Tag Archives: Anime

Manga Anime, News

Alien Stage Anime Series Confirmed at Anime Expo 2026

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If you have spent any time on anime YouTube over the past three years, you have almost certainly been caught by the Alien Stage algorithm. The South Korean animated web series — eight episodes, 200-plus million views, a fanbase that crosses every SEA border — is now officially getting a full anime adaptation. Creators VIVINOS and QMENG announced the series is in production at their Anime Expo 2026 panel in Los Angeles on 3 July.

What Is Alien Stage?

Created by animator Soyeon Kim (VIVINOS) and collaborator QMENG through their Korean production team Forma+9, Alien Stage launched on YouTube in September 2022. The premise is as bleak as it is compelling: colonising aliens have subjugated humanity, raising humans as pets, and the Alien Stage is the brutal singing competition that determines who lives and who does not. Each episode is structured around an original song, performed by human contestants whose chemistry — and survival — is anything but guaranteed.

The eight-episode run wrapped in June 2025 with the aptly titled finale “Karma,” and by that point the series had logged over 200 million total views, with the final episode alone drawing more than 44 million. Its raw emotional storytelling, high-quality animation, and original music found a particularly passionate following in Singapore and across Southeast Asia. A spin-off alternate universe, Zombie Stage, launched just before Anime Expo in June 2026.

Alien Stage key art featuring the series' cast in a dramatic cosmic setting
Image courtesy of VIVINOS

The Anime Is in Production at Studio Lico

The Anime Expo announcement confirmed that the Alien Stage anime is now in production at Studio Lico, the animation studio involved in the original web series. A teaser visual unveiled at the convention showed the cast reimagined in what appears to be a school setting — a strikingly ordinary backdrop compared to the alien competition arena of the source material, suggesting the anime may explore a new angle on the Alien Stage world rather than a straight retelling.

No release window, full staff list, or cast details have been announced yet. What is clear is that this will be the franchise’s first fully serialised anime, moving beyond the eight music-video episodes into proper series territory. For a fandom that has been hungry for more story since the finale, that is a significant step.

Alien Stage anime teaser visual showing cast members in a school hallway
Image courtesy of VIVINOS / Studio Lico

Catch Up on the Original Before the Anime Drops

If you have not seen Alien Stage yet, now is genuinely the right time — every episode is free on the official VIVINOS YouTube channel. Round 6 is often cited as the most emotionally devastating entry point, building on everything that came before and sending fan communities into full meltdown. All eight rounds are available in order on the channel, and at roughly six to eight minutes per episode the whole series fits comfortably into an afternoon.

R O U N D 6 ｜ Alien Stage — via VIVINOS on YouTube

The 2027 World Tour — and What It Means for Asia

Alongside the anime confirmation, Frontier Works announced a 3D LIVE ALIEN STAGE Museum in 2372 world tour for 2027, with planned stops in Seoul, Tokyo, and Los Angeles. A preview event runs 30 October to 1 November 2026 at Shinagawa Stellar Ball in Tokyo, staging characters Sua, Ivan, and Luka through projection and CG technology. Tickets are available via eplus.jp for the Tokyo preview.

No Singapore or broader Southeast Asia tour date has been confirmed. Given the scale of the regional fanbase, it would be a missed opportunity not to extend the tour to this part of the world — keep an eye on official announcements from VIVINOS and Frontier Works for any updates. For more anime news from Anime Expo 2026, check the rest of this week’s coverage.

Alien Stage World Tour characters Sua, Ivan, and Luka in the 3D LIVE museum promotional art
Image courtesy of VIVINOS / Frontier Works

Manga Anime

Overgeared Anime October 2026: New Trailer and Cast Revealed at Anime Expo

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After Solo Leveling proved that Korean manhwa adaptations can take the anime world by storm, Overgeared is next in line — and it now has a firm launch window. The anime adaptation of Saenal’s iconic VR-MMORPG web novel is set to premiere on Crunchyroll in October 2026, with a full new trailer and additional voice cast revealed at Crunchyroll’s Anime Expo 2026 showcase in Los Angeles.

