official Akane-banashi website alongside a commemorative illustration and the Season 2 PV above.

Six New Voices Join the Stage

The production revealed the cast for new characters who appeared in Season 1’s finale:

  • Hōchū Ōtsuka as Miroku Kashiwaya
  • Ryōtarō Ōkiayu as Shomei Tsubakiya
  • Hiroshi Naka as Enso Sanmeitei
  • Mutsumi Tamura as Urara Ransaika
  • Shin’ichirō Miki as Ryu’un Kenputei
  • Tomokazu Seki as Chocho Konjakutei
Akane-banashi Season 2 commemorative illustration by character designer Kii Tanaka
Image courtesy of Akane-banashi production committee

That is a stacked line-up of veteran seiyū. Tomokazu Seki alone has been on a serious run lately — and his casting here, alongside Ryōtarō Ōkiayu and Shin’ichirō Miki, suggests Season 2 is not treating the new characters as background dressing. Expect them to have real dramatic weight in the arc.

A Quick Primer for New Viewers

Akane-banashi is not your typical Shonen Jump action series. There are no power systems or tournament brackets in the conventional sense — all the drama plays out through rakugo performances. Rakugo is a traditional Japanese sit-down storytelling art form where a single performer uses only a fan and a small cloth to voice dozens of characters and narrate entire comedic or dramatic stories. It is one of Japan’s oldest performing arts and has found a passionate new global audience partly through anime adaptations like Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju.

Akane-banashi Season 2 announcement PV screenshot
Image courtesy of Akane-banashi production committee

What makes Akane-banashi stand out is its granular writing about craft — how a performance is built, where a joke lands, why pacing matters — and the fact that its protagonist is a teenage girl fighting for legitimacy in a tradition that historically excludes women. Season 1, which aired from April 2026 on Crunchyroll, covered the groundwork. Season 2 is where that fight really begins.

A Live Rakugo Event in Tokyo This August

Alongside the Season 2 announcement, a live rakugo performance event was confirmed for 9 August 2026 at Suehirotei in Shinjuku, Tokyo — one of Japan’s most historically significant rakugo theatres. Voice actress Anna Nagase (Akane) will perform alongside the show’s rakugo supervisor Kikuhiko Hayashiya. For anyone planning a Japan trip this summer, this is the kind of pop-culture-meets-tradition event worth building a day around.

Last Words

Season 1 of Akane-banashi streamed on Crunchyroll for Singapore viewers and Season 2 will almost certainly follow the same path when it launches in January 2027. If you have not started it yet, you have around seven months to catch up — and the whole thing is worth your time. Rakugo has never looked this good on screen.

More anime news on GameTrader.SG

Manga Anime, News

Sunrise x SHAFT Team Up for the First Time — Anime Reveal Tonight at 11:30pm SGT

Leave a comment

Two of anime’s most storied studios are teaming up for the very first time, and the big reveal lands tonight. Sunrise — the studio behind Mobile Suit Gundam, Code Geass, and Love Live! — and SHAFT — the house that built Puella Magi Madoka Magica and the Monogatari series — have launched a joint account (@sunrise_shaft) on X, and their first-ever joint anime project reveals tonight at 11:30 p.m. SGT (24 June, 12:30 a.m. JST).

Sunrise x SHAFT joint anime teaser art showing neon urban imagery
Image courtesy of Sunrise x SHAFT

Why This Collab Is Unlike Anything Before

Sunrise and SHAFT have each defined a distinct corner of anime for decades. Sunrise sits inside Bandai Namco Filmworks and is the powerhouse behind mecha royalty: Gundam has been running since 1979, and Code Geass remains one of the genre’s most beloved strategy thrillers. SHAFT, founded in 1975, took a very different path — its signature visual fingerprint, long associated with director Shinbo Akiyuki, gave the world Madoka Magica‘s heart-breaking mahou shoujo deconstruction and Monogatari‘s text-art layering and head-tilts.

These studios occupy genuinely different creative worlds. That is exactly what makes the announcement of a first-ever joint project so striking: nobody saw this coming, and the question of what happens when you blend Sunrise’s action-driven storytelling with SHAFT’s avant-garde visual language has no precedent to draw from.

What the Teaser Shows — and What It Doesn’t

The teaser posted on @sunrise_shaft uses color script artwork — the atmospheric painting technique animators use before full production begins — to suggest the story’s mood rather than show its world outright. The clip hints at neon-drenched urban settings. Two images stand out: a figure holding a knife, and another figure scribbled out and walking through a crowd in neon light. The account’s profile picture is a red spider lily, which in Japanese symbolism is associated with death, farewell, and the boundary between worlds.

