Witch Hat Atelier won Best Anime Series at the 2026 Astra TV Awards in Los Angeles on August 15. The Hollywood Creative Alliance, formerly the Hollywood Critics Association, presented the award. The ceremony honored the television anime adaptation of Kamome Shirahama's manga. Other nominees for Best Anime Series were Dandelion, MAO, Rooster Fighter, Sakamoto Days, and Steel Ball Run JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Anjali Kunapaneni and Patrick Seitz were nominated for Best Lead Voice Over Performance in a Series, Kunapaneni for her role as Coco and Seitz for his role as Keiji in Rooster Fighter. Joshua Waters was nominated for Best Supporting Voice Over Performance in a Series for his role as Qifrey in Witch Hat Atelier. Witch Hat Atelier premiered on April 6 on Tokyo MX and other channels. A second season of the series is set to return later this year.
Art, books, film, gaming, and the conversations defining the week.
In the premiere of HBO’s Lanterns, the character Hal Jordan is shown dead after being shot. Showrunner Chris Mundy said the decision to kill the character was made to create a meaningful and emotional mystery for John Stewart. He said the choice was difficult because it impacted both the narrative and Hal’s legacy. Mundy, who co‑created the series with Damon Lindelof and Tom King, said they obtained approval from DC executives and faced no significant production constraints. The series will move between several time periods, and the death will remain a central element. The team said they wanted the story to be accessible to viewers unfamiliar with the DC universe while also appealing to fans. The interview was edited for length and clarity.
Lenore Zann, the voice actress who portrayed Rogue in animated Marvel series since the 1990s, posted a video congratulating Inde Navarrette after the actress was announced as the live‑action Rogue for the upcoming MCU X‑Men film.
Zann recorded the message in Dublin, speaking in Rogue’s Southern accent, and said she looked forward to meeting Navarrette when she returns to Los Angeles.
Navarrette responded on social media with two heart emojis, writing that the message was an honor and thanking Zann.
The casting announcement came during D23 2026, when Marvel revealed the full X‑Men lineup, which includes Adam Driver as Mister Sinister, Maya Boyd as Storm, Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, and Sadie Sink as Jean Grey.
Zann has voiced Rogue in the Disney+ series X‑Men '97 and in other Marvel projects such as Marvel Rivals; the live‑action film is scheduled for release on May 5, 2028, and will be the first live‑action appearance of Rogue since Anna Paquin's portrayal over a decade ago.
The post has been shared widely online, and the film is expected to debut a new chapter in the MCU following Avengers: Secret Wars.
New volume titled To Love-Ru Parade will be released on October 2, compiling previously uncollected side story chapters from To Love-Ru and To Love-Ru Darkness. The summer issue of Shueisha's Jump Giga magazine announced the release and included a 25‑page one‑shot story that marks the series' 20th anniversary. To Love-Ru began its run in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2006 and has been collected in 18 tankōbon volumes. The sequel series To Love-Ru Darkness started in Jump SQ. in 2010 and concluded in March 2017, also comprising 18 volumes. Both manga have been adapted into two television anime series and several original video animations, and Sentai Filmworks has released all four television anime adaptations in North America.
Shogakukan announced on August 3 the results of a third‑party investigation into misconduct in its Manga ONE editorial department and the measures it will implement to prevent recurrence.
The external committee examined 44 reported incidents of alleged sexual misconduct and other abuses involving senior executives, employees and editors, including cases linked to manga creator Shōichi Yamamoto, whose civil case was decided on February 20. The committee concluded that the company sometimes responded appropriately but often failed to adequately address human‑rights concerns, noting that editorial decisions were prioritized over victim perspectives and that coordination among editorial, legal, administrative and managerial departments was insufficient.
The panel specifically criticized Shogakukan for encouraging and supporting the violation of a victim’s human rights in the Yamamoto case and for lacking systems to recognize power imbalances between editors and creators and to assess human‑rights risks. In response, the company’s executive staff, including the CEO, managing directors, board members and auditors, will cut monthly salaries for three months, with the CEO reducing his pay by 50 % and other executives by 20‑30 %.
