Otaku News

The Apothecary Diaries Palace Chronicles Browser Game Release Details

Date: 2026 June 13 08:47 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Gaming

CTW have sent us news of their up coming game The Apothecary Diaries Palace Chronicles. The browser based game is set to be launched on their G123 platform on Monday 15th June 2026.

You get to investigate various incidents with appearances from over 35 characters. So if you're a fan of Maomao and her adventures you should sign up for pre-registration rewards. So far over 200,000 people have pre-registered to play.

The game is free to pay for basic, but includes in game paid items. We're curious if this game will feature any frogs or ox bezoars.

Ryoko Kui Exhibition & Delicious in Dungeon Exhibition in Los Angeles July 2026

Date: 2026 May 20 17:51 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from Kadokawa World Entertainment have sent us details of the upcoming Ryoko Kui & Delicious in Dungeon Exhibition in Los Angeles. It's set to run in Los Angeles Arts District from July 2 to 26, 2026, following its U.S. debut in New York in October 2025.

It'll open during the same week as Anime Expo 2026. It'll highlight Ryoko Kui's Art, the creation process as well as have some great photo spots along with imported merchandise and special items. If you can get to LA it sounds like a must for Dungeon Meshi fans.

Of course if you don't know what Delicious in Dungeon is you can always catch the anime on Netflix or get the manga from Yen Press.

Official Merchandise from The World of Shirow Masamune Exhibition Now Available Internationally

Date: 2026 May 04 17:03 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

We've received news that official merchandise from The Exhibition of The World of Shirow Masamune is now available internationally. The exhibition covers the works of Shirow Masamune, who is best known for the the mega hit The Ghost in the Shell, along with Appleseed and many more (we're always partial to a bit of Dominion Tank Police ourselves).

The official shop allows international buyers to purchase goods from the exhibition store (while stocks last) up until Sunday, 31st May 2026 using the Buyee proxy service. They have a range of goods available, primarily t-shirts, which are priced at ￥5,500 JPY approximately £26 GBP / $35 USD / €30 Euro. This includes some iconic cover art from various Shirow manga.

Ghost in the Shell: Tabletop Roleplaying Game Release Details

Date: 2026 May 03 15:16 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

The good folks from Mantic Games have sent us details of an up coming project. They'll be releasing The Ghost in the Shell: Tabletop Roleplaying Game. This officially licensed TTPRG is based on the original manga and is due out in the summer of 2026. It's been made acclaimed designers Alessio Cavatore and Zak Barouh.

We're promised a bespoke roleplaying system and it looks like you'll play as your own character a trainee agent in Section 9. We're also told the rulebook will be crammed full of illustration from the original manga.

The exact release date is to be confirmed, along with pricing and contents of the game.

emaqi Announcing Spring 2026 Manga Exclusives

Date: 2026 April 25 09:45 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The folks from digital manga service emaqi have sent us details of their new exclusive titles. They'll have Izakaya of Extinct Animals by Kuromaru, The Gene of AI by Kyuri Yamada, A Witch's Journal to Otherworldly Parenting: Raising Familiars and Fluffy Magical Creatures by Mokuhachi.

Fans will also note that this is the first official English translation of The Gene of AI.

emaqi is currently available only in North America. emaqi also uses AI translation, something we do not condone or support.

Licca-chan Doll Gets Official North American Release

Date: 2026 April 07 10:56 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

We've just received news that Japanese fashion doll Licca-chan has just been officially released in North America. The release will start with a collection of 10 dolls, which include some anime tie-ins such as Frieren and Detective Conan.

The iconic fashion doll has been part of the Japanese toy market since 1967 and has a big following with toy collectors overseas too. By bringing the doll into North America through retailers such as BoxLunch, Hot Topic, Miniso and animate Los Angeles as well Gacha&Catch it's clear that they're aiming for the 15 to 25 year old market. They're after the demographic with disposable income.

Netflix Spring 2026 Anime Line Up

Date: 2026 April 04 17:08 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Netflix have just revealed their Spring 2026 anime streaming release slate. Highlights include the amazingly violent and truly excellent Dorohedoro Season 2, which was released on the 1st April, Spy x FAMILY Season 3 is due out on 4th April. While other highlights include My Dress Up Darling Season 1, which is a charming cosplay romance, with the odd bits of spicy fan service thrown in.