A scene from the Overgeared anime official teaser
Image courtesy of Crunchyroll / J.C. Staff
Overgeared | Official Trailer — via Crunchyroll on YouTube

Grid’s Story: From Deadbeat Gamer to Legendary Blacksmith

For anyone who hasn’t already ploughed through the original web novel or manhwa: Overgeared follows Shin Youngwoo, a directionless young man whose family has written him off, who spends most of his life grinding away in the massively popular virtual reality MMORPG Satisfy. A stroke of sheer luck hands him the legendary inheritance of Pagma’s Successor — a mythic blacksmith class that lets him forge weapons and armour of unmatched power. As his in-game character Grid, Youngwoo begins an improbable climb from bottom-tier nobody to the most feared and respected player in the game. The story rewards patience: Grid’s growth is hard-won, often messy, and genuinely satisfying when it pays off.

The source material started as a Korean web novel by Saenal (serialised 2014–2024) before receiving a webtoon adaptation by Monohumbug via REDICE STUDIO and Team Argo — REDICE being the same studio behind the Solo Leveling webtoon. The English-language publication of the manhwa is handled by Yen Press.

Production Details: J.C. Staff, New Cast Members, and the October Launch

A character scene from the Overgeared anime official trailer
Image courtesy of Crunchyroll / J.C. Staff

The anime — officially titled Tempal: The Power of Items (テムパル ~アイテムの力~) in Japan — is produced by EGG FIRM and animated at J.C. Staff. Directing is Ayako Kono, known for the two Sword Art Online Progressive films. Series composition is by Kenta Ihara (Sentenced to Be a Hero), with Ryosuke Tanigawa on character designs and Yoshiaki Fujisawa composing the score.

The main cast announced at the June 2026 reveal — Tatsumaru Tachibana as Grid and Asami Seto as Yura — was expanded at AX 2026 with two new additions: Saya Fukuzumi voicing Euphemina and Shuntaro Takayama as Huroi.

Why Singapore Manhwa Fans Should Pay Attention

The manhwa community in Singapore has been growing steadily, and titles like Solo Leveling and Tower of God already have strong local followings — Overgeared sits comfortably in that same tier of beloved Korean genre fiction. Its appeal is broad: the VR-MMORPG premise will click immediately with Singapore’s gaming-heavy audience, the slow-burn power fantasy rewards binge-readers, and the production pedigree (REDICE STUDIO’s webtoon + J.C. Staff animation) is credible. Crunchyroll streaming means no region-locking — Singapore fans can watch day-and-date from October.

Keep an eye on this one as the premiere date gets closer. For more anime news and other manga and anime coverage, check our full roundup.

Manga Anime

Rising of the Shield Hero Season 5 Confirmed for 2027 — First Trailer Drops at AX

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Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Filo are coming back — The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 5 is officially confirmed for a 2027 premiere, with the first trailer and a bold new key visual revealed during Crunchyroll’s showcase at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles on 3 July.

Naofumi Iwatani in a tense scene from The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 5
Image courtesy of Kinema Citrus / KADOKAWA
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 5 | Official Trailer — via Crunchyroll on YouTube

Everything Confirmed for Season 5

Season 5 was first teased at the end of Season 4’s final episode, but the Anime Expo announcement was the first proper look: a full trailer, a new key visual, and confirmation of the production team. Kinema Citrus continues as the animation studio, with Hitoshi Haga returning to direct — he guided both Seasons 3 and 4. Keigo Koyoagi is back on series composition, and the character design trio of Franziska van Wulfen, Sana Komatsu, and Masahiro Suwa returns. Crucially, composer Kevin Penkin is once again on music duties; his work has been one of the defining elements of the series since the very first episode.

On the cast side, all the main leads are reprising their roles: Kaito Ishikawa as Naofumi Iwatani, Asami Seto as Raphtalia, and Rina Hidaka as Filo. Season 5 is expected to push Naofumi toward his long-building confrontation with the Phoenix, with the allies he has gathered across four seasons finally put to the test.

A Darker Key Visual That Sets the Tone

A character scene from The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 5 trailer
Image courtesy of Kinema Citrus / KADOKAWA

The Season 5 key visual is a striking stylistic step. Where earlier seasons leaned into colour and warmth, this one goes almost entirely monochrome — charcoal and grey tones with Naofumi at the centre and his party flanking him in a dense, tension-filled formation. The only colour is the vivid red calligraphic title treatment: The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 5. The message is clear: this season is going somewhere harder and heavier.