Shogakukan said it will apply the committee’s proposals through a series of five measures. First, it will establish a Human Rights Policy, drafted on March 19, and a Human Rights Committee chaired by senior managing director Kumiko Hanazuka, with involvement from external experts. Second, the company will expand human‑rights training for staff, managers, creators and freelancers, and introduce seminars on victim support and whistleblowing. Third, it will revise contracts with external creators to include human‑rights clauses and set up a clear reporting structure involving editorial, legal and administrative units. Fourth, the Board of Directors will regularly report on violations, with oversight by the Risk Management Office, Human Rights Committee and Legal Department, and special response committees will be created for severe cases. Fifth, a grievance system compliant with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights will be launched, allowing anonymous reporting, victim protection and dedicated psychological counseling for sexual‑assault cases.
Shogakukan stated it will publish the full list of proposed measures in English at a later date, and the company will continue to review the effectiveness of its new policies.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day became the first Spider-Man film to surpass $2 billion in worldwide box‑office revenue, according to Box Office Mojo.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day became the first Spider-Man film to surpass $2 billion in worldwide box‑office revenue, according to Box Office Mojo. The movie opened on July 31 2026. The Sony‑distributed Marvel Cinematic Universe entry marks a new financial milestone for the franchise. It earned an estimated $785.8 million in the United States and $1.236 billion overseas, for a total of $2.022 billion, making it Sony’s highest‑grossing release. It is the eighth film to reach the $2 billion mark, joining Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Avatar, Avatar 2, Star Wars: Episode 7, and Ne Zha 2. The film reached its first billion within three days of release. IGN gave it a rating of 7/10, describing its emphasis on personal struggle, city‑based action, and visual presentation. The movie is projected to stay in theaters for several more weeks and currently ranks behind Avengers: Endgame, which achieved the $2 billion threshold in the shortest time. The film’s final position among all‑time box‑office leaders remains to be seen.
The review assesses four handheld gaming PCs released between February 2025 and July 2026, comparing specifications, performance, pricing, and user experience.
The market for portable gaming devices has expanded since Valve introduced the Steam Deck in 2022, prompting manufacturers such as Asus, Lenovo, and MSI to release competing models that run Windows or SteamOS and target different price segments.
The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, priced at $999, achieved up to 44 frames per second in Cyberpunk 2077 at high settings with quality upscaling, according to the review, and provided approximately 2.5 hours of battery life at a 15W power setting. It features a 7‑inch 1080p IPS display and boots into a full‑screen Xbox app that minimizes desktop interaction, though controller navigation in third‑party stores varies.
Lenovo’s Legion Go S, listed at $829, delivered about 9% higher benchmark scores than the Ally X and reached 60 frames per second in Baldur’s Gate 3, as reported in testing. It includes an 8‑inch 1200p LCD display, rounded edges for grip, and a battery life of roughly 2.5 hours. The model runs SteamOS and is positioned as a performance upgrade over the earlier Legion Go.
MSI’s Claw 8 EX AI+, priced at $1,799, uses an Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor and demonstrated up to 55 frames per second in Cyberpunk 2077 while supporting multi‑frame generation up to four times, according to the review. It has an 8‑inch 1200p LCD panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate and no OLED option.
Lenovo’s Legion Go 2, starting at $1,099 for a base configuration and $1,349 for a higher‑spec version with an AMD Z2 Extreme processor and 32 GB RAM, includes an OLED display with a 144 Hz refresh rate and 1920 × 1200 resolution. Performance was reported to be 10–20% faster than the Z1 Extreme, and the device retains removable controllers with repositioned buttons for improved usability.
MSI’s Claw A8, announced at £850 and expected to cost about $1,145 in the United States, offered up to three hours of battery life during Cyberpunk 2077 testing and used an AMD Z2 Extreme processor. Its software interface was described as less polished than Asus’s, and it lacks an OLED display.
The Steam Deck 2 has not been announced, and Valve has indicated it will wait for a more significant generational improvement, leaving the release timeline uncertain amid ongoing component price challenges.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Calamity staff announced on Saturday that Yuki Kaji will portray Toshihiro Hitsugaya's Complete Bankai version in the anime.
