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Manga Anime

The Elusive Samurai Season 2 Premieres on Crunchyroll 17 July

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Nine days from now, the most gifted runner in Japanese history makes his comeback. The Elusive Samurai Season 2 premieres on 17 July 2026 on Crunchyroll, and with a new main trailer and opening theme now revealed, we finally know what to expect when CloverWorks returns to feudal Kamakura.

The Elusive Samurai Season 2 — the main cast gather in a lantern-lit scene
Image courtesy of Aniplex

What Is The Elusive Samurai?

Based on the manga by Yusei Matsui — the creator behind Assassination Classroom — The Elusive Samurai (逃げ上手の若君) follows Hojo Tokiyuki, the young heir to the Kamakura shogunate who survives the brutal downfall of his clan through one extraordinary, embarrassing talent: running away at superhuman speed. Set during the historical Kenmu Restoration in 14th-century Japan, the series transforms real political upheaval into something wildly funny and, quietly, a little moving.

Season 1 from CloverWorks aired in 2024 and built a strong following on Crunchyroll — particularly among fans who like their history served with exaggerated comedy faces and genuinely well-animated action. The whole first season remains on Crunchyroll if you need to catch up before 17 July.

Season 2 Trailer and Opening Theme

The Elusive Samurai Season 2 | Main Trailer — via Aniplex USA on YouTube

Aniplex dropped the main trailer at Anime Expo 2026 earlier this month, confirming the 17 July premiere alongside the opening theme: “Onigoto” (鬼ごと), performed by Japanese singer and actor Kento Nakajima. Nakajima, who has spoken about his lifelong love of history, expressed genuine enthusiasm for the role — and the track itself sounds like a fittingly propulsive way to open an episode about a boy whose survival strategy is very fast feet.

CloverWorks returns with the core production team from Season 1, and based on the trailer the animation has lost none of its expressive energy — expect more of those gleefully exaggerated comedy cuts alongside the show’s sharper dramatic moments. Season 2 continues Tokiyuki’s campaign to reclaim Kamakura, with the political stakes rising as he gathers allies across a fractured Japan.

Tokiyuki in a lively outdoor market scene from The Elusive Samurai
Image courtesy of Aniplex

How to Watch from Singapore

Crunchyroll carries The Elusive Samurai in Singapore, and Season 2 streams from 17 July — same day as the Japanese broadcast on Fuji TV’s Noitamina block (Fridays, 11:30 PM JST). Both subtitled and dubbed versions will be available. If you have been sleeping on this one, the 24-episode Season 1 run is an easy weekend binge to get ready in time.

The Elusive Samurai is one of the more distinct anime running right now — a period piece that neither romanticises nor bores you with history, created by someone who clearly knows how to make a reader (or viewer) care about a surprisingly unconventional protagonist. Singapore fans on Crunchyroll, 17 July is the date to save. Browse more upcoming anime in our Manga & Anime section.

Manga Anime

Yoko Taro Directs New Evangelion Anime — Studio Khara’s Bold New Series is Officially in Production

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It’s not a drill: Studio Khara has confirmed a brand-new Evangelion anime series is in production, and the director attached to it is none other than Yoko Taro — the enigmatic auteur behind NieR:Automata, Drakengard, and some of the most emotionally devastating stories in gaming. The English version of the confirmation trailer dropped on 5 July, and the anime world hasn’t been able to stop talking about it since.

Why This Announcement Is a Big Deal

Hideaki Anno’s Studio Khara — the house that brought us the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy — is backing this new series, but the creative direction is being handed to Yoko Taro. That combination is genuinely unprecedented. Anno built Evangelion as a deeply personal psychological excavation; Taro is known for post-apocalyptic nihilism wrapped in subversive game design. The crossover potential for their shared obsessions — existential dread, broken protagonists, humanity’s self-destructive impulses — is enormous.

New Evangelion series – Eva unit in dramatic red lighting
The new series imagery leans into Evangelion’s iconic mech design with a striking new colour palette. (Image: Studio Khara)

The trailer itself is deliberately sparse — a piano score plays over imagery of post-apocalyptic ruins, with the title card reading “EVANGELION BRAND NEW SERIES PRODUCTION INITIATED”. No character reveals, no story details, no air date. That’s classic Anno/Khara restraint. The decision to release an English version simultaneously (rather than a delayed localisation) suggests a more internationally-focused rollout than some past entries.

What We Know (and Don’t Know)

Details are thin by design, but here’s what’s been officially confirmed so far:

  • This is a new series — not a sequel to Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 and not a remake of the original 1995 TV series
  • Yoko Taro is directing, under Khara’s production umbrella
  • Studio Khara is producing — so expect the same visual quality as the Rebuild films
  • The English confirmation trailer was uploaded to Khara’s official YouTube channel on 5 July 2026

What we don’t yet know: release window, episode count, whether it’s a streaming-first title or theatrical, and which platform(s) will carry it. Given Netflix’s recent track record with high-profile anime acquisitions (and Taro’s existing relationship with the streaming giant via the NieR:Automata Ver1.1a anime), Netflix is an obvious candidate — but that’s speculation at this stage.

