The official website for the Dark Machine: The Animation television anime revealed additional cast members, opening theme, and a second promotional video on Wednesday. The anime is scheduled to premiere in October 2026 at 1:45 a.m. on Fuji TV, followed by Kansai TV and BS Fuji.

Cast

Nyudo: Ryuunosuke Watanuki (Blue Lock)

Hachiman: Jun Kousaka

Bianca: Minori Suzuki (Pokemon (2023))

Weiß: Rikuya Yasuda (Mayonaka Heart Tune)

Rock band BUCK∞TICK (Shiki, xxxHOLiC) is performing the opening theme “Sonzai Riyuu Kai,” which is previewed in the promotional video below.

Kazumi Terada (Chikyuugai Shounen Shoujo assistant director) is helming the anime at Production +h. Team Carbuncle, which consists of Takaaki Suzuki (High School Fleet original creator), Tatsuhiko Urahata (Muv-Luv Alternative series composition), and Atsuo Ishino (Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise script), is handling the series composition and script.

Kou Yoshinari (Kamiina Botan, Yoeru Sugata wa Yuri no Hana) is credited as the main character designer and SUGIZO (Kidou Senshi Gundam: The Origin – Zenya Akai Suisei ending theme song composition) is composing the music.

PV 2

Source: Comic Natalie

The staff for the television anime of Ezogingitune and illustrator DeeCHA‘s I Became a Legend After My 10 Year-Long Last Stand (Koko wa Ore ni Makasete Saki ni Ike to Ittekara 10-nen ga Tattara Densetsu ni Natteita.) light novel series confirmed on Tuesday that the anime has cast Rina Honnizumi as Philly, the fifth daughter of the Mastafon noble family. The character debuted in the anime’s seventh episode on Monday.

Square Enix and Comikey are releasing the novel series’ manga adaptation in English, and they describe the story:

With no other options, Luck makes the choice to hold the line against the unending demonic hordes alone, to make sure his comrades can escape with their lives. However, through a combination of fortune, skill, and ingenuity, he holds that line for ten straight years, eventually coming out on top single handedly. Now he has to tackle the dilemma of how to occupy himself in a world where he holds a myriad of roles: that of a legend, that of a veteran, and that of a brand new face.

The anime stars:

Nobuhiko Okamoto, Kōsuke Toriumi, Takehito Koyasu, Shinya Takahashi, and Satoshi Hino will voice the vampires who hold the key to the story.

Hiroyuki Kanbe (Viper’s Creed) is directing the anime at Gekkō. Mitsutaka Hirota (Edens Zero) is handling the series scripts. Majiro (Macross Delta) is designing the characters. sajou no hana performs the anime’s opening theme song “Soredemo Donten o Koeteyuku” (Even So, We Go Past the Cloudy Skies). Rock-idol girl group MEISHOHIKOKAI will perform the ending theme song “Ari Kitari na Nichijō to Kōun na Hibi e” (Lucky in the Ordinary, or literally, Onwards to Ordinary and Fortunate Days).

Additional staff members include:

The anime premiered first on Amazon Prime Video on July 3, before debuting on the ABEMA and d Anime Store streaming services on July 6, as well as making its television debut on Tokyo MX, KBS Kyoto, Sun TV, TV Aichi, and BS11 on July 6. The anime debuted on AT-X on July 9. The anime’s premiere was delayed to July “to present an even more enjoyable work for everyone.” The anime was initially announced to premiere in April.

Crunchyroll is streaming the anime as it airs in Japan.

The web novel began in June 2018 on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website. The light novel series’ first volume debuted in February 2019, and the eighth volume will ship on July 15. Chaco Abeno launched a manga adaptation with composition by Kitsune Tennōji on Square Enix‘s Manga UP! service in August 2019. Square Enix published the manga’s 19th compiled book volume on April 7. The novel and manga series combined has over 4.45 million copies in circulation.

Sources: Press release, I Became a Legend After My 10 Year-Long Last Stand anime’s website

Netflix confirmed on Wednesday that it will stream Mononoke The Movie: Chapter III – The Curse of the Serpent (Gekijōban Mononoke Dai-San-Shō: Hebigami), the third installment in the Mononoke franchise‘s film trilogy, on September 29.

The film opened in Japan on May 29.

Mononoke The Movie: Phantom in the Rain (Gekijōban Mononoke: Karakasa), the first film, premiered in Japan in July 2024. Mononoke the Movie Trilogy: Chapter 2: The Ashes of Rage (Gekijōban Mononoke Dai-Ni-Shō: Hinezumi) opened in Japan in March 2025. Netflix is streaming the first two films. 

In February 2023, Twin Engine announced that the first film was delayed, and stated that voice actor Takahiro Sakurai would no longer reprise the role of the protagonist the Medicine Seller as originally planned. Hiroshi Kamiya replaced Sakurai in the role of the Medicine Seller in the trilogy. The character in the film trilogy is a different Medicine Seller from the one who appeared in the television series.

The Weekly Bunshun tabloid newspaper reported in October 2022 that Sakurai had been engaged in an extramarital affair for at least 10 years with a writer for his P.S. Genki Desu. Takahiro travel radio show. Sakurai’s talent management agency Intention published a statement the day after the report, which acknowledged the article’s report and apologized to the unnamed woman, Sakurai’s fans, and all involved.

Twin Engine had stated in the announcement of replacing Sakurai: 

…the animated film “MONONOKE” sets in Ōoku (historically the women’s quarters of Edo Castle) and tries to depict the suffering and remedy of women. Judging from the standpoint of the story, we decided to change the cast of the Medicine Seller. 

The staff did not announce before the third film released that the original character would appear in the film, or that they had recast Sakurai to reprise the role. Theatergoers noticed the cameo in the film, and noted there was no previous announcement of Sakurai reprising the role, which caused controversy: some fans supported the decision and some were against it. Oricon confirmed that the third film had featured  Sakurai as the original Medicine Seller character, who appeared in the film in a cameo role. 

The film trilogy’s planning producer Kōji Yamamoto then posted an apology on his X (formerly Twitter) account on June 5, and also announced he was retiring from producing. Yamamoto confirmed in the statement that staff had recast Sakurai who had been previously replaced, apologizing for the way in which the information about this was handled.

The franchise will have a new project with a third Medicine Seller “Ken no Tsurugi.” Actor Hirofumi Araki, who starred as the Medicine Seller in the recent Mononoke stage plays will voice the new character.

The Mononoke franchise inspired two previous stage plays in 2023 and 2024, and a prequel stage play with an original story, which ran from May 14-17. Jun Yoriko directed the three stage plays, which all starred Hirofumi Araki.

Update: English-dubbed trailer added.

Sources: Press release, Comic Natalie