Crunchyroll presented a new trailer and key visual for the television anime of Haka Tokura‘s Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! light novel serie at New York Comic Con on Thursday. The trailer announces that LiSA is singing the opening theme song “Ecstatic Buffer,” for which TK (Ling Tosite Sigure) wrote the lyrics, composed the music, and arranged. It also announces more cast members, “early streaming” on Netflix, and the January 4 television premiere for the anime.

The newly announced cast members are:

Haruki Ishiya as Abel, a young man in Nachtlibelle’s shield unit who admires Wim

Atsushi Ono as Mark, a veteran fighter also in Nachtlibelle’s shield unit

Yui Ishikawa as Monica, a girl in Nachtlibelle’s mage unit

The anime will premiere on television on January 4 on Tokyo MX, MBS, BS11, and “about 20” other channels throughout Japan. It will also have “early streaming” on Netflix, before streaming on other services.

Seven Seas licensed the light novel series and its manga adaptation, and it describes the story:

Granting casters like Wim Strauss play an important supporting role for their team when times get tough, but after his talents hurt the pride of his party’s leader, he’s kicked out of the group!

Yet he’s not down and out for long. Wim’s luck takes a turn when he receives an invitation from his longtime childhood friend (and stalker) Heidemarie to join Nachtlibelle, an elite guild considered one of the greatest in the land. His talents may not be the flashiest, but given the chance with his new quirky crew, this supporting act might just be able to prove center stage.

The cast includes:

Hideki Okamoto (2.5 Dimensional Seduction, D.C. II: Da Capo II) is directing the anime at J.C. Staff, and Takao Yoshioka (Aharen-san wa Hakarenai, High School DxD, I’m Standing on 1,000,000 Lives.) is in charge of the series scripts. Yu Murakami is designing the characters based on the original novel illustrations by Eiri Shirai.

Yoshikazu Iwanami is directing the sound, and Yūki Hayashi (Haikyu!!, My Hero Academia, Observation Records of My Fiancée), Luke Standridge (Observation Records of My Fiancée), and Asa Taylor (Observation Records of My Fiancée) are composing the music. Ryō Aizawa (Aharen-san wa Hakarenai, Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It) is producing the project.

The anime will premiere in January, and will air on Tokyo MX, MBS, BS11, and 17 other channels, and will also stream on Netflix.

Tokura launched the story on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō web platform in November 2020. Arakawa debuted the manga adaptation of the series on the Manga ga Ugau app in September 2021. Futabasha published the 11th compiled book volume on April 30.

Sources: Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! anime’s website, Comic Natalie, press release

Crunchyroll unveiled a new teaser trailer for the television anime of Kashiko Amane‘s Everyone’s Darling Has a Secret (Hōkago no Idol ni wa Himitsu ga Aru) manga on Thursday. The teaser shows the first footage of the anime and previews the voice cast.  The anime’s official website also streamed the teaser. (Crunchyroll‘s upload of the teaser has English subtitles but is region-locked, while the official Japanese upload has no region locking.)

Yen Press publishes the manga in English, and it describes the story:

Hizashi Hiruno, a freshman at a super-elite high school, has just finished his first academic proficiency test of the year. He anxiously awaits the results, which will set the tone for his next three years at school. But due to a mistake on his answer sheet, he receives an abysmal score and gets sent to remedial lessons! If there’s one silver lining, he’s not the only one—and his comrade could be the girl of his dreams?!

The anime’s cast members include:

Reiji Kawashima as Hizashi Hiruno

Hikaru Tōno as Rei Kuromiya

=LOVE idol group member Iori Noguchi as Sakura Akai

Ami Maeshima as Sora Konno

Hikaru Sato (The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You, Dropkick on My Devil!) is directing the anime at Gekkō, and Fumihiko Shimo (BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense., Full Metal Panic!, Infinite Stratos) is overseeing and writing the series scripts. Kibidango 14-gō (Azuma Tozawa, Wash It All Away) is designing the characters. Satoru Kōsaki (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Monogatari Series, Aharen-san wa Hakarenai) and monaca (Aharen-san wa Hakarenai, Star Driver, Wake Up, Girls!) are composing the music. Ryō Aizawa (Starry Cube) is producing. 

The anime will premiere in April 2027. Crunchyroll will stream the anime as it airs in Japan.

Amane has been serializing the manga on Hakusensha‘s Young Animal Web site since September 2022, and Hakusensha published the ninth volume this past July. Yen Press published the fourth manga volume in June. 

Sources: Press release, Crunchyroll (Paul Chapman), Everyone’s Darling Has a Secret anime’s website, Comic Natalie

The Crunchyroll Showcase at New York Comic Con 2026 unveiled additional cast, a second key visual (pictured right), the opening theme, and second promotional video for the television anime adaptation of Haka Tokura and Shin Arakawa‘s Zatsuyou Fuyo Jutsushi ga Jibun no Saikyou ni Kizuku made (Magical Buffs: The Support Caster Is Stronger Than He Realized!) manga on Thursday. The anime series will be broadcast on Tokyo MX, MBS, and BS11 on January 4, 2027.

Cast

Abel: Haruki Ishiya (Marriagetoxin)

Mark: Atsushi Ono (Re:Creators)

Monica: Yui Ishikawa (Shingeki no Kyojin)

Singer-songwriter LiSA (Kimetsu no Yaiba) is performing the opening theme “Ecstatic Buffer,” which previewed in the second promotional video below.

Hideki Okamoto (2.5-jigen no Ririsa) is directing the series at J.C.Staff. Takao Yoshioka (Horimiya) is handling series composition and Yuu Murakami (Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru animation director) is designing the characters. Yuuki Hayashi (Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria), Luke Standridge, and Asa Taylor (Jishou Akuyaku Reijou na Konyakusha no Kansatsu Kiroku.) are composing the music.

Arakawa began serializing the manga adaptation of Tokura’s action fantasy novel on the Gaugau Monster web service in September 2021. The 12th volume went on sale on August 28.

Tokura originally began writing the novel on the Shousetsuka ni Narou website in November 2020. Futabasha began publishing the light novel under its Monster Novel imprint with illustrations by Eiri Shirai in September 2021. The fourth volume went on sale on June 30.

Seven Seas Entertainment licensed both the light novel and manga in English in May 2025 and May 2024, respectively. The second novel volume shipped on June 16, with the third volume scheduled to be released on October 27. The seventh manga volume went on sale on September 22, with the eighth planned to be released on January 19, 2027.

PV 2

Source: Comic Natalie