Anime

Maebashi Witches Compilation Anime Film Reveals Title, Fall Opening – News

Published

2 months ago

May 24, 2026

Bandai Namco Filmworks revealed on Sunday the compilation film for the Maebashi Witches original television anime will open this fall. The company also revealed a teaser visual and the film’s title: Gekijoban Maebashi Witches: Majo Minarai no Emoemories (Maebashi Witches Emoemories: Blooming Witches).

01-mbw-movie-teaser — Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Filmworks

Maebashi Witches compilation film visual — Image courtesy of Bandai Namco Filmworks

The main cast members will host solo performance concerts in Tokyo on May 24 and in Osaka on May 31. The TV anime has an ongoing rebroadcast that started in Japan on April 5 on Tokyo MX and BS11.

The anime premiered in April 2025, and Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired.

The anime stars:

The anime’s story, set in Maebashi city in Gunma Prefecture, is about the coming-of-age of five high school girls. First year high school student Yuina Akagi lives an ordinary but unsatisfying everyday life. One day, a mysterious frog named Keroppe scouts her and four other girls to become the “Maebashi Witches.” Suddenly, a room closet is connected to a mysterious space that brings the girls to a magical flower shop where they sing, dance, and make other people’s wishes come true.

Sunrise is credited for the anime’s original work. Junichi Yamamoto (Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion, Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You) directed the anime at Bandai Namco Filmworks and PROJECT MBW, and Erika Yoshida (Bocchi the Rock!, Tower of God both seasons) was in charge of series scripts. Nozomi Tachibana (Kemono Jihen) designed the characters based on Yū Inami‘s original character designs. Yoshiki Imazu was in charge of “witchverse designs,” and Yuri Habuka composed the music.

The five main characters collectively known as the Maebashi Witches performed the opening theme song “Sugosugi Maebashi Witches!” (Super Amazing Maebashi Witches!) and the ending theme song “Sorezore no Door” (Each Door).

Source: Press release

Disclosure: Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc. (Sunrise) is a non-controlling, minority shareholder in Anime News Network Inc.

Anime

Japan’s Video Game Rankings, July 27-August 2 – News [2026-08-07]

Published

14 minutes ago

August 7, 2026

qasimgillani

Nippon Ichi’s Village in the Shade Switch 2 version debuts at #3, Switch Version at #7, PS5 version at #11

Japan’s Game Ranking: July 27-August 2

Rank	System	Title	Publisher	Release Date	Weekly Copies	Total Copies
1	NSw 2	Splatoon Raiders	Nintendo	July 23	73,542	548,226
2	NSw	Rhythm Heaven Groove	Nintendo	July 2	59,884	734,476
3	NSw 2	Village in the Shade	Nippon Ichi Software	July 30	21,965	21,965
4	NSw	Tomodachi Life	Nintendo	April 16	18,306	1,518,331
5	NSw	The Prince of Tennis Sweet School Festival ♡-40 and more…	Konami	July 30	16,996	16,996
6	NSw	The Prince of Tennis Doki Doki Survival eternal passion	Konami	July 30	16,987	16,987
7	NSw	Village in the Shade	Nippon Ichi Software	July 30	12,458	12,458
8	NSw	Blue Reflection Quartet	Koei Tecmo Games	July 30	7,880	7,880
9	PS5	Blue Reflection Quartet	Koei Tecmo Games	July 30	7,019	7,019
10	NSw	Powerful Pro Baseball 2026-2027	Konami	June 11	5,928	189,164
11	PS5	Village in the Shade	Nippon Ichi Software	July 30	5,880	5,880
12	NSw 2	Mario Kart World	Nintendo	June 5, 2025	5,714	3,006,463
13	NSw	Ganbare Goemon Daishūgō!	Konami	July 2	5,495	73,893
14	NSw 2	Pokémon Pokopia	Nintendo	March 5	5,062	1,097,557
15	NSw	Kimi ni Madoi, Kimi ni Oboreru.	Idea Factory	July 30	4,598	4,598
16	NSw	Minecraft	Nippon Microsoft	June 21, 2018	4,464	4,249,637
17	NSw 2	Xenoblade Definite Edition	Nintendo	July 30	3,713	3,713
18	NSw 2	eFootball Kick-Off!	Konami	June 4	3,221	63,738
19	NSw	Moomintroll: Fuyu no Nukumori	Kakehashi Games	July 30	2,898	2,898
20	NSw	Splatoon 3	Nintendo	September 9, 2022	2,840	4,563,560

Source: Famitsu

Anime

Live-Action ‘Chotto Matō yo, Harutora-kun’ BL Series’ Trailer Previews Ending Song – News

Published

53 minutes ago

August 7, 2026

qasimgillani

Chihiro performs ending theme song “Honeyy” for August 13 show

MBS presented a new trailer for the live-action series of Amekiri‘s Chotto Matō yo, Harutora-kun (Wait a second, Harutora-kun) boys-love manga on Friday. The trailer reveals and previews the series’ ending theme song “Honeyy” by Chihiro.

harutora-kv2 — Image via Dramaphil X/Twitter account

The story follows mask-wearing high schooler Sui, who becomes the target of bullying after it is revealed he is gay. When new student Harutora enters the school, Sui becomes inspired by his straightforward nature to open up and the two slowly fall in love.

The series stars Masaya Sakuragi as Harutora Kurobe and Tsubasa Nakagawa as Sui Kishida.

Other cast members include:

Rio Takahashi as Daiki Shimizu, a close friend who is protective of Sui

Aren Sakurai as Yūma Shibusawa, Sui’s classmate

Yūga as Rui Sakuraniwa, another classmate

Gakuto Tanaka as Shun Tsuchiya, Harutora’s classmate

Ryōko Takizawa as Shino Kishida, Sui’s mother

Eri Tokunaga as Aya Kurobe, Harutora’s mother

Keisuke Shibata and Masayoshi Kishida are directing the series. Motoko Takahashi and Riuji Yoshizaki are writing the scripts. Kо̄ji Endо̄ is composing the music. Lawyer Mimano Kawamoto serves as LGBTQ supervisor and Momoko Nishiyama serves as intimacy coordinator. Lienel performs the series’ opening theme song “Ichizu no Rinbu” (Single-Minded Round Dance).

The series will premiere on the Dramaphil programming block on MBS on August 13. The series will also start on TV Kanagawa on August 13, TV Saitama on August 17, Gunma TV on August 18, Tochigi TV on August 19, and Chiba TV on August 20.

Shinshokan shipped the manga’s first volume in October 2022 and the second volume in April 2025.

Seven Seas publishes Amekiri‘s Hatsukoi Note manga in English and shipped the second volume in February 2025.

Sources: MBS‘ YouTube channel, Comic Natalie

Anime

‘Made in Abyss: Mezameru Shinpi’ Unveils Additional Cast Pair, Theme Song, Third Trailer

Published

5 hours ago

August 7, 2026

qasimgillani

The official website for the Made in Abyss anime series revealed a pair of additional cast members, the theme song, and a third trailer for the Mezameru Shinpi (Awakening Mystery) anime movie on Friday. The movie is scheduled to open in Japanese theaters on October 23.
Kevin Penkin feat. Mori Calliope (Gachiakuta) is performing the theme song “Chain of the Abyss,” which is previewed in the trailer below.

Masayuki Kojima (Monster) returns to helms the new movie at Kinema Citrus. Hideyuki Kurata (Goblin Slayer) is penning the script. Kazuchika Kise (Koukaku Kidoutai Arise) and Yuka Kuroda (Black Bullet main animator) are designing the characters. Kevin Penkin (Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari) is returning to compose the music.

Made in Abyss adapts Akihito Tsukushi‘s adventure fantasy manga of the same title, which began its serialization in the Web Comic Gamma website in October 2012. Takeshobo published the 14th volume in August 2025 and will release the 15th volume on August 26.

Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the manga in English in 2017 and shipped the 14th volume on March 31. The manga has also been published in multiple foreign languages, including Chinese, Mandarin, and Korean.

Trailer 3