Tag Archives: Netflix

Manga Anime

Kill Blue Season 2 Confirmed — Fujimaki’s De-Aged Hitman Is Back

Leave a comment

The Spring 2026 anime season just delivered one of its best end-credits moments: Kill Blue Season 2 is confirmed. The second season was announced at the close of the Season 1 finale, which aired on 27 June 2026 — meaning the wait for more Juzo Ogami starts right now.

Kill Blue — Juzo Ogami, 39-year-old assassin in a 13-year-old's body
Image courtesy of CUE / Kill Blue Production Committee

The Kuroko Creator Returns to Jump

Kill Blue is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, the mangaka behind Kuroko’s Basketball — a series that still sells out in Singapore’s Japanese bookstores and ran a hugely popular anime adaptation from 2012 to 2015. After Kuroko wrapped, Fujimaki took his time on a new series, and when Kill Blue debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in April 2023, it immediately stood out: darker premise, sharper comedy, and the same gift for ensemble character dynamics that made the basketball team so beloved.

The manga concluded in Jump in September 2025 across 13 collected volumes, and the anime adaptation kicked off in April 2026. It proved popular enough that a second season was greenlit before the final episode even finished airing.

Anime KILL BLUE – Main Trailer No.2 — via DMM pictures on YouTube

A Hitman in the Wrong Body

The premise is gloriously absurd. Juzo Ogami is 39 years old, a legend in the Z.O.O. assassin syndicate, and very good at his job. On a routine hit at a genetics company, he is stung by an experimental wasp that rewrites his DNA — and wakes up in the body of a 13-year-old. His mind, memories, and considerable killing instincts are all intact. His frame is not.

His handlers assign him a new mission: go undercover at a middle school, scope out whether it is safe for the syndicate boss’s daughter to enrol. Juzo intends to treat it as a quick op. What he does not count on is discovering that he genuinely likes studying — or that the school’s cast of students, teachers, and lurking threats will drag him into something far messier than a reconnaissance job.

The comedy of a cold-blooded professional navigating homeroom and PE class is played straight enough to stay funny, while the action sequences (Juzo does not stop being lethal just because he is now small) give the show real bite. The ensemble — particularly Noren Mitsuoka, whose family’s company created the wasp that de-aged him — gives Season 1 its emotional core.

Kill Blue — Juzo and Noren Mitsuoka
Image courtesy of CUE / Kill Blue Production Committee

What We Know About Season 2

The announcement was made in the end-card of Season 1’s final episode. No premiere date or episode count has been announced for Season 2, and no new visual or teaser was released alongside it — just the confirmation that the story continues.

Season 1 covered 12 episodes directed by Yasunori Ide at Studio CUE, with series composition by Hiro Kaburagi. The production team is expected to return, though this has not been formally confirmed. Given the manga is already complete at 13 volumes, Season 2 will have a full roadmap to work from.

One thing worth noting for fans of the music: the opening theme “ATTITUDE” is performed by aespa, and the ending theme “KILL SHOT” is by RIIZE. Whether the K-pop pairings carry over into Season 2 is one of the more interesting open questions.

Kill Blue — Juzo Ogami in class, textbook in one hand and gun in the other
Image courtesy of CUE / Kill Blue Production Committee

Where to Watch Kill Blue in Singapore

Season 1 is fully available now on both Crunchyroll and Netflix in Singapore, with English subtitles and a full English dub produced by Bang Zoom! Entertainment. If you have not started yet, all 12 episodes are up and a second season is already on the way — there has never been a better time to catch up. Check out our other anime coverage for more from the Spring 2026 season.

No Season 2 premiere window has been announced. Keep an eye on the official Kill Blue English site (kill-blue.us) and the official @KillBlue_en social accounts for updates.

