Anime
Apocalypse Hotel’s Producer: ‘No Sequel Anytime Soon’, But the Animators Want It
Recently, at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2026, three episodes of Apocalypse Hotel were given a theatrical screening. Afterward, character designer Izumi Takemoto and producer Nobuhiro Takenaka came on stage to discuss the episodes—and their thoughts about original anime in general.
Takenaka began by explaining when he first heard about Takemoto being attached to the project. He was told, “We’ve already commissioned Izumi Takemoto to do character design for this project. […] You can change anything else. However, you absolutely cannot swap out Izumi Takemoto.”
After that introduction, Takemoto explained the restrictions he had to work under for this anime, or lack thereof. “There weren’t any rigid ‘use this style’ instructions, so I was able to draw pretty much as I liked—and I didn’t have any difficulties or worries.” Takemoto discussed how he designed Yachiyo (then known only as “Roboko”). “I didn’t think too much about her being a robot; I thought of her as a normal girl, and the surrounding setting would make [the viewers] understand she was a robot.” Her long braids came from an idea that Takemoto had for the world portrayed in Apocalypse Hotel: “Wouldn’t it be cool if, within the setting, all robots braid their hair to distinguish themselves from normal humans?”
While Takemoto stated that he was largely uninvolved once animation got into full swing, Takenaka revealed that Takemoto was being a bit overly modest. “When Mr. Takemoto reviewed the script, he would occasionally ask questions about technical or sci-fi aspects,” Takenaka explained. “There were times when I realized, ‘I hadn’t thought of that,’ or when I noticed he was concerned about certain points, so I’d fill in the gaps. Conversely, there were also times when I’d adjust the details to ensure the points he brought up wouldn’t be a concern.”
© アポカリプスホテル製作委員会
One of the episodes screened for the audience was the eleventh episode—one that features very little dialogue. “The idea of making an entire episode silent was there from the beginning, and I thought it would work in a post-apocalyptic setting,” Takenaka told the audience. “We had the music composed specifically for the script, and I think we were able to convey the emotional arc through music effectively. Something like this is really only possible in an original anime, so we decided to go for it.”
Speaking of anime that aren’t adaptations of already popular works, Takenaka had thoughts about making them in the current climate. “It’s quite tough. The business model is pretty much established, and I don’t think there are that many people willing to invest in original anime.” Yet, despite this, Takenaka continues to make them. “I wonder why?” He laughed. “Every time I make an original anime, I think about giving up on making them. When Apocalypse Hotel wrapped, I thought, ‘This is the last one,’ but since then, the animators have told me, ‘Please call me if there’s a sequel,’ and young people who come to Cygames Pictures look at me with sparkling eyes and say, ‘It’s a company that keeps making originals’.” Takenaka laughed again. “So, as long as there are expectations, I feel like I have to keep challenging myself [by making them].”
To wrap things up, Takenaka spoke candidly about the possibility of a sequel: “I realize we probably won’t be able to make a sequel anytime soon, but I do plan to keep thinking about what kind of story we could bring to life with its world in today’s climate.” Expanding on this, Takenaka concluded, “Apocalypse Hotel would be a perfect fit for a Hollywood live-action adaptation. It would work just fine if we moved the setting to New York. So I’m looking forward to seeing a Hollywood movie where an android girl survives in the post-apocalyptic Big Apple.”
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Anime
Monster Strike Franchise Gets New Mera×Death: Shinigami to Boku no Ijō na Koi TV Anime Starting on January 5 – News
MIXI announced on Sunday a new anime in the Monster Strike franchise titled Mera×Death: Shinigami to Boku no Ijō na Koi (Mera×Death: The Unusual Love Between Me and the Grim Reaper), which will debut in Japan on January 5, 2027 on TOKYO MX and 10 other channels, as well as on streaming services.
© MIXI
Kenta Kushitani (episode director for Birdie Wing -Golf Girls’ Story-, Shangri-La Frontier, Kaiju No. 8) is directing the anime at Qzil.la and studio keel. Daisuke Ōhigashi (As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill TV 3, Fate/strange Fake, The Vermillion Mask) is overseeing and writing the series scripts, and Tadashi Sakazaki (Zoids Wild Zero, ZOIDS: Chaotic Century, Zoids/ZERO) is the character designer. Masaru Yokoyama (Arakawa Under the Bridge two seasons, Hana-Kimi, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans), Kana Hashiguchi (Classroom of the Elite, Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games, Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk), and Natsuki Hamada (Always a Catch!, Even Though I’m a Super Timid Noble Girl) are composing the music.
Other staff members include:
Monster Strike: Deadverse Reloaded, the first anime series based on MIXI‘s Monster Strike mobile role-playing game franchise to premiere on broadcast television, debuted in October 2025, and it aired for one cours (quarter of a year) of 10 episodes. Amazon Prime Video added all 10 episodes of the anime in January with English subtitles.