The fourth and final part of the series adapts the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, the last story arc of the manga, which covers volumes 55 to 74. The anime premiered on July 25 on TV Tokyo, followed by broadcasts on BS TV Tokyo, AT‑X, Hiroshima TV, Niigata Broadcasting and Sendai Broadcasting, and Japanese streaming began on July 26.
Viz Media and Fathom Entertainment screened the first three episodes in 943 U.S. theaters from June 25 to June 29, presenting Japanese audio with English subtitles and an English dub, and included a behind‑the‑scenes conversation with creator Tite Kubo, chief series director Tomohisa Taguchi and series director Hikaru Murata. The opening theme is performed by jo0ji with the song “I‑BULL,” and the ending theme is performed by 9Lana with the song “Rasen.” The second cour launched on Hulu in the United States in July 2023 and on Star+ in Latin America, while the third part premiered in October 2024 and concluded with a one‑hour finale in December 2024.
The series streams on Hulu in the United States, Disney+ internationally and Ani‑One Asia in many Asian countries.
Simu Liu said the Sleeping Dogs movie adaptation is moving forward, with a director attached and a script completed, as negotiations with Square Enix continue. The actor and producer made the remarks in a reply on X after a fan asked for an update. He noted that the project has a director and a production company and that the script draft was finished in October 2025. The film is being developed by Story Kitchen, and Timo Tjahjanto, known for Nobody 2 and Killers, has been confirmed as director. The story follows Wei Shen, an undercover police officer in contemporary Hong Kong who must balance his duty with loyalty to a Triad family. Liu said the team is currently in dealmaking with the game studio, which he described as a fan moment because of his admiration for Square Enix. No release date has been set. Liu is also slated to appear in Avengers: Doomsday later this year and continues to advocate for a sequel to Shang‑Chi.
The Continuer label announced on August 12 that Umiko Seto's The Alcohol-Lightweight Andō-san will receive an AnimeFesta anime adaptation, though no further details were given. The manga follows Andō, a serious systems engineer whose coworker Kikuchi attempts to elicit a smile. An opportunity reveals his light drinking ability, prompting a clumsy, cheerful, and seductive demeanor. Seto launched the series on ComicFesta in October 2024 under the Continuer imprint. Suiseisha released the first compiled volume in November 2025, with the second volume scheduled for September 18. AnimeFesta, a programming block operated by WWWave Corporation, has produced over 30 adaptations from ComicFesta, many of which are adult-oriented. The block releases broadcast and premium versions, and distributes titles through Coolmic and OceanVeil. The announcement did not specify a release schedule, leaving the project's timeline uncertain.
The second season of Farming Life in Another World continues the cozy isekai format in which the protagonist Hiraku maintains his village and interacts with a group of female companions. Episodes feature activities such as farming, construction, tournament organization, tunnel exploration, and encounters with monster and beast people. The narrative emphasizes Hiraku's mayoral responsibilities rather than his role as a father, and his newborn son appears only briefly, speaking his first word in a short comedic moment. The review notes that character development is limited, with several female characters receiving minimal focus, and that the storyline consists of episodic premises without sustained progression. While the animation and music are rated B, the story and overall narrative receive a C-, indicating a downgrade from the first season. The series retains its relaxed atmosphere, but critics observe a lack of substantive narrative advancement.
American actress Hayden Panettiere died at age 36, according to ABC News. A statement from her representative confirmed the death, but no further details have been made public. She first gained prominence in the mid‑1990s through television roles. Her breakout role was Claire Bennet on the series Heroes, and she later starred as Juliette Barnes on Nashville. In film, she voiced Princess Dot in A Bug’s Life (1998) and appeared in Remember the Titans, Raising Helen, several entries in the Scream series, and I Love You, Beth Cooper. She also provided voice work for Kingdom Hearts games and played Samantha Giddings in Until Dawn. No additional information about the circumstances of her death has been released.