Manga Anime

Record of Ragnarok Season 4 Confirmed — Battles 10 and 11 Are Coming

Leave a comment

Warner Bros. Japan officially confirmed on Friday that Record of Ragnarok is returning for a fourth season — and if you’ve been waiting for a particular clash to finally hit the screen, the wait just got a whole lot more real.

Record of Ragnarok IV — Season 4 Production Confirmed Special PV — via Warner Bros. Japan Anime on YouTube

Record of Ragnarok Season 4: What We Know

The announcement landed on 26 June 2026 through Warner Bros. Japan’s official channels, alongside a short production announcement video, the new Record of Ragnarok IV logo, and commemorative messages and art from the original creative team. Season 4 will animate the 10th and 11th battles of the gods-versus-humanity tournament. That’s all the timing information we have for now — no premiere date has been set.

Returning in the director’s chair is Koichi Hatsumi (Season 3 director, known also for Tokyo Revengers), with Yasuyuki Muto back as series composer. Animation production stays with the same pairing of Yumeta Company × MARU Animation that handled all three previous seasons.

What the Creators Are Saying About Battles 10 and 11

Azychika's hand-drawn commemorative illustration for Record of Ragnarok Season 4 featuring two characters from the upcoming battles
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Japan

Illustrator Azychika dropped a celebratory manga illustration alongside the announcement, teasing the style of what’s ahead: “That incredible sword fight in the upcoming match is finally coming to life in animation! There’s even a gunfight!” as reported by Anime Corner.

Story writer Shinya Umemura added: “Season 4 will focus on the 10th and 11th battle. From an all-out, authentic sword-fighting battle to a strategic showdown reminiscent of the Jack the Ripper match…” And structure writer Takumi Fukui summed it up: “I can’t wait to see battles so intense they burn into your memory, and souls that shine with blinding passion.”

Between sword fights, gunfights, and a matchup compared to one of the series’ most psychologically tense bouts, the creative team isn’t underselling this one.

Season 3 Was a Netflix Hit — and Confirmed the Formula Works

Record of Ragnarok III official Netflix key visual showing multiple fighters including the main cast in dramatic poses
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Japan / Netflix

Record of Ragnarok III arrived on Netflix on 10 December 2025 with 15 episodes and immediately posted up in Netflix’s weekly TOP 10 across 83 countries and regions. Singapore was part of that wave — the series has been one of Netflix’s consistent anime performers in Southeast Asia, and all three seasons are streaming there right now.

While Netflix has not yet formally announced distribution for Season 4, the existing relationship makes it the obvious home for the new instalment when it’s ready. We’ll be watching for that confirmation.

Close-up of a dark-haired Record of Ragnarok character with piercing green eyes from the Season 4 announcement PV
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Japan

For more anime announcements worth tracking, head to our Manga & Anime section — there’s been no shortage of them this week.

Manga Anime

THE ONE PIECE: WIT Studio’s Netflix Remake Gets Its First Teaser

Leave a comment

Three years after the project was first announced at Jump Festa 2024, Netflix and WIT Studio have finally dropped the first official teaser for THE ONE PIECE — a full anime remake of Eiichiro Oda’s legendary pirate saga launching worldwide in February 2027. The teaser was unveiled on 24 June 2026 at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, and it has already set One Piece fan communities across Singapore and the region ablaze.

Monkey D. Luffy in THE ONE PIECE anime remake by WIT Studio
Image courtesy of Netflix / THE ONE PIECE Production Committee

What Is THE ONE PIECE Remake?

THE ONE PIECE (ザ・ワンピース) is a brand-new anime adaptation that retells Luffy’s journey from Chapter 1 of the manga — this time produced by WIT Studio, the house behind the first three seasons of Attack on Titan and Spy x Family. It is a five-way collaboration between WIT Studio, Shueisha, Toei Animation, Fuji Television, and Netflix, with a single mandate: deliver a definitive, filler-free version of Oda’s world that modern and new audiences can actually finish.