How to Watch — and Where to Catch Up

A scene from The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 5 featuring new characters
Image courtesy of Kinema Citrus / KADOKAWA

Season 5 streams on Crunchyroll for viewers outside Japan — no specific premiere date within 2027 has been announced yet, but Singapore fans can expect the same day-and-date access they’ve had for every previous season. All four existing seasons are on Crunchyroll now for anyone who wants to get ahead of the story before next year. For more anime premieres and announcements this season, check our Manga & Anime section.

Manga Anime

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends Anime Reveals Striking Character Art at AX 2026

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Crunchyroll had a packed stage at Anime Expo 2026 this weekend, but the image that’s still echoing around the convention floor came from one announcement: the first character visuals for Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, the 2027 anime series heading to Crunchyroll. Drawn by Takashi Okazaki — the artist and creator behind Afro Samurai — the four portraits are unlike anything else shown at the convention this year. Dark, dense, folklore-soaked, and rendered in Okazaki’s unmistakable ink-heavy style, they make a statement before a single frame of animation has screened.

Takashi Okazaki’s Designs Are the Real Story

If you know Okazaki’s work on Afro Samurai, you already have a feel for what these visuals are doing. They abandon the clean character-sheet aesthetic common to anime announcements entirely and lean into something older and more tactile — ink-black linework, parchment textures, dramatic negative space, and slashes of blood-red calligraphy bleeding across each portrait.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends anime character visuals revealed at Anime Expo 2026 — designed by Takashi Okazaki
Image courtesy of Crunchyroll / PlayStation Productions

The group visual alone shows you the tonal distance this series is travelling from Ghost of Tsushima’s original campaign. These are not the grounded, historically textured samurai designs of Jin Sakai’s story. They are supernatural in every line — an archer wrapped in bone and shadow, a kitsune-masked figure bristling with blades, and looming behind them both, something far older and more dangerous. The aesthetic signals that Legends is taking its folklore inspirations seriously.

This Isn’t Jin Sakai’s Story — and That’s the Right Call

The anime adapts Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, the free co-op mode added to the original game that diverged sharply from Jin’s solo campaign. Where the main game told a grounded story about a samurai fighting the Mongol invasion, Legends dropped players into Japanese mythology — fighting oni, navigating the spirit realm, and teaming up across four archetypes (Samurai, Hunter, Ronin, and Assassin) in missions drawn from folktales.

That supernatural register gives the anime a distinct identity rather than retreading ground Jin’s story already covered. It also hands Okazaki, director Takanobu Mizuno, and writer Gen Urobuchi a canvas that suits their strengths. Urobuchi built his reputation on dark mythological drama — from Puella Magi Madoka Magica‘s deconstruction of the magical girl genre to Fate/Zero‘s brutal war of Noble Phantasms to the oppressive world of Psycho-Pass. A series rooted in supernatural horror and Japanese folklore is exactly where his storytelling lands hardest, and his involvement here is the single biggest creative signal that this won’t be a safe franchise tie-in.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends anime — supernatural villain character design by Takashi Okazaki
Image courtesy of Crunchyroll / PlayStation Productions

The Team Behind It

The full creative lineup, confirmed by Crunchyroll:

  • Director: Takanobu Mizuno — previously directed Star Wars: Visions “The Duel” at Kamikaze Douga, which showcased the studio’s capacity for stylised, high-impact short-form animation
  • Series Composition & Script: Gen Urobuchi and Satoshi Maejima (both of Nitro Plus)
  • Character Design: Takashi Okazaki (creator of Afro Samurai)
  • Animation Studio: KAMIKAZE DOUGA (also known for Batman Ninja, Batman Ninja vs. The Yakuza League, Sand Land The Series)
  • Production: HAYATE Inc., Crunchyroll, Aniplex, Sony Music, PlayStation Productions
Ghost of Tsushima: Legends anime — kitsune-masked Assassin character design by Takashi Okazaki
Image courtesy of Crunchyroll / PlayStation Productions

Crunchyroll in 2027 — and What This Means for Singapore

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends the anime is set for a 2027 premiere exclusively on Crunchyroll. No specific window has been announced beyond the year, and no trailer has dropped yet — the AX 2026 reveal was character visuals only. Given the production lineup, a full teaser is likely still months away.