Comic Market 108 attracted about 260,000 attendees over two days in Tokyo, a decline of roughly 40,000 from the previous Comiket. The bi‑annual event, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025, has shown variation in attendance and space count throughout its history. Comiket 108 featured approximately 23,000 exhibiting spaces, about 700 fewer than the prior edition, and included 121 corporate exhibitors in the designated area. Daily attendance averaged around 130,000, down from roughly 150,000 at Comiket 107. Earlier editions have ranged from roughly 250,000 to 300,000 attendees, with the highest recorded figure of 750,000 at Comiket 97, which spanned four days. The event took place during the designated anniversary year marking Comiket's 50th edition, and the organizers have not announced plans to adjust attendance limits for future editions.
The new Avengers: Doomsday trailer premiered at D23 2026 and has generated discussion among fans regarding the appearance of Doctor Doom. The clip shows a character with bluish‑green eyes and a small mole near one eye, differing from the brown‑eyed, mole‑free portrayal attributed to Robert Downey Jr., who is listed in the film’s cast as Victor von Doom. Viewers have noted that the character appears in two distinct costumes: a heavily armored suit in some scenes and a less armored, smoother suit in others, including a moment when he changes mid‑air after being thrown from a tower. Social media posts have suggested the presence of two versions of Doctor Doom, with some proposing that Cillian Murphy, known for lighter eye color, could portray the alternate version. Others have pointed out that the differences could be explained by special contact lenses or visual effects rather than separate characters. The trailer also includes dialogue in which the character says, “All of you have lived stolen lives, but now you must give them back,” while Reed Richards, played by Pedro Pascal, appears screaming in the background. The film is scheduled for theatrical release on December 18, 2026, and will be followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on December 17, 2027. Additional cast members include Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm and Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards. The studio has not confirmed the existence of multiple Doom characters.
A weekend sale offers discounts on video games, movies, electronics and LEGO sets.
Retailers including Amazon, Target, Best Buy and Crunchyroll are reducing prices on popular titles and products.
Amazon lists Final Fantasy VII Rebirth with an included Magic: The Gathering card for $34.99, a physical version for the Nintendo Switch 2. Target sells Resident Evil Requiem for $53.99, with downloadable content planned. Amazon offers the 4K Blu-ray of Project Hail Mary for $24.95, down from $37.99; a review assigned an 8/10 rating. Best Buy advertises Nioh 3 for $39.99, a $30 reduction from its regular price; a review assigned a 9/10 rating. The Nintendo Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is available for $29.99. Amazon provides Civilization VII for $19.99, a $20 discount on the physical edition; a review gave it a 7/10 rating. Crunchyroll has the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Blu-ray back in stock. Amazon lists AirPods Pro 3 for $189, noting a built‑in heart rate sensor and redesigned ear tips. The Back to the Future LEGO Icons Time Machine set is priced at $159.99, a $40 discount. A physical copy of Rosalina’s Storybook is available for $12.49, a 50% discount as part of the Super Mario 40th Anniversary. Walmart accepts pre‑orders for Spider‑Man: Brand New Day on 4K Blu-ray, including Steelbook editions. Amazon sells the Fate Return to Avalon art book for $40.42, containing roughly 300 pages. The Lego Batman Forever set is listed at $74.99, a 25% discount on the 909‑piece collection.
Producer Ena Hamabe spoke with ANN at Anime Expo 2026 after Infinite, Inc. screened the first episode of I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day, which streams on Crunchyroll. Hamabe has produced series such as This Monster Wants to Eat Me and I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day, both focusing on relationships between young women. She said she hopes stories help audiences release negative emotions and feel ready to move forward. She emphasized authenticity in portraying the thoughts and emotions of young women and the importance of showing character growth and hope. She noted that visual media allows emphasis on hopeful aspects even when dealing with sadness. She explained that she chooses projects based on emotional resonance and the desire to bring out collaborators' strengths. She said she begins each project with an ideal vision that may evolve during production. She said personal experiences with grief and hope influence the stories she pursues. She added that stories aim to help viewers process sadness and feel empowered. She said she will continue producing stories that support audiences through difficult emotions.