The original 1999 anime is beloved but notoriously difficult to recommend to newcomers. Filler arcs, pacing stretched across thousands of episodes, and decades of accumulated lore make it a hard sell. THE ONE PIECE is designed to fix all of that — going back to the very beginning with updated animation, faithful manga pacing, and none of the filler.

THE ONE PIECE announcement poster featuring Windmill Village — Netflix 2027
Image courtesy of Netflix / THE ONE PIECE Production Committee

What Season 1 Covers

Season 1 runs to seven episodes totalling approximately 300 minutes — roughly the same runtime as three feature films — and adapts the opening chapters of the manga, covering the East Blue saga from Romance Dawn through the early Baratie arc. Episode 1 is titled Romance Dawn: Dawn of Adventure, and the official key art confirms we’re going all the way back: young Luffy, the Windmill Village, and Red-Haired Shanks at the tavern.

All seven episodes will drop simultaneously on Netflix in February 2027. Worldwide. That means Singapore fans watch at the same time as viewers in Japan, the US, and Europe — no waiting, no spoilers leaking from another region first.

THE ONE PIECE Episode 1 Romance Dawn key visual — Netflix 2027
Image courtesy of Netflix / THE ONE PIECE Production Committee

Watch the Official Teaser

THE ONE PIECE | Official Teaser | Netflix — via Netflix on YouTube

The teaser opens on the iconic Fushigi Yami Bar scene and immediately shows off WIT Studio’s approach: cleaner, sharper character designs that hew closer to Oda’s original manga art than the 1999 anime ever did, combined with dynamic modern animation. Luffy’s Gomu Gomu no Mi powers look genuinely elastic and powerful in a way that feels new. Fan response since the reveal has been overwhelmingly positive.

The Team Behind the Remake

Director Masashi Koizuka leads the project, with series composition by Taku Kishimoto. Character designs are by Kyoji Asano and Takatoshi Honda, who spent months painstakingly studying Oda’s pen strokes. Asano described the process in an interview covered by Game Rant: “We repeatedly traced Oda-sensei’s art. After two full months of thoroughly studying his style, we finally achieved a level of quality that even the director was very satisfied with.”

WIT Studio CEO George Wada spoke to the reason Oda himself backed the project, as reported by Game Rant: “The reason we decided to produce a remake came from a reflection by the original author… He felt a certain regret about this and wanted younger audiences to discover and follow the story.”

On the voice cast front: Mayumi Tanaka, who has voiced Monkey D. Luffy since the original 1999 anime, is returning for THE ONE PIECE. In her official statement, Tanaka said: “I had a lot of fun recording, so I want many people to see it. The release starts in February 2027, so please look forward to it!”

Mayumi Tanaka returns as Monkey D. Luffy in THE ONE PIECE Netflix remake
Image courtesy of Netflix / THE ONE PIECE Production Committee

February 2027: Mark Your Calendar, Singapore

One Piece has one of the most loyal fanbases in Singapore and across Southeast Asia, and THE ONE PIECE is the remake this community has been quietly hoping for. Whether you stalled out in the original’s early arcs, drifted away during Dressrosa, or simply want the cleanest possible entry point into Oda’s world, this is it.

Netflix’s worldwide simultaneous release model means no geo-blocking headaches and no spoiler anxiety from watching regions getting the episodes first. The all-episodes-at-once drop also means the full East Blue saga will be there on day one. February 2027 is the date to watch — for now, the teaser is on Netflix’s YouTube channel. Check out our anime and manga coverage for more as the premiere approaches.

Manga Anime

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 — First Characters Revealed, Netflix Trailer Drops June 29

Leave a comment

Night City isn’t done with us yet. Studio TRIGGER and CD Projekt Red have been steadily drip-feeding details about Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, introducing the first member of the new crew and confirming that a full first-look trailer lands on 29 June 2026 — two days from now. If the original Edgerunners left a hole in your chest that no amount of Netrunner builds could fill, the wait is almost over.