For Singapore’s PlayStation and anime communities, this is one to watch closely. Ghost of Tsushima was one of the biggest PlayStation exclusives to land in the region — the game’s Japanese aesthetic resonated strongly with Southeast Asian players — and the Urobuchi-Okazaki-Kamikaze Douga combination is the kind of creative pedigree that gets the anime community here genuinely excited. Urobuchi’s past work has consistently performed well in Singapore, and a series threading dark folklore through prestige PlayStation IP feels well-calibrated for this audience.

We’ll keep tracking this one as more details emerge. For the latest anime news, check our Manga & Anime section.

Manga Anime

Solo Leveling: Beyond the System Movie Is Officially in Production

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Solo Leveling is heading to theatres. Solo Leveling: Beyond the System, a brand-new anime theatrical film, is officially in production — announced at the Crunchyroll Showcase at Anime Expo 2026 on 3 July by Aleks Le, Sung Jinwoo’s English voice actor, who introduced a teaser concept video and the film’s first key visual. A-1 Pictures, the studio behind Seasons 1 and 2, is back on animation.

What Beyond the System Is About

Sung Jinwoo awakening to new power in Solo Leveling
Image courtesy of A-1 Pictures / Aniplex

The title pulls from one of the series’ most beloved early moments: the Double Dungeon Arc, where a near-dead Jinwoo first received the System that would reshape his life. Beyond the System picks up after Season 2’s Ant King raid on Jeju Island and follows Jinwoo back to the Cartenon Temple — the original dungeon where everything started — to uncover the truth about the System that gave him his power.

The released key visual shows Jinwoo with his signature blue aura eyes glowing at an intensity that implies he has risen to a level of power that transcends the System itself. A theatrical Japan premiere is targeted for 2027; an international cinema schedule, including Singapore, has not yet been announced.

Season 3 Confirmed Too

Sung Jinwoo commanding his shadow army in the Solo Leveling anime
Image courtesy of A-1 Pictures / Aniplex

Alongside the movie announcement, D&C Media confirmed Solo Leveling Season 3 is in development, with an expected release window of 2027 to 2028. The franchise is expanding on two fronts simultaneously — the movie appears to be a standalone bridge story rather than a replacement for the main season arc, which will continue with its own release.

For Singapore fans, both seasons streamed on Crunchyroll, which is fully available here, and Season 2’s Arise from the Shadows cour was among the most-discussed anime in the local community this year. The same distribution pipeline makes Crunchyroll the likely home for Beyond the System‘s digital release as well, though a local theatrical run would depend on distribution partners in the region.

The Production Team

The core production lineup remains intact: A-1 Pictures on animation, co-produced by Aniplex, Netmarble, D&C MEDIA, Kakao Piccoma, and Crunchyroll. That same team delivered the shadow army sequences and dungeon boss fights that became some of the most shared anime clips of 2024 and 2025 — Singapore fan servers included. More details — director, full cast, release windows — are expected as production progresses.

Stay tuned to our anime and manga coverage for every update on Beyond the System and Season 3 as they land.

Manga Anime

Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage Hits Netflix on 25 September

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JoJo fans, mark your calendars: Steel Ball Run’s 2nd Stage launches on Netflix on 25 September 2026, with new episodes dropping every Friday. The date was locked in at an Anime Expo 2026 panel at the Crypto.com Arena on 3 July, where a brand-new trailer dropped and composer Yugo Kanno performed live — the biggest Steel Ball Run news since Stage 1’s 47-minute premiere special back in March.

What the Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage Covers

A Steel Ball Run character in an intense action moment from the anime
Image courtesy of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Animation SBR Project

The 2nd Stage sends Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli into one of the race’s most brutal stretches: nearly 750 miles across the Arizona Desert through a region locals call the “Devil’s Palm,” where racers have been found dead under unexplained circumstances. The trailer preview revealed looks at Hot Pants and Mountain Tim, two fan-favourite additions who take on significant roles from here, as well as a first glimpse at the growing menace of President Funny Valentine.

Eleven episodes will cover Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the Steel Ball Run race combined, meaning the adaptation moves through a significant chunk of Hirohiko Araki’s manga at a tight but purposeful pace.

Watch the 2nd Stage Trailer

STEEL BALL RUN 2nd Stage Official Trailer (2026) — via ONE Media + on YouTube

JoJo Fridays Return — and the Production Team Behind Them

Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli in the Steel Ball Run anime
Image courtesy of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Animation SBR Project

The weekly Friday release schedule — “JoJo Fridays” — is back for the first time since Golden Wind. For Singapore JoJo communities that ran Friday watch parties during the Golden Wind run, this is a proper homecoming. Directors Yasuhiro Kimura and Hideya Takahashi (who helmed Golden Wind) are returning, as is composer Yugo Kanno, who gave both Golden Wind and Stone Ocean their sonic identity. English dub voice actors Daman Mills (Johnny Joestar) and Kaiji Tang (Gyro Zeppeli) also appeared at the panel.

Steel Ball Run is consistently ranked by fans as the peak of Araki’s writing — a race across 19th-century America that gradually reveals itself as one of the most emotionally ambitious stories in the franchise. The confirmed date and weekly cadence mean Singapore fans can now plan around it properly.

How to Watch in Singapore

Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage streams on Netflix from 25 September 2026, new episode every Friday. Netflix is available in Singapore with no regional restrictions on this series — it’s a global simultaneous release. Stage 1 (the 47-minute opening special from March) is already on the platform; catch up before the weekly run kicks off in September. Find more anime and manga news in our coverage hub.

Manga Anime, News

Mushoku Tensei Season 3 Premieres July 5 on Crunchyroll

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Singapore isekai fans, this is your reminder: Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 3 drops on Crunchyroll on 5 July 2026 — tomorrow. One of the most consistently impressive isekai anime in recent memory picks up directly where Season 2’s emotionally loaded finale left off, and from what the trailers are showing, Studio Bind has not let the momentum slip.

Eris Boreas Greyrat as Sword King in Mushoku Tensei Season 3 — close-up key visual with sword
Image courtesy of Studio Bind

The Asura Kingdom Arc — From Domestic Peace to Political War

Season 3 adapts Volumes 13–18 of Rifujin na Magonote’s light novel series, covering what fans know as the Asura Kingdom Arc — the point where the story expands from personal drama into full-scale political intrigue. Rudeus Greyrat is married to both Sylphiette and Roxy Migurdia now, he’s a graduate of Ranoa Magic Academy, and for a brief, gorgeous moment it looks like his reincarnated life might actually go well. Then a visit to Perugius’s floating fortress brings a crisis that pulls the whole party apart, and the fallout leads straight into the power struggles surrounding Princess Ariel’s claim to the Asura throne.

Two new characters are introduced: Nina Farion (voiced by Haruka Tomatsu) and Gal Farion (voiced by Tetsu Inada), who play significant roles in this arc.

Rudeus Greyrat with Sylphiette and Roxy Migurdia in Mushoku Tensei Season 3
Image courtesy of Studio Bind

Eris Is Back — and She Is a Sword King

If you’ve been waiting for this since Eris walked away without explanation at the end of Season 1, Season 3 is where she returns in full. The Season 3 key visual shows Eris Boreas Greyrat as a Sword King — one of the highest combat tiers in the North God style of swordsmanship — and the close-up of her expression tells you everything about how she’s changed. She left a fiery, impulsive noble girl; she’s coming back as something forged. What happens when she and Rudeus finally face each other again is one of the most anticipated character moments in the entire novel series.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 3 | Official Trailer — via Crunchyroll on YouTube

Production — Studio Bind’s Full Team Returns

Studio Bind is back with the full crew: director Ryosuke Shibuya, character designers Sanae Shimada and Ryota Furukawa, and composer Yoshiaki Fujisawa on the score. Yuiko Ohara, who has performed key songs throughout the franchise, performs the Season 3 opening theme Ketsui no Uta. The continuity of staff is one of the reasons Mushoku Tensei has maintained such a consistent visual and tonal identity across its seasons — no major shake-ups here.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation series key art with full cast
Image courtesy of Studio Bind

Watch on Crunchyroll from 5 July — Singapore

Crunchyroll holds global simulcast rights for Season 3, which means Singapore viewers get new episodes alongside the Japanese broadcast each week from 5 July 2026. Subtitled episodes arrive first; an English dub will follow in the coming weeks.

If you haven’t started the series yet, both Season 1 and Season 2 are available on Crunchyroll now. It’s one of the few isekai titles that genuinely earns its long runtime — the craft behind each arc gets richer the longer you stay in. Find more summer season picks in our anime coverage.

Game News, Manga Anime

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 — New Crew, Fall 2026 on Netflix

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Four years after Cyberpunk: Edgerunners became one of Netflix’s most acclaimed anime series — scoring a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and sending millions of fans flooding back into Night City — Studio TRIGGER and CD Projekt Red are ready to go again. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 lands on Netflix this Fall 2026, and if the buzz from Anime Expo 2026 is anything to go by, Singapore fans should start clearing their weekend schedules.

The first episode screened at AX 2026’s July 3 panel, with showrunner Bartosz Sztybor, executive producer Saya Elder, director Kai Ikarashi, and voice actor Nazeeh Tarsha in attendance. Audience reactions have been enthusiastic — though plot details are being kept under wraps.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 official key art — four new characters in Night City, Netflix Fall 2026
Image courtesy of CD Projekt Red × TRIGGER

A Standalone Story — No Need to Have Watched Season 1

The biggest news for newcomers: Edgerunners 2 is a completely standalone 10-episode series. The new season follows four brand-new characters in Night City with no narrative connection to David Martinez from the original. You can jump straight in — though you’d be robbing yourself of one of the finest 10-episode anime runs ever made if you skip Season 1.

The season’s creative pitch is as bleak as Night City deserves: “When the world is blinded by spectacle, what extremes do you have to go to make your story matter?” Four outcasts, four desperate motivations, one city with no interest in happy endings. The original song accompanying the teaser, You Can’t Run From Me by Rico Nasty, sets the tone perfectly.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 | Official Teaser 2 — via Cyberpunk 2077 on YouTube

Meet the New Night City Crew

The four main characters cover very different corners of Night City’s social hierarchy — which is exactly how you get good drama:

  • Weak “King” Kingsley (Japanese CV: Kentaro Tone) — A veteran edgerunner living in the shadow of his former glory. Old enough to know how the city works, stubborn enough to still think he can beat it.
  • D (Japanese CV: Kouki Uchiyama; English CV: Nazeeh Tarsha) — A Nomad netrunner from the Snake Nation clan with a singular mission: revenge against the corp that wiped out his people. Uchiyama is known to anime fans here for Black Clover and Blue Lock.
  • Roman Carax (Japanese CV: Momoka Terasawa) — A young cinephile documenting Night City’s reality through a lens, in a world where truth itself is a weapon.
  • Talia Yang (Japanese CV: Akari Kito) — Corpo-raised but drawn irresistibly toward the chrome and violence of the streets. Kito voices Nezuko in Demon Slayer and Tohru in Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid — she has the range for wherever Talia’s arc goes.
Roman Carax — young cinephile character from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, holding a camera device
Image courtesy of CD Projekt Red × TRIGGER

TRIGGER Returns — With a New Director at the Helm

Studio TRIGGER is back in the driver’s seat, and their visual DNA is unmistakeable in the teaser — the kinetic action, the bold flat colours that still somehow crackle with energy, the character designs by Ichigo Kanno that feel TRIGGER even in a Western sci-fi setting.

One significant change: director Hiroyuki Imaishi (Kill la Kill, Gurren Lagann, Promare, and Season 1 of Edgerunners) is not returning. Kai Ikarashi steps into some enormous shoes as the new director. That’s worth flagging honestly — Imaishi’s kinetic excess was a huge part of what made Season 1 so visceral. Whether Ikarashi can match that energy is the open question. On the writing side, CD Projekt Red’s Bartosz Sztybor returns as co-screenwriter alongside Masahiko Otsuka, which gives us confidence the Night City storytelling instincts are intact.

Talia Yang in action from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 official teaser — pink-haired fighter with cybernetic enhancements
Image courtesy of CD Projekt Red × TRIGGER

When Can Singapore Fans Watch?

Edgerunners 2 is a Netflix exclusive — which means Singapore fans get it the moment it drops, no import or workarounds required. A specific premiere date hasn’t been confirmed beyond “Fall 2026,” but given Netflix’s track record of simultaneous global launches for its anime originals (and how hard they pushed Season 1 here), expect a same-day release with subtitles and an English dub to follow.

In the meantime, the official Edgerunners 2 website has character profiles up. And if the teaser has given you the itch to revisit Night City itself, Cyberpunk 2077 with the Phantom Liberty DLC is routinely on sale across digital storefronts — it’s a good time to go back. More game news here.

Manga Anime

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Cour 2 Starts July 4 — FMA Creator’s Anime Hits Its Peak

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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.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Cour 2 key visual
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

Daemons of the Shadow Realm promotional visual
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

Daemons of the Shadow Realm Cour 2 visual
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.