Classic Neon Genesis Evangelion promotional art featuring Shinji and Rei
The original Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) redefined anime. The new series has enormous shoes to fill. (Image: Studio Khara)

Why Singapore Fans Should Pay Attention

Evangelion merchandise and events have always had a strong footprint in Singapore — the franchise reliably sells out at Animate Singapore, Kinokuniya Orchard, and Anime Festival Asia every year. A new series from Studio Khara will almost certainly trigger a fresh wave of figures, apparel, and collaborations. If past Rebuild film releases are anything to go by, local distributors will be quick to secure screening or streaming rights.

For fans of Yoko Taro’s work specifically, this feels like the creative pairing the internet manifested into existence through sheer force of will. His games consistently feature unreliable narrators, multiple-playthrough revelations, and the kind of gut-punch endings that stick with you for years. Applied to Evangelion — a franchise already built on those exact qualities — the results could be genuinely extraordinary.

We’ll be tracking every development as it comes. Watch this space, and keep an eye on Studio Khara’s official YouTube for the next update.

Manga Anime, News

Green Yuri Anime: CloverWorks, Nirvana Opening Theme, January 2027

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Nirvana’s 1991 grunge anthem “Breed” is officially the opening theme for the anime adaptation of Sumiko Arai’s manga The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All — and Dave Grohl himself helped break the news. Announced at Crunchyroll’s Anime Expo 2026 showcase in Los Angeles, the series premieres in January 2027 on Crunchyroll worldwide, including Singapore.

Meet Green Yuri: The Manga That Sold 1.6 Million Copies

Nicknamed “Green Yuri” by fans for its unmistakeable lime-green colour palette, the series follows Aya Osawa — a fashionable high schooler with a deep love for Western rock — who develops a crush on the cool, enigmatic clerk at her local CD shop. The twist: that clerk is Mitsuki Koga, a girl who attends Aya’s school and has been hiding in plain sight all along. As the two circle each other through shared playlists and stolen glances, a case of mistaken identity slowly deepens into something real.

Originally a Twitter short story (2021), the manga graduated to Pixiv Comics serialisation before landing a print run through KADOKAWA’s Kitora label. It took first place in the web manga category at the Next Manga Award 2023 and has since sold over 1.6 million copies worldwide — numbers that made an anime feel not just possible but necessary.

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy At All | Official Teaser — via Crunchyroll on YouTube

CloverWorks Takes the Helm

Aya Osawa in the Green Yuri anime by CloverWorks
Image courtesy of Crunchyroll / CloverWorks

Studio CloverWorks — whose recent track record includes Oshi no Ko and The Dangers in My Heart — is handling animation. Anime News Network confirms Masashi Ishihama in the director’s chair, with Rino Yamazaki on series composition and Kanna Hirayama designing the characters. Voicing the leads are Mariya Ise as Mitsuki Koga and Akari Kito as Aya Osawa — both seasoned performers with strong track records in character-driven drama.

That Nirvana Moment

Green Yuri manga key visual at Anime Expo 2026
Image courtesy of Crunchyroll / Sumiko Arai (KADOKAWA)

“Breed”, from Nirvana’s landmark 1991 album Nevermind, has been officially licensed as the opening theme — the first time a Nirvana track has been officially used in a Japanese animated production. The announcement drew an audible reaction from the Anime Expo crowd, made all the more striking when a pre-recorded video message from Dave Grohl played on the AX screens.

“[This series is] the same message and aesthetic… the vibe, you know? It’s cool,” Grohl said in the message, as reported by Red Bean Anime. That Nirvana’s surviving members would pick this series — a story about two girls finding each other through music — to carry the band’s legacy into anime says something about how far the medium has reached.

Singapore Fans: Mark Your January 2027 Calendar

Crunchyroll is streaming the series globally, which means Singapore fans will be able to watch from the January 2027 premiere date. Four volumes of the manga are already available in English from Yen Press, giving you plenty of time to catch up before episode one drops. For yuri and romance anime fans in Singapore, this is shaping up to be the stand-out pick of that winter season.

Manga Anime

The Elusive Samurai Season 2 Premieres July 17 on Crunchyroll

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The game of tag is back on. The Elusive Samurai Season 2 has a locked premiere date of 17 July 2026, with Crunchyroll confirmed as the streaming home outside Japan. The date was announced at Anime Expo 2026 alongside a brand-new special trailer — the clearest look yet at what Tokiyuki and his unlikely band of allies face next, and great news for Singapore fans with a Crunchyroll subscription.

The Elusive Samurai Season 2 official key visual poster — TV Anime Season 2 July 2026
Image courtesy of The Elusive Samurai Committee / Aniplex

Tokiyuki’s Story, and Why You Should Be Watching

The Elusive Samurai (逃げ上手の若君 / Nigejozu no Wakagimi) comes from Yusei Matsui — the creator of Assassination Classroom — and was adapted by CloverWorks for its first season in 2024. The premise is deceptively simple: young Hojo Tokiyuki is the legitimate heir to the Kamakura shogunate, but after a coup wipes out his family in 1333, he has exactly zero conventional fighting ability to fall back on. His one supernatural gift is evasion — he is, as the title puts it, extraordinarily good at running away. His eccentric retainer Suwa Yorishige (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura) believes the boy is destined to one day rule Japan, and gathers a band of equally unusual warriors to keep him alive long enough to prove it.