MIXI launched the original game on iOS and Android devices in Japan in 2013, and then launched it in English the next year. However, the English version ended service in 2017. A game debuted on Nintendo 3DS in Japan in 2015.
The first 52-episode net anime season in the franchise, Monster Strike the Animation, premiered in October 2015. (This anime was initially announced for broadcast, but then premiered online.) The first part of the show’s second season premiered in April 2017, and ran until September 2017. The 13-episode second part of the second season, titled Monster Strike the Anime: The Fading Cosmos, premiered in October 2017.
The anime’s third season premiered in July 2018 and ran for 12 episodes. The franchise then ran five episodes in an Arthur spinoff series, seven episodes in a Lucifer spinoff series, and 13 episodes in a Solomon spinoff series (all of which are considered part of the overall third season of the anime). The Arthur Kishiō no Kakusei (Arthur (2nd)) anime premiered in May 2019 and ran for seven episodes, and the Noah Hakobune no Kyūseishu (The Savior of Noah’s Arc) anime premiered in July 2019 and ran for six episodes. Lucifer: The Final Arc (Lucifer Wedding Game) premiered with English subtitles in October 2020 and ran for seven episodes.
The net anime’s final arc, Monster Strike: End of the World, premiered in November 2019 on YouTube.
The Hareruya: Unmei no Sentaku (Hareruya: Fated Choice) anime streamed online in September 2020 on YouTube, Twitter Live, and Abema TV. The anime is the franchise’s first “interactive anime”: viewers were able to choose between two options to decide how the last 10 minutes of the anime would play out.
The first Monster Strike The Movie anime film opened in Japan in December 2016. Crunchyroll began streaming the film in May 2017. The second film in the franchise, Monster Strike The Movie: Sora no Kanata (Beyond the Sky), opened in Japan in October 2018. The Monster Strike the Movie: Lucifer Dawn of Despair (Monster Strike The Movie: Lucifer Zetsubō no Yoake) film opened in November 2020 after delays, and Crunchyroll streamed the film in August 2021.
Source: Press release
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Original manga also celebrates 10th anniversary in March 2027
The “DEVIL’S PARTY! 2” special event for the anime of Osamu Nishi‘s Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun (Mairimashita! Iruma-kun) manga announced in a promotional video on Sunday that the anime’s first film project is launching. The video teases that the film will tell a brand-new story. The video also celebrated the upcoming 10th anniversary of the original manga next year.
©西修 (秋田書店) ／魔入りました！入間くん第4シリーズ製作委員会
©西修 (秋田書店) ／魔入りました！入間くん製作委員会
The story of Mairimashita! Iruma-kun follows Iruma, a kind-hearted 14-year-old boy whose parents sell him to demons for their own selfish interests. However, the demon he is sold to has no grandson of his own, so he dotes on Iruma and sends him to demon school.
The anime’s fourth season premiered on April 4 on NHK Educational at 6:25 p.m. JST. The season ran for two cours (quarters of a year), and ended with its 24th episode on Saturday. The anime streamed in Japan starting on April 6. Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, the CIS, and India.
The anime’s third season debuted in October 2022. Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired, and also streamed an English dub.
The second season premiered in April 2021. Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired, and debuted an English dub in June 2021.
The anime’s first season premiered in October 2019 on NHK Educational, and had 23 episodes. Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired in Japan under the title Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun, and also streamed an English dub.
Nishi launched the manga in Akita Shoten‘s Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine in March 2017.
Sources: Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun anime’s website, Mainichi Shimbun’s Mantan Web
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The Mairimashita! Iruma-kun (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun) special event “Devils Party 2” announced an anime movie project for the franchise on Sunday. The official website also revealed an announcement image (pictured above) and announcement promo.
Produced by Bandai Namco Pictures, the first season aired in 23 episodes in Fall 2019. The second and third seasons ran for 21 episodes in Spring 2021 and Fall 2022, respectively. The 24-episode fourth season premiered on April 4 and concluded on September 26. Crunchyroll simulcast the television anime series with subtitles worldwide, excluding Asia.
A television anime adaptation of the spin-off manga Mairimashita! Iruma-kun: if Episode of Mafia was announced for a January 2027 premiere.
Mairimashita! Iruma-kun adapts Osamu Nishi‘s demon comedy manga, which began serializing in Weekly Shounen Champion in March 2017. Akita Shoten released the 50th volume on September 8. The series has over 20 million cumulative copies of its volumes in circulation.
Kodansha USA licensed the manga in English in July 2022 and published the 21th volume on August 4. The 22th volume is scheduled for an October 6 release.
Announcement
Official site: https://www.nhk-character.com/chara/iruma/
Official X: @nep_irumakun
Source: Moca News
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Monster Strike Franchise Gets New Mera×Death: Shinigami to Boku no Ijō na Koi TV Anime Starting on January 5 – News
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