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

Night City Has a New Crew — Meet Weak Kingsley

The official Cyberpunk: Edgerunners X account dropped the first character card: Weak Kingsley, a large, dishevelled man introduced with the tagline “Heavy is a crown. Heavier is the chrome.” The post formatted the reveal as a crew roster update — [CREW UPDATE] // +1 EDGERUNNER // WEAK KINGSLEY — with three additional silhouettes still blacked out alongside him, teasing that more reveals are on the way before the trailer goes live.

Promotional art unveiled at Annecy also gives us a second hint: a young, blonde character holding a camcorder appears in the key visual, and the internet has wasted no time speculating that she is the new lead. Netflix has not confirmed her name or role yet, so consider it a strong rumour until June 29.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 promotional artwork revealed at Annecy 2026
Image courtesy of Netflix / CD Projekt Red

What We Know About Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2

Much of the original creative team is back. Kai Ikarashi — who directed Episode 6, “Girl on Fire”, arguably the most gut-wrenching hour of the first season — steps up as series director. Kanno Ichigo returns as lead character designer, so expect that same hyper-kinetic, chrome-soaked aesthetic. Story is handled by returning Bartosz Sztybor, with screenplay by Masahiko Otsuka.

The new season will be a completely standalone ten-episode story set in Night City — David Martinez, Lucy, and Rebecca will not be returning as central characters. The official description frames it as “a raw chronicle of redemption and revenge,” which, knowing TRIGGER, probably means we are in for another emotional demolition job. No official release window has been confirmed, though industry watchers broadly expect a 2027 Netflix premiere.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 official teaser thumbnail on Netflix YouTube
Image courtesy of Netflix / CD Projekt Red

Singapore Anime Fans: Mark Your Calendars

The original Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is on Netflix, which means Singapore subscribers had day-one access — and if viewing figures and social chatter are anything to go by, it absolutely resonated here. Expect Season 2 to land on Netflix Singapore on the same day as global release once a date is confirmed.

If you want more Edgerunners 2 news sooner, CD Projekt Red has a dedicated panel at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles on 3 July 2026, where further details about the new story and cast are expected to be shared. The first full trailer, however, is already confirmed for 29 June via Netflix’s social channels — so watch the @edgerunners and Netflix accounts for the drop.

In the meantime, catch up on all the latest anime news on GameTrader — the Summer 2026 season is about to kick off and it is stacked.

Manga Anime

Sakamoto Days Season 2 Is Coming to Netflix in January 2027

Leave a comment

Netflix just dropped the first teaser for Sakamoto Days Season 2, and the world’s most lovable retired hitman is trading his corner shop for a full-blown assassin academy. The second season arrives in January 2027 on Netflix worldwide — Singapore fans, mark your calendars.

Sakamoto Days | Season 2 Teaser Trailer — via Netflix Anime on YouTube

Undercover at JCC — The Season 2 Story

Season 2 picks up with Taro Sakamoto and Shin going deep undercover at the Japan Clear Creation (JCC) — the country’s elite assassin training institution. Their mission: gather intel on the mysterious figure known only as X, or “Slur,” a name that sent a chill through the final episodes of Season 1.

The execution is brilliantly absurd. Sakamoto disguises himself as his wife Aoi and poses as a student teacher, while Shin enrolls as a regular student. If Season 1 was already a masterclass in mixing domestic comedy with brutal action, Season 2 is pushing the premise to its logical extreme — and it sounds like it works perfectly.

Shin from Sakamoto Days Season 2 with blue lightning energy
Image courtesy of TMS Entertainment / Netflix

While Sakamoto and Shin navigate the academy, ORDER agents Nagumo, Shishiba, and Osaragi head to Kyoto on a separate mission — only to be ambushed by an unexpected assailant. Season 2 also reportedly digs into the shared history of young Sakamoto, Nagumo, Rion, and Slur, giving the anime the origin-story backstory the manga’s fanbase has been hungry for.