What made Season 1 stand out was how deftly it balanced its comedic DNA with real historical stakes. This is a Shonen Jump adaptation that actually cares about its period setting — the 14th-century political upheaval forms a genuine backdrop rather than wallpaper. Season 2 picks up the resistance story and, judging from the new trailer, turns up the intensity considerably.

Watch the Season 2 Special Trailer

The Elusive Samurai Season 2 | Special Trailer — via Aniplex USA on YouTube
Tokiyuki Hojo close-up from The Elusive Samurai Season 2 special trailer
Still from Aniplex USA’s official trailer

Opening Theme: “Onigoto” by Kento Nakajima

The Season 2 opening theme is “Onigoto” (鬼ごと — literally, “a game of demons” or “a game of tag with demons”), performed by Japanese actor and singer Kento Nakajima. The track gets a preview in the special trailer, and it fits the series well: propulsive, with a theatrical edge that matches Tokiyuki’s chaotic, high-speed escapes through feudal Japan. Yusei Matsui’s stories have always had a knack for pairing kinetic action with music that adds emotional texture, and “Onigoto” looks set to continue that tradition.

Returning Cast and Crew

Director Yuta Yamazaki returns for Season 2 at CloverWorks, keeping the visual identity and comedic timing intact. The full core cast is back:

  • Tokiyuki Hojo — Asaki Yuikawa
  • Shizuku — Hinaki Yano
  • Kojirou — Mari Hino
  • Ayako — Sayumi Suzushiro
  • Genba Kazama — Aoi Yuki
  • Fubuki — Kikunosuke Toya
  • Suwa Yorishige — Yuichi Nakamura

How to Catch It in Singapore

The Elusive Samurai Season 2 streams on Crunchyroll from 17 July 2026 in select countries and territories worldwide, which includes Singapore. It lands in a packed Summer 2026 anime season alongside other high-profile returns, so if you haven’t yet finished Season 1, this weekend is the time to lock in. The full first season is already available on Crunchyroll.

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend main trailer visual
Manga Anime, News

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend: The Final Chapter Gets Its Main Trailer

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The final chapter of the Rascal Does Not Dream saga now has a full main trailer — and if you’ve been following Sakuta and Mai since Bunny Girl Senpai, you are going to want to watch it right now.

Main Trailer — Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend — via アニプレックス チャンネル on YouTube

What is Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend?

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend (青春ブタ野郎はディアフレンドの夢を見ない) is the fourth and final theatrical anime film based on Hajime Kamoshida’s light novel series. It adapts the 15th and conclusive volume of the franchise, bringing the long-running story of Adolescence Syndrome to a close.

If you need a quick refresher: the Seishun Buta Yarou (Bunny Girl Senpai) universe follows university student Sakuta Azusagawa and his girlfriend, actress Mai Sakurajima, as they encounter a series of supernatural phenomena tied to adolescent emotions — known as Adolescence Syndrome. The TV series aired in 2018, followed by the theatrical film Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl in 2019, and more recently Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus in September 2025.

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend official visual
Image courtesy of Aniplex

What does the main trailer reveal?

The main trailer, released today through the official Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend website, signals that this film will ramp up the emotional and supernatural stakes considerably. The story begins when the identity of popular internet singer “Kirishima Touko” is somehow linked to actress Sakurajima Mai — and in the wake of this revelation, dreams start bleeding into reality around Sakuta. He receives a chilling message from an alternate version of himself: “Stop Kirishima Touko — before reality is rewritten.”

Director Soichi Masui returns to helm the project at CloverWorks, alongside series composer Masahiro Yokotani and character designer Satomi Tamura. The beloved fox capture plan is back on music duties. The full cast — including Kaito Ishikawa as Sakuta Azusagawa, Asami Seto as Mai Sakurajima, Reina Ueda, and Nao Toyama — reprises their roles.

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend main trailer still
Image courtesy of Aniplex

October 16 Japan release — what about Singapore?

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend premieres in Japanese cinemas on 16 October 2026. Limited advance tickets with an exclusive A5 clear card bonus go on sale in Japan from 19 June 2026.

No Singapore theatrical or Asia streaming date has been announced yet. That said, the TV series and previous films in the franchise have been available to Singapore fans via Crunchyroll — so a streaming window post-Japan theatrical run is the most likely path to watch it here. We will update as soon as any Asia release details are confirmed. In the meantime, check out our latest anime coverage for what’s streaming this season.

Last words

This is the one Singapore fans of the franchise have been waiting for — the true ending to a series that has run since 2018 and built one of the most devoted anime fanbases around. Whether you’ve been watching since the original Bunny Girl Senpai or came in through the movies, the main trailer makes a strong case that CloverWorks and Masui are saving their best work for last. October 16 cannot come soon enough.