We're also very excited about the anime adaption of Akane Banashi, which tells the story of a teenager who wants to become a rakugo star. This is due to be streamed sometime in May.

Marriagetoxin Anime Streaming Details

Date: 2026 March 31 20:08 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Fans the manga Marriagetoxin will be keen to hear that the anime adaption will be hitting Crunchyroll from Tuesday 7th April 2026 at 7:30 Pacific Time / 3:30pm BST (UK) / 4:30pm CEST (Western Europe etc).

The first episode is called The Poison Master's Search for Marriage.

The manga is published in English by Viz. You can read more about it on their website.

New Ghost in the Shell 2026 Music Production Details Revealed

Date: 2026 February 07 11:12 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

We've just received details about the the new 2026 release of Ghost in the Shell. It's already been revealed that it'll be released in Japan sometime in July 2026, but now we're told that Taisei Iwasaki, Ryo Konishi and Yuki Kanesaka will be providing the music for the series.

Taisei Iwasaki will be the musical director and is best known for composing the score for Belle, while Ryo Konishi, produces for artists such as Chara+YUKI, Mrs. Green Apple, TOMOO and more. They'll be collaborating with composer Yuki Kanesaka, who produced the music for TV anime Dr. Stone.

AnimEigo Release Latest Episode of The Anime Business Documentary Featuring Translator and Writer Johnathan Clements

Date: 2026 January 21 20:39 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from AnimEigo have sent us the details for the latest episode of their ongoing documentary series The Anime Business. Episode 12 features an interview with Johnathan Clements, translator, writer and co-author of The Anime Encyclopedia. He's an established name in the anime industry and very well known in anime fandom especially in the UK. He's done many collaborations with Helen McCarthy who was featured in Episode 11. He's well known for his insights into the anime industry and has written about it's inner workings.

In this episode Johnathan Clements takes us on a retrospective of the anime industry and fandom.

Episode 12 is available now on the official AnimEigo YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@AnimEigo/videos.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 Streaming Release Details

Date: 2026 January 14 19:54 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have announced the streaming release details for Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2. The popular anime charts the adventures of elf mage Frieren, who has completed her quest with a party of heroes and now has to figure out what to do next. One of our contributors describes this as the sad elf anime, but that's one take on it, to be honest, it's such a great series. There's fun slice of life moments, plenty of action and adventure. It's well animated, well paced, the more we watch the more we want to learn about Frieren's world.

Kyle Cardine the Global Editor-in-Chief for Crunchyroll News revealed the release details. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 will be released on 16th January 2026 at 7am PT, which is 15:00 in GMT (UK Time) or 16:00 CET. The series is available to stream in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, CIS, India and Southeast Asia.

An Interview with Horror Manga Artist Anji Matono

Date: 2025 November 29 09:53 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Interviews

This year in Japan Expo in Paris one of the Japanese guests was horror manga artist Anji Matono. Best known for her work 100 Ghost Stories That Will Lead to My Own Death it collects a series of gruesome horror stories which spans across multiple volumes of unsettling manga.

We were lucky enough to catch up with her while in Paris and find out about what it's like being a horror manga artist.

My Happy Marriage Returns to Netflix in 2026 for 3 Special Episodes

Date: 2025 November 22 11:21 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Fans of the anime version of My Happy Marriage will be pleased to hear that Miyo and Kiyoka will be returning to Netflix in 2026 for a 3 episode special. The same team behind season 1 and 2 of the anime will return for the special episodes. In the official promo image and the director imply that the couple will finally get married! No doubt some special powered hijinks will get in the way too.

The press release doesn't state a streaming date, but it does offer a reminder that you can get the official soundtrack on vinyl from the good folks at Anime Limited.

You can watch My Happy Marriage Season 1 and 2 on Netflix.

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All Kinokuniya Pop Up Event Details

Date: 2025 November 12 20:33 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

The good folks from Kadokawa Corporation have sent us details for a The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All pop up event which will be held Kinokuniya Bookstores in Japan, North America, and Asia-Pacific Region. The event will start in February 2026 and run sequentially across all the participating regions.

We're told the pop up will have a wide variety of original merchandise featuring newly drawn illustrations of Mitsuki and Aya, as well as other illustrations from the comics. We really love The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All and if you want to know more about what we think about it, then why not take a look at our manga review?