None of this confirms a title, source material, genre, or cast. All of that is for tonight.

What Fans Are Speculating

The visual language in the teaser has led some fans to point toward Fool Night, a manga by Kasumi Yasuda about a street artist who takes a risky gamble on someone else’s identity. The knife, the crossed-out figure, and the urban neon palette are consistent with that premise. But the production has confirmed nothing about source material. This is fan pattern-matching — worth noting, but not confirmed fact.

How to Watch the Reveal Tonight

The official announcement drops tonight at 11:30 p.m. SGT. The easiest way to follow along is to head to X and watch @sunrise_shaft directly. There is no confirmed streaming platform for the eventual series yet — that information will likely come as part of or after tonight’s reveal.

Last Words

Singapore fans know both studios well. Gundam has had a consistent presence here — from the model kit aisles at Bugis+ to the crowds that turned up to dedicated mecha exhibitions. SHAFT’s catalogue is practically required reading for any serious anime fan, and Madoka Magica in particular has had a lasting grip on the local community. Whatever this joint project turns out to be, tonight’s reveal is one of the more genuinely anticipated anime moments of 2026. Set your alarm for 11:30 p.m.

More anime news on GameTrader.SG

Manga Anime, News

Pokémon Horizons Season 3 Part 3 Lands on Netflix 26 June

Leave a comment

The wait is almost over — Pokémon Horizons: Season 3 — Rising Hope Part 3 lands on Netflix this Friday, 26 June 2026, picking up where one of the most story-driven Pokémon anime seasons in recent memory left off.

Pokémon Horizons Season 3 Part 3 — official clip still featuring Dot's Gimmighoul and Sinistcha
Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company

What’s Happening in Part 3

Part 3 takes Liko, Roy, and the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers to Blueberry Academy, where the intensity dial gets turned all the way up. Training is the focus — and not just any training: the young trainers are preparing to challenge Elite Four members and sharpen their edge against the Explorers, the organisation threatening to spread Laquium across the world.

Mysteries around Terapagos deepen as the crew works to understand its connection to Laquium, while the Brave Olivine receives a surprise message that sends everyone scrambling. Dot’s newest partner, Gimmighoul, steps into the spotlight — as does the match-green tea Pokémon Sinistcha, featured in the official Part 3 clip below. New rival Ult, who declared himself Roy’s challenger last season, continues to push the group forward.

An Astonishing Battle! | Pokémon Horizons: Season 3—Rising Hope Part 3 — via The Official Pokémon YouTube channel

Catch Up Before Friday

If you’re joining late, Rising Hope is the 28th season of the Pokémon anime and the third arc following Liko and Roy — the freshest protagonists since Ash hung up his Poké Balls. The season opened with a year time-skip, placing the Rising Volt Tacklers in a new chapter after the events in Laqua left the group without a leader.

Parts 1 and 2 — 22 episodes between them — are already on Netflix. Season 3 runs to 47 episodes in total, so Part 3 adds a substantial new stretch to the story. The official episode count for Part 3 has not been confirmed at time of writing, but previous releases suggest around 10–12 new episodes.

Pokémon Horizons Season 3 Rising Hope — official Netflix trailer key art
Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company

Where Singapore Fans Can Watch

Netflix Singapore carries Pokémon Horizons, so Part 3 should be available on your account from 26 June — no VPN needed. For fans who want to watch without a Netflix subscription, the Pokémon Asia ENG YouTube channel has been streaming Season 3 episodes for free since March 2026, making this one of the most accessible Pokémon anime releases for fans in the region.

Check the official Pokémon announcement for the latest details, and see all our anime coverage here.

Last words

Singapore Pokémon fans have been eating well lately — between Pokémon GO events, the TCG, and Pokémon Champions Mobile hitting #1 on iOS locally, this is a genuinely great time to be a Trainer here. Part 3 of Rising Hope arrives just as the Summer 2026 anime season heats up, making this Friday’s drop a tidy warm-up for what’s ahead. Save your Netflix queue for 26 June.

Manga Anime, News

Kagurabachi Anime Casts Tomokazu Seki, Coming April 2027

Leave a comment

The wait for the Kagurabachi anime just got a whole lot harder. The production has officially cast the legendary Tomokazu Seki as Kunishige Rokuhira — master swordsmith and father of protagonist Chihiro — dropping a dedicated character trailer to mark the announcement.