New Director, Same DNA

The behind-the-scenes lineup sees one key change: Season 1 director Masaki Watanabe steps into a Supervising Director role, handing the reins to Daisuke Nakajima — who directed the standout episode 22 of the first season. The rest of the core team is back: Taku Kishimoto on series composition, Yo Moriyama on character design, Yuki Hayashi composing the score, and TMS Entertainment handling animation production.

Nakajima set expectations high in a statement published on Netflix’s official newsroom: “I will spare nothing in depicting the stylish action and individual aesthetics of Suzuki-sensei’s uniquely vivid cast of assassins.” Based on the teaser alone, TMS looks to be pushing the visual quality up another notch — the Shin close-up alone has more crispness and energy than a lot of what Season 1 delivered in its quieter stretches.

Taro Sakamoto in the official Season 2 teaser for Sakamoto Days
Image courtesy of TMS Entertainment / Netflix

For more anime news and previews, head to our Manga & Anime section.

Where Singapore Fans Can Watch It

This one is easy: Netflix, available in Singapore from day one. Sakamoto Days Season 1 spent ten consecutive weeks in the Netflix Global Top 10 for non-English series when it launched in 2025, making it one of the platform’s biggest anime hits. Season 2 carries no region lock and no local distribution deal to wait for — if you have a Netflix subscription, you’re sorted the moment it drops in January 2027.

The teaser was revealed at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival alongside the full official key visual — a clean, bold poster of Sakamoto and Shin standing back-to-back under the words “NEXT STAGE,” with January 2027 stamped at the bottom. It’s confident, and for good reason.

Manga Anime, News

Pokémon Horizons Rising Hope Part 3 Hits Netflix — But Not in Singapore

Leave a comment

The third and concluding part of Pokémon Horizons: Season 3—Rising Hope drops on Netflix tomorrow, 26 June, delivering 12 new episodes that bring Liko and Roy’s most intense season to a head. Training camps, Elite Four showdowns, and the ongoing threat of Laquium all converge. One catch for local fans, though: this Netflix release is region-locked to markets outside Asia, so Singapore is not part of the 26 June drop — more on what that means below.

Pokémon Horizons Season 3 Rising Hope cast — Liko, Roy, Ult and their Pokémon
Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company

What Pokémon Horizons Rising Hope Part 3 Is About

Parts 1 and 2 of Rising Hope left the Rising Volt Tacklers in a tight spot. The Explorers are still at large and actively framing the crew, while Laquium — the dangerous extraterrestrial mineral driving the season’s central mystery — keeps spreading. Part 3 responds with a hard training arc: Liko, Roy, and their Pokémon head to Blueberry Academy, a facility designed for high-level battling and double battle mechanics, where Elite Four members are always ready for a match.

The mystery of Terapagos — the Pokémon whose link to Laquium has been central all season — is also set to deepen. The Brave Olivine receives a mysterious message that kicks off a new sense of urgency, suggesting Part 3 is not simply a long warm-up before a final boss.

Liko, Roy and Dot at Blueberry Academy in Pokémon Horizons Rising Hope Part 3
Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company

Roy, Ult, and a Year’s Worth of Training

Roy arrives at Blueberry Academy noticeably stronger. His new partner is a yellow Lucario with Mega Evolution potential — a Pokémon he trained with during the one-year gap between Season 2 and Rising Hope, and the most tangible sign yet of how much he has grown as a trainer.

Rival trainer Ult, introduced midway through Season 3, continues to develop across Part 3. Quick and competitive, he battles with a Sableye and a second Pokémon still being kept deliberately off-screen before the release. Whether Ult stays as an opponent or eventually becomes something closer to a fellow Volt Tackler is one of the more compelling open questions heading into these final episodes.

Dot rounds out the Blueberry Academy trio with her Gimmighoul and Sinistcha — the kind of unpredictable type matchups that tend to catch even well-prepared opponents off guard.