Hypland and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Streetwear Collection

Date: 2025 September 28 14:50 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

The good folks from streetware brand Hypland have sent us details of their upcoming Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Streetwear Collection. The official clothing range will be available from September 29 2025. The line includes t-shirts, gym shorts, hoodies, tote bags and tapestries all adorned with characters from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. The line up includes not just Tanjiro and his pals, but Hashira and Demons too.

The limited edition range will be available from hypland.com, Hypland Pop-ups, and select partners.

An Interview with Hidemi Shiraki Editor in Chief of Young Magazine

Date: 2025 September 10 19:50 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Interviews

Following on from the announcement that Kodansha were going to release a special US edition of Young Magazine, we were keen to know more We got in touch with Hidemi Shiraki Editor in Chief of Young Magazine and interviewed him via e-mail. We talk about what seinen means to him and why Young Magazine is getting a US release now.

Mobile Suit Gundam San Diego Comic Con 2025 Announcements

Date: 2025 July 29 19:11 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks at Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc revealed some news for Gundam Fans at San Diego Comic-Con 2025.

Highlights included lots celebration for the 30th Anniversary of Gundam Wing, including an illustration inspired by the classic artwork was revealed, plus a special Commemorative video titled Mobile Suit Gundam Wing - Operation 30th - directed by Toru Iwasawa (who also directed Frieren: Beyond Journey's End), which is available on GundamInfo, the official Gundam YouTube channel.

They announced Gundam Wing illustrator Sakura Asagi and screenwriter Katsuyuki Sumisawa will also team up for a new manga series commemorating the 30th anniversary of Gundam Wing. It bridges the gap between Endless Waltz and Frozen Teardrop, with chapter 1 available to read in English online now.

A theatrical re-release of Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz will arrive in Japanese and American theaters.

Fans of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans can also enjoy the 10th Anniversary project which is set to reunite key staff members from the original series including Director Tatsuyuki Nagai and the main cast of Mobile Suit Gundam Iron‐Blooded Orphans Urdr‐Hunt, more details will be made available nearer the release date.

Japan Expo Paris 2025 Report

Date: 2025 July 20 15:43 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Features

France is the largest manga market in Europe, accounting for around 50% of all manga sales in Europe. As a result the French anime and manga scene is massive. Many people enjoy France's thriving Bande dessinée culture of comics, but Japanese manga and culture is also very popular in France.

With this in mind, we decided to visit Japan Expo in Paris. It's an event purely focused on Japanese culture, featuring anime and manga, video games, Japanese food and traditional Japanese culture. The July 2025 event attracted 230,000 visitors making it the third largest event in France for visitors per day! Having experienced the London event scene many a time we were keen to explore what the colossal French event looked like.

Kodansha Announces US Release of Young Magazine

Date: 2025 July 16 20:02 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from publishing powerhouse Kodansha have sent us details of the US release of Young Magazine. The popular Japanese manga magazine has been home to the legendary titles including Akira and Ghost in the Shell. They've selected 19 new manga series geared towards American manga fans. Along with a special bonus to help boost the magazine's American launch, new titles will be unveiled from manga creators including Shuzo Oshimi (author of "The Flowers of Evil" and "Blood on the Tracks").

We're told this special, premium issue of Young Magazine, containing over 1,044 pages of , will be distributed for free to attendees of Anime NYC as well as being made available at participating Kinokuniya locations for a limited time.

We're excited about some of the titles they've got lined up. We really enjoyed Boys Run The Riot and the follow up Boys Run The Riot - In Transition is sure to be good.

AnimEigo Release Latest Episode of The Anime Business Documentary Featuring Manga Entertainment

Date: 2025 June 28 14:33 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from AnimEigo have sent us the details for the latest episode of their ongoing documentary series The Anime Business. Episode 5 features an interview with Andy Frain, the founder of Manga Video/Manga Entertainment. They popularised anime in the UK and beyond. They were responsible for releasing Akira in the UK creating a boom in the market, and then later co-producing hugely successful and influential Ghost in the Shell animated movie. They've had a massive impact on the English speaking anime world and it's great to see the history of the company documented in this video.

Episode 5 is available now on the official AnimEigo YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@AnimEigo/videos.

Older News

Recent DVD / Blu-ray Reviews

Recent Manga / Book Reviews