KAGURABACHI | Official Teaser Trailer — via CyberAgent ANIME Global on YouTube

Why Tomokazu Seki as Kunishige Is Such a Big Deal

If you have watched anime for any stretch of time, you know Tomokazu Seki’s voice — Gilgamesh in the Fate franchise, Dino in Dr. Stone, Touya Mochizuki in In Another World with My Smartphone, and dozens of commanding roles across three decades of the medium. Landing him as Kunishige — a swordsmith of mythical skill who is also a deeply devoted father — is a casting choice that tells you exactly what register this show is aiming for.

Seki commented on the role in the official press release: “Kunishige Rokuhira is a legendary swordsmith, but at the same time, he is also a warmhearted father.” That duality — the fearsome craftsman and the gentle dad — is central to why Kagurabachi‘s opening chapters hit so hard.

Kunishige Rokuhira character visual from the Kagurabachi anime
Image courtesy of CyberAgent ANIME / Cypic

Chihiro’s Voice and the Full Creative Team

The lead — Chihiro Rokuhira, the son who sets out for revenge — is voiced by Taihi Kimura, who took home the Best New Actor prize at the 2025 Seiyu Awards. It is a strong debut for a role that will carry the entire series.

Direction is by Tetsuya Takeuchi, with character design by Keigo Sasaki, at studio Cypic (a CyberAgent group company). Shochiku and CyberAgent are co-chief production partners.

Chihiro Rokuhira character visual from the Kagurabachi anime
Image courtesy of CyberAgent ANIME / Cypic

The Manga Behind the Anime: 4 Million Copies in Two Years

Kagurabachi, written and illustrated by Takeru Hokazono, launched in Weekly Shonen Jump in September 2023 and immediately became one of the fastest-rising titles the magazine had seen in years. It has now surpassed four million copies sold (as of May 2026), won the Next Manga Award 2024 in the Print Category, and is available in English via VIZ Media. The premise: after witnessing his father’s murder at the hands of criminals seeking the family’s legendary enchanted swords, Chihiro dedicates himself to hunting down those responsible — blade in hand.

The World Tour and What It Means for Singapore Fans

Before the full series drops in April 2027, the first 20 minutes of Episode 1 will screen at four international anime conventions as part of the Kagurabachi Anime World Tour Part 1:

  • Anime Expo 2026 — Los Angeles, 3 July 2026, 4:45 PM PT
  • Japan Expo — Paris, 9 July 2026
  • AnimagiC — Mannheim, 1 August 2026
  • Anime NYC — New York, 22 August 2026

Singapore fans won’t need a plane ticket: the full series is confirmed for MUSE, the Southeast Asian streaming platform that already carries a broad catalogue of Shonen Jump anime, when it premieres in April 2027.

Last Words

Between Tomokazu Seki in a career-defining role, an award-winning VA pairing at the lead, and a production team clearly taking the manga’s legacy seriously, Kagurabachi is building into one of the most anticipated anime of next year for Singapore fans. If the manga is still sitting on your to-read list, consider this your reminder — Volume 1 is on shelves now via VIZ Media. Keep tabs on our manga and anime coverage as more details drop ahead of the April 2027 premiere.

Manga Anime

Higurashi: When They Cry Gets a New TV Anime — 20 Years On

Leave a comment

On June 21 — Watanagashi, the Cotton Drifting Festival day in the series’ own lore — KADOKAWA announced that Higurashi: When They Cry is getting a brand new television anime, two decades after the original first aired.

New TV Anime Production Announcement PV (「ひぐらしのなく頃に」新作TVアニメーション制作決定PV) — via KADOKAWAanime on YouTube

みんな、おかえり — Everyone, Welcome Home

During a live-streamed 20th anniversary special on Sunday, KADOKAWA confirmed that a new Higurashi: When They Cry TV anime is now in production. The announcement came with a teaser visual featuring a smiling Rena Ryugu and the tagline みんな、おかえり — “Everyone, welcome home” — a phrase that is both deeply warm and deeply ominous if you know the character. A short promotional video with newly recorded voice dialogue was also released through the official KADOKAWAanime YouTube channel.