Roy and rival Ult face off in Pokémon Horizons Season 3 Rising Hope Part 3
Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company

Watch the Official Clip

An Astonishing Battle! — via The Official Pokémon YouTube channel

Can You Watch It in Singapore?

Pikachu in a tense battle moment in Pokémon Horizons Season 3 Rising Hope Part 3
Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company

Short answer: not on Netflix — at least not yet. Despite the worldwide rollout, Pokémon Horizons is not in Netflix’s catalogue in Singapore, or anywhere else in Asia. Netflix holds the streaming rights only outside the region, and Rising Hope Part 3 lands on 26 June in roughly 21 markets — including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, much of Europe, Latin America and South Africa. Singapore is not on that list, so local subscribers will not see the new episodes appear on 26 June.

This applies to the whole series, not just Part 3: the original Pokémon Horizons: The Series and Parts 1 and 2 of Rising Hope are also absent from Netflix Singapore. The official Pokémon YouTube channel has been adding selected episodes over time, though availability varies by region and full seasons are not guaranteed there.

For now there is no confirmed Netflix Singapore — or other local — streaming home for Pokémon Horizons. We will update this post the moment an official Asia or Singapore release is announced, so keep an eye on GameTrader.SG.

For more anime streaming news and updates, keep an eye on GameTrader.SG.

Event

Anime Expo 2026 Is One Week Away — What Singapore Fans Need to Know

Leave a comment

Anime Expo 2026 kicks off in Los Angeles on 2 July, running through to 5 July at the LA Convention Center — and while most of us won’t be catching flights to California, Singapore fans still have every reason to pay close attention. AX is where the anime and gaming industry makes its biggest summer moves, from streaming premieres to franchise reveals that will eventually hit our queues whether we’re watching from LA or tapping through Netflix on the bus.

Here’s what to watch when the announcements roll in next week.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 Gets Its First Closer Look on 3 July

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 — confirmed by CD Projekt Red and Studio TRIGGER — will receive an exclusive closer look at its panel on 3 July at 7:30 PM PDT (10:30 AM, 4 July in Singapore). Director Kai Ikarashi, showrunner Bartosz Sztybor, executive producer Sara Elder, and host Danny Motta are all confirmed to be there.

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

The new series is a standalone 10-episode story set in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe — entirely new characters, entirely new story. The tagline: “When the world is blinded by spectacle, what extremes do you have to go to make your story matter?” Season 1 was a global smash on Netflix and a huge hit with Singapore viewers. Everything confirmed at this panel lands in your Singapore queue.

Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 official teaser art
Image courtesy of Netflix

Crunchyroll Takes Over the Peacock Theater

Crunchyroll at Anime Expo 2026
Image courtesy of Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll is transforming the Peacock Theater on 3–4 July with over twenty programming blocks. The highlights for Singapore fans:

  • Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 3 — early screenings on 2 July, before its 5 July Crunchyroll premiere
  • Gachiakuta Season 2 — exclusive first look and preview on 3 July
  • The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 — special guest panel on 3 July
  • You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 — episode 1 on 3 July
  • Saga of Tanya the Evil Season 2 — episode 1 on 2 July

All of these stream in Singapore on Crunchyroll. The real draw is what gets announced — AX is typically where Crunchyroll drops new title confirmations and premiere dates. Check our events coverage for breaking news as it lands.

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle — and a ufotable Tease

A special Peacock Theater event will celebrate Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle, featuring voice cast members and exclusive footage from studio ufotable — plus, per the official announcement, a first look at ufotable’s next project. ufotable rarely teases future work this publicly. Whatever they show at AX 2026, it’s likely to be one of the most talked-about moments of the convention.

SEGA and Atlus Bring the Games

SEGA and Atlus will be on the show floor with hands-on demos, exclusive giveaways, signing sessions, and merchandise. If you’re hoping for any Persona, Sonic, or Like a Dragon news this summer, keep your eyes on their AX social updates during the first week of July.

How to Follow From Singapore

AX runs at PDT (UTC-7), which is 15 hours behind Singapore. Major announcements and trailers drop on YouTube and official socials the same day. Follow @AnimeExpo, @Crunchyroll, and @NetflixAnime on X, plus both the Crunchyroll and Netflix YouTube channels, for real-time updates.

Last words

You don’t need a Premiere Fan badge to care about Anime Expo 2026. Every streaming announcement made in that LA convention hall matters for Singapore fans, and this year — Edgerunners 2, a stacked Crunchyroll summer slate, and what could be a landmark ufotable reveal — makes AX 2026 one of the most watchable events of the summer. We’ll track announcements and report back as they drop.

Manga Anime

THE ONE PIECE Gets First Episode Artwork — WIT Studio’s Remake Arrives on Netflix in February 2027

Leave a comment

The One Piece anime remake just revealed its first episode artwork at the world’s biggest animation festival — and it has Singapore fans counting down to February 2027 on Netflix.

THE ONE PIECE | Special Announcement — via Netflix Anime on YouTube

Romance Dawn — The First Episode Gets Its Official Artwork

At the Annecy International Animation Film Festival this week, Netflix unveiled the first episode artwork for THE ONE PIECE — the anime remake produced by WIT Studio. The art covers Episode 1, which shares its title with the manga’s legendary opening chapter: “Romance Dawn.”

Formatted like a wanted poster, the image shows a grinning Monkey D. Luffy triumphantly setting sail for the very first time. It’s both a nod to the wanted-poster culture woven throughout the One Piece world and a clean visual statement of intent: this remake honours the spirit of the original, as covered by Anime News Network.

THE ONE PIECE WIT Studio official production artwork featuring characters from the East Blue Saga
Image courtesy of Netflix / WIT Studio

What Is THE ONE PIECE, and Why Does It Matter?

THE ONE PIECE is not a sequel or a spin-off — it is a complete retelling of Eiichiro Oda’s iconic manga, starting from Chapter 1, produced by WIT Studio. If that name rings a bell, it should: WIT Studio delivered Attack on Titan Seasons 1 through 3 and co-produced Spy x Family. Now the studio is bringing that same level of craft to the East Blue Saga.

Season 1 adapts the first 50 chapters of the manga, taking Luffy from his childhood in Foosha Village all the way to his encounter with the sharp-tongued sous-chef Sanji at the floating restaurant Baratie. That’s seven episodes — all dropping simultaneously on Netflix — with a combined runtime of around 300 minutes.

For Singapore fans who have followed the original Toei Animation series for years or decades, this is a chance to revisit one of fiction’s most beloved opening arcs with production values that match a contemporary streaming blockbuster. Netflix is available here, so no workarounds needed when the series launches in February 2027.

The Creative Team

Masashi Koizuka directs, with Taku Kishimoto on series composition. Character design and chief animation director duties are shared by Kyoji Asano and Takatoshi Honda — and the team has been open about how seriously they approached capturing Oda’s unmistakable style.

“We repeatedly traced Oda-sensei’s art,” Asano told CBR. “After two full months of thoroughly studying his style, we finally achieved a level of quality that even the director was very satisfied with.”

The production is a collaboration between WIT Studio, Shueisha, Fuji Television Network, and Toei Animation — a consortium that suggests Oda has had a close hand in overseeing the adaptation, as he has with other One Piece projects.

Last words

Singapore’s One Piece fandom is one of the most passionate in the region, and a WIT Studio remake that has spent months tracing Oda-sensei’s linework is a genuinely exciting prospect. February 2027 is still several months away, but the Annecy first-episode artwork is a clear signal that this ship is on course — and when it sails, it looks set to be unmissable. Mark your Netflix calendar now, and catch up on our other anime coverage in the meantime.

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.