Tag Archives: TMS Entertainment

Magic Knight Rayearth Is Back: 2026 Anime Reboot Premieres at Anime Expo

After more than 30 years, the Magic Knights are summoned once more. CLAMP’s beloved shojo isekai Magic Knight Rayearth is getting a full anime reboot — confirmed for October 2026 on TV Asahi, with an all-star production team, a stacked new cast, and a world premiere at Anime Expo 2026 on 4 July in Los Angeles.

Magic Knight Rayearth 2026 anime teaser visual — three heroines in school uniforms with Tokyo Tower
Image courtesy of TMS Entertainment / CLAMP / E&H production

What Is Magic Knight Rayearth?

Originally a manga by CLAMP — the all-female artist collective behind Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits, and xxxHolicMagic Knight Rayearth ran in Kodansha’s Nakayoshi magazine from 1993 to 1996 across 29 chapters. The story follows three middle-school girls — Hikaru Shidou, Umi Ryuuzaki, and Fuu Hououji — who are suddenly transported from Tokyo Tower to the magical world of Cephiro, where they must become legendary Magic Knights to save the captive Princess Emeraude. The original 1994 anime series became a touchstone for a generation of fans across Asia, blending magical girl trappings with mecha and high fantasy in a way that felt genuinely fresh at the time.

Decades of fan demand later, TMS Entertainment and E&H production have answered the call. The new series is planned and produced by UNLIMITED PRODUCE by TMS and animated by E&H production — the studio founded by Sunghoo Park, director of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 and Fire Force. That pedigree alone signals this is not a cheap anniversary cash-in.

Magic Knight Rayearth 2026 — the three Magic Knights standing in the world of Cephiro
Image courtesy of TMS Entertainment / CLAMP / E&H production

The Dream Team Behind the Reboot

Director Yui Miura leads the project, with Shigeru Murakoshi handling series composition. The name that will excite the most fans, though, is the composer: Yuki Kajiura — the force behind the soundtracks of Sword Art Online, Fate/Zero, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and Kagurabachi — is scoring the series alongside Takumi Ozawa and Shiho Terada. Character design goes to Satomi Watanabe.

The voice cast is equally impressive. The three leads are played by Ayane Sakura (Hikaru Shidou), Rumi Okubo (Umi Ryuuzaki), and Rie Takahashi (Fuu Hououji). A second wave of casting announced in June 2026 added Saori Hayami as Princess Emeraude, Yuuki Ono as the antagonist Zagato, and Mika Kikuchi as Mokona — the series’ iconic rabbit-like mascot creature.

TVアニメ『魔法騎士レイアース』ティザーPV — via TMSアニメ公式チャンネル on YouTube

World Premiere at Anime Expo 2026 — 4 July

The Anime Expo 2026 full schedule, released today (27 June), confirms that the world premiere of the new Magic Knight Rayearth anime is set for 12:00 PM on 4 July at the JW Diamond hall in Los Angeles. Special guests attending include Rie Takahashi and Saori Hayami, who will be present for the screening of the first two episodes. Additional new details about the series are expected to be unveiled at the event. Tickets for Anime Expo (running 2–5 July at the Los Angeles Convention Center) can be found at the official Anime Expo website.

Magic Knight Rayearth 2026 anime — Hikaru Shidou with flames in a dramatic close-up
Image courtesy of TMS Entertainment / CLAMP / E&H production

What Singapore Fans Need to Know

The series broadcasts on TV Asahi every Wednesday at 11:45 PM JST within the IMAnimation W programming block, starting October 2026. International streaming has not been confirmed yet — but given that the original Magic Knight Rayearth anime is currently on Netflix, a digital route for the reboot seems plausible. No Singapore or Southeast Asia streaming announcement has been made at the time of writing; check back as details emerge closer to the October air date.

For fans who grew up in the 90s watching CLAMP’s work on local TV, this reboot hits differently. With Yuki Kajiura’s orchestral signature woven through it and a studio with recent shonen action credentials steering the visuals, the new Magic Knight Rayearth is shaping up as one of the more serious revival attempts in recent memory — rather than just a nostalgia play. Keep an eye on the AX premiere on 4 July for the first real look at what this reboot has in store.

For more anime news, check out our Manga & Anime coverage.

Sakamoto Days Season 2 Is Coming to Netflix in January 2027

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.