Higurashi: When They Cry 2026 new anime teaser visual with cast
Image courtesy of KADOKAWA

The Original Cast and Studio DEEN Are Back

The entire main voice cast is returning for the new series:

  • Keiichi Maebara: Soichiro Hoshi
  • Rena Ryugu: Mai Nakahara
  • Mion Sonozaki / Shion Sonozaki: Satsuki Yukino
  • Satoko Hojo: Mika Kanai
  • Rika Furude: Yukari Tamura

Animation production returns to Studio DEEN, the studio behind the original 2006 and 2007 anime adaptations — not Passione, which handled the 2020–2021 GOU and SOTSU remakes. That is a deliberate homecoming on multiple fronts, and the announcement makes no effort to be subtle about it.

New Higurashi anime visual from Studio DEEN and KADOKAWA 2026
Image courtesy of KADOKAWA

New to Higurashi? Here Is the Short Version

Higurashi: When They Cry (ひぐらしのなく頃に) is a horror-mystery visual novel series by Ryukishi07 via 07th Expansion, originally released in chapters from 2002 to 2006. It follows a group of friends in the rural village of Hinamizawa during the summer of 1983 — where, every year around the Cotton Drifting Festival, someone dies or goes missing. The series is known for its psychological horror, time loop mechanics, and a knack for making cheerful character designs do a lot of unsettling work. It is not for the faint-hearted, and that is precisely why it still has such a passionate following two decades on.

Last Words

No premiere date or streaming platform has been confirmed yet. Previous Higurashi adaptations — the original series and both GOU and SOTSU — have been available on Crunchyroll in Southeast Asia, so that is the platform Singapore fans would naturally look to, but nothing for the new series is confirmed. KADOKAWA says further announcements are coming soon.

For Singapore’s horror-anime crowd, Higurashi at twenty feels as alive as ever. Whatever direction this new series takes, that Watanagashi timing was not an accident — the team is very much in on the joke, and Rena is smiling. Keep an eye on our anime coverage for updates as they drop.

Akane-banashi anime Season 2 confirmed for January 2027 key visual
Manga Anime

Akane-banashi Season 2 Confirmed for January 2027

Leave a comment

Japan’s hottest rakugo anime just wrapped its first season — and Aniplex wasted no time. Akane-banashi Season 2 has been officially confirmed for a January 2027 premiere on TV Asahi, with the announcement dropping at the end of the Season 1 finale that aired in Japan tonight.

Akane-banashi official key visual — Season 2 confirmed for January 2027
Image courtesy of Aniplex / TV Asahi

What Is Akane-banashi?

For anyone who missed Season 1: Akane-banashi is based on the Weekly Shonen Jump manga by Yūki Suenaga, brought to television as a TV Asahi/Aniplex production. The show follows Osaki Akane, a teenage girl with one driving ambition — to reach shinuchi, the highest rank in traditional Japanese rakugo comedy. Season 1 adapted 12 episodes covering the Karaku Cup Arc, concluding tonight with Episode 12, “Graduation.”

What sets it apart is the craft on display: full-length rakugo sequences are performed on screen, the staging feels theatrical in the best way, and the character work is sharp. Its opening theme, Hitotarashi, was composed and performed by Keisuke Kuwata — marking the legendary singer-songwriter’s first-ever anime theme in a career spanning since 1978.

The Apprentice Training Arc Begins

Season 2 adapts the Apprentice Training Arc (前座修業篇). Having graduated from high school and entered formal discipleship under master Arakawa Shiguma, Akane takes the professional stage name Akane Arakawa (阿良川あかね) and begins life as a zenseki — a first-rank apprentice. The arc covers her earliest steps in the professional rakugo world, where every performance, every interaction with senior performers, and every small bit of recognition or rejection carries real weight.

Season 2 will air on the TV Asahi nationwide network’s “IMAnimation” block and BS Asahi starting January 2027.

Akane-banashi Season 1 main visual — Season 2 coming January 2027
Image courtesy of Aniplex / TV Asahi Animation

Six Big-Name Voice Actors Join the Cast

Alongside the Season 2 announcement, six new cast members were revealed — all of whom made cameo appearances in tonight’s Season 1 finale. The new additions are a notably veteran lineup:

  • Hochu Otsuka as Miroku Kashiwaya
  • Ryotaro Okiayu as Shomei Tsubakiya
  • Hiroshi Naka as Enso Sanmeitei
  • Mutsumi Tamura as Urara Ransaika
  • Shin’ichiro Miki as Ryuun Kenputei
  • Tomokazu Seki as Chocho Konjakutei

Between them, these six voice actors cover several decades of iconic anime and game roles. Their presence suggests the Apprentice Training Arc introduces some of the most formidable — and most colourful — senior rakugo figures that Akane will have to navigate on her climb up the ranks.

