Otaku News

Netflix Tease at New One Piece Anime Adaptation

Date: 2026 May 05 19:54 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from Netflix have sent us details about the up coming new anime adaptation of One Piece. Called The One Piece it charts Luffy's adventures from Chapter 1 of the East Blue Saga onwards. Season 1 will cover about the first 50 chapters of the original manga across 7 episodes, with a total run time of around 300 minutes. All 7 episodes will be released by Netflix at once in February 2027. This will be a Netflix exclusive.

This new anime adaptation will be produced by WIT Studio (who are best known for Spy x Family).

Official Merchandise from The World of Shirow Masamune Exhibition Now Available Internationally

Date: 2026 May 04 17:03 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

We've received news that official merchandise from The Exhibition of The World of Shirow Masamune is now available internationally. The exhibition covers the works of Shirow Masamune, who is best known for the the mega hit The Ghost in the Shell, along with Appleseed and many more (we're always partial to a bit of Dominion Tank Police ourselves).

The official shop allows international buyers to purchase goods from the exhibition store (while stocks last) up until Sunday, 31st May 2026 using the Buyee proxy service. They have a range of goods available, primarily t-shirts, which are priced at ￥5,500 JPY approximately £26 GBP / $35 USD / €30 Euro. This includes some iconic cover art from various Shirow manga.

Ghost in the Shell: Tabletop Roleplaying Game Release Details

Date: 2026 May 03 15:16 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

The good folks from Mantic Games have sent us details of an up coming project. They'll be releasing The Ghost in the Shell: Tabletop Roleplaying Game. This officially licensed TTPRG is based on the original manga and is due out in the summer of 2026. It's been made acclaimed designers Alessio Cavatore and Zak Barouh.

We're promised a bespoke roleplaying system and it looks like you'll play as your own character a trainee agent in Section 9. We're also told the rulebook will be crammed full of illustration from the original manga.

The exact release date is to be confirmed, along with pricing and contents of the game.

emaqi Announcing Spring 2026 Manga Exclusives

Date: 2026 April 25 09:45 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The folks from digital manga service emaqi have sent us details of their new exclusive titles. They'll have Izakaya of Extinct Animals by Kuromaru, The Gene of AI by Kyuri Yamada, A Witch's Journal to Otherworldly Parenting: Raising Familiars and Fluffy Magical Creatures by Mokuhachi.

Fans will also note that this is the first official English translation of The Gene of AI.

emaqi is currently available only in North America. emaqi also uses AI translation, something we do not condone or support.

Qooza x Death Note Fashion Collaboration

Date: 2026 April 25 08:29 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

Japanese fashion brand Qooza have sent us details of their current Death Note colab. The line is inspired by Misa-Misa. So if you want to look like everyone's favourite Death Note goth girl, now's your chance, but hurry as the order deadline is 6th May 2026 at 23:59 (JST).

They've got a Death Note Backpack, ankle boots, t-shirts and a lace dress available. Although the t-shirt and dress both have only one size.

Interestingly to accommodate international shipping Qooza have opted to use Buyee with a dedicated linked cart.

Akira Earns Over £1M Across UK and IRE Cinemas

Date: 2026 April 22 19:55 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

In case you've missed it classic anime movie Akira was released in the cinemas across the UK and Ireland on on Friday 17th April 2026. Anime Limited have told us that the release as gone very well so far and has earned over £1 Million so far. Making it the highest grossing classic release of the year and the all-time 4th highest UK & IRE opening weekend for an anime film.

The hugely influential classic is screening dubbed in English, in Japanese with English Subtitles and on IMAX too. To find a screening near you visit AkiraFilm.co.uk.

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

TV Anime Sparks of Tomorrow World Premiere at MCM Comic Con London May 2026

Date: 2026 April 19 15:31 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from Anime Limited have just revealed details about some of the anime events at this May's MCM Comic Con London. The TV anime Sparks of Tomorrow will hold its world premiere at MCM Comic Con London this in May 2026.

The anime will be screened at Saturday 23rd May 2026 from 14:45 to 16:40. The screening will also include a panel discussion with the director Minoru Ota and producer Ryona Kuyama. Afterwards at 17:00 to 19:00 there will be a signing session with the director along with sales of exclusive merchandise.

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

Akira Hits UK Cinemas This Friday 17th April 2026

Date: 2026 April 11 17:29 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Just a quick reminder to UK based readers. The anime classic Akira hits cinemas around the UK from Friday 17th April 2026. This includes special IMAX screenings. Visit AkiraFilm.co.uk to find a screening near you. It's a classic for a reason and a must watch, especially on the big screen. It's been hugely influential and started a wave of anime fandom across the world. To be honest you could probably write a PhD thesis on Akira and it's influence, so just saying go out and watch it in a paragraph or two is kind of reductive!

Anime Limited and Kodansha have been running a campaign on the London Underground recently and we've noticed a lot of Akira Movie posters at prominent locations across the Tube. So if you're out and about in London, keep and eye out for them too!

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

Major Motoko Kusanagi Life Size Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Statue

Date: 2026 April 10 17:36 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

The good folks from Prime 1 Studio have have sent us details of what we can only describe as the ultimate bit of merchandise for Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Fans, a life size statue of Major Motoko Kusanagi. Standing at 168cm (or 5' 6" for the imperial measurement minded) this 1:1 scale figure features Kusanagi in her purple gear and leather jacket (the jacket is removable). The figure is holding a Sebro C-26A sub machine gun. There's also a special bonus edition (limited to 50 units) where she's holding a Sebro M-5 handgun.

The statue is available for pre-order now, and Prime 1 Studio tell us it'll cost a "reasonable" $7,999 USD, with shipping scheduled for early 2027.

To put it into perspective, assuming a normal Nendoroid figure costs ￥7,200 JPY which is about $45.20 USD as of today's exchange rate, you could buy almost 177 Nendoroid figures from Goodsmile. However, if you're buying that many figures, you might be able to negotiate a wholesale discount too.

Licca-chan Doll Gets Official North American Release

Date: 2026 April 07 10:56 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

We've just received news that Japanese fashion doll Licca-chan has just been officially released in North America. The release will start with a collection of 10 dolls, which include some anime tie-ins such as Frieren and Detective Conan.

The iconic fashion doll has been part of the Japanese toy market since 1967 and has a big following with toy collectors overseas too. By bringing the doll into North America through retailers such as BoxLunch, Hot Topic, Miniso and animate Los Angeles as well Gacha&Catch it's clear that they're aiming for the 15 to 25 year old market. They're after the demographic with disposable income.

Netflix Spring 2026 Anime Line Up

Date: 2026 April 04 17:08 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Netflix have just revealed their Spring 2026 anime streaming release slate. Highlights include the amazingly violent and truly excellent Dorohedoro Season 2, which was released on the 1st April, Spy x FAMILY Season 3 is due out on 4th April. While other highlights include My Dress Up Darling Season 1, which is a charming cosplay romance, with the odd bits of spicy fan service thrown in.

We're also very excited about the anime adaption of Akane Banashi, which tells the story of a teenager who wants to become a rakugo star. This is due to be streamed sometime in May.

Marriagetoxin Anime Streaming Details

Date: 2026 March 31 20:08 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Fans the manga Marriagetoxin will be keen to hear that the anime adaption will be hitting Crunchyroll from Tuesday 7th April 2026 at 7:30 Pacific Time / 3:30pm BST (UK) / 4:30pm CEST (Western Europe etc).

The first episode is called The Poison Master's Search for Marriage.

The manga is published in English by Viz. You can read more about it on their website.

The Last Blossom Movie Review

Date: 2026 March 16 20:47 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Features

The Last Blossom hits cinemas across the UK and Ireland from Friday 27th March 2026. