Guardians of the Galaxy director, rapper were one-time neighbors

American film director James Gunn (Lollipop Chainsaw, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, 2025’s Superman) reported on Wednesday that he attended the inaugural Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum. Gunn posted a photo of himself with American rapper Big Sean (Sean Michale Leonard Anderson) at the event with the caption, “Always good catching up with my pal, this time at the Anime Future Forum.”

How do Gunn and Big Sean know each other? According to Big Sean in a 2024 interview with Complex, they were one-time neighbors:

He ended up being my neighbor for a while, and I don’t want to say what event occurred, but an event occurred where the whole neighborhood was outside, and he’s like, “Big Sean?” I’m like, “James Gunn, what the fuck?” We started connecting, and I’m an ultra comic nerd. And I was talking to him like, “Man, I just saw Guardians of the Galaxy, but I love how you changed it up from the comic book.” He was like, “Damn, come over and smoke a cigar with me and talk.” We ended up just kickin it, and he’s like, “Man, come on set with me while I’m doing Superman.” Of course, I’ve been busy and haven’t made it, but we’ve been in contact. That’s my boy, though—not even playing like James Gunn is my dog.

The inaugural Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum took place at the Javits Center in New York City on Wednesday. The Forum’s website describes the event as a “[gathering of] creators, innovators, and industry voices defining anime today and where it goes next.” The program included a keynote, interactive sessions, hand-on technology experiences, and networking.

Crunchyroll announced the event in May 2026.

Sources: James Gunn‘s Instagram account, Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum’s website

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