Where to Watch in Singapore

Akane-banashi Season 1 is available on Crunchyroll with English subtitles, accessible to Singapore subscribers. Episodes have also been uploaded to the official Akane-banashi Global YouTube channel — making it one of the more accessible simulcasts of the year with free viewing on YouTube after broadcast. Season 2 is expected to follow the same distribution model in January 2027.

If you have not started yet, all 12 episodes of Season 1 are a solid weekend binge before S2 rolls around. Full details on the announcement via Anime News Network (confirmed June 20, 2026) and the official website.

Last Words

Rakugo anime doesn’t show up often on Singapore streaming calendars — this corner of Japanese culture rarely gets the full anime treatment at this level of production quality. The fact that Akane-banashi earned a Season 2 with a cast this stacked waiting in the wings, announced on the same night as the Season 1 finale, signals that Aniplex is treating this as a proper long-runner. January 2027 feels like a long wait, but the Apprentice Training Arc is where things really get interesting in the manga — and now the anime gets to bring it to life. Keep an eye on our anime coverage for updates as the premiere date draws closer.

Manga Anime, News

Fall in Love, You False Angels: MAPPA Confirms 2027 Anime

Leave a comment

When you think of MAPPA, shojo romance probably isn’t the first thing that springs to mind — but the studio behind Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and Dorohedoro just slipped a very different project onto its 2027 slate. At the MAPPA 15th Anniversary Lineup Announcement Event held on 19 June, the studio confirmed it is producing the TV anime adaptation of Fall in Love, You False Angels (恋せよまやかし天使ども / Koi Seyo Mayakashi Tenshi-domo) — the Kodansha Manga Award-winning shojo series by Coco Uzuki — along with a first teaser PV and visual.

TV Anime “Fall in Love, You False Angels” Teaser PV — via アニプレックス チャンネル on YouTube

What Is Fall in Love, You False Angels?

On the surface, Otogi Katsura is everything a high school student should be — graceful, beautiful, and admired without exception. Behind that polished image, however, she is calculating, ruthless, and brutally sharp-tongued. When she accidentally lets her real self slip in front of classmate Toki Ninomae — who looks just as picture-perfect as she does — he doesn’t recoil. Instead, he reveals his own hidden side and proposes they become “partners in crime.” The story of two beautiful liars who can finally drop their masks around each other begins.

The source manga has been running in Kodansha’s Monthly Dessert magazine since April 2023. Its momentum has been remarkable: over 2.25 million copies are in circulation in Japan, and it claimed the top prize in the shojo category at the 49th Kodansha Manga Award in 2025. An English edition is published by Kodansha USA, so Singapore fans who want to get ahead of the anime — strongly recommended — already have a way in.

Fall in Love, You False Angels anime teaser visual — MAPPA 2027
Image courtesy of MAPPA

The Creative Team Behind It

MAPPA has assembled a dedicated staff for the adaptation. Yasutomo Okamoto directs, with series composition by Yohei Yamazaki. Mariko Oka is on character design duty, and Takumi Hashimoto serves as art director. Aniplex is attached as distributor — the same setup that has powered many of MAPPA’s biggest recent hits — which bodes well for production resources and international reach.

No voice cast has been officially named yet, though the teaser PV does include the voice of lead character Otogi Katsura, building anticipation for a full cast reveal down the line. Follow the series’ official X account at @koidomo_anime for updates.

When Is It Coming?

The TV anime is slated for 2027, with no specific season or broadcast channel confirmed at this stage. Southeast Asian streaming rights have not been announced, but an Aniplex-backed MAPPA title with this level of manga pedigree would be a natural fit for Crunchyroll’s regional lineup — expect details to surface closer to the Japanese broadcast date. We will keep this page updated as the air date and cast are confirmed.

Last Words

Singapore fans who pored over MAPPA’s 15th anniversary slate for updates on JJK and Chainsaw Man might have scrolled past this one — but Fall in Love, You False Angels is worth adding to the 2027 watchlist early. A 2.25-million-copy run, a Kodansha Manga Award win, and MAPPA behind the camera is a very solid foundation. If you enjoy shows where characters hide layers of complexity behind a perfect exterior — think Kaguya-sama territory, with its own distinct flavour — this one has your name on it. Keep an eye on our Manga & Anime coverage for cast reveals and broadcast news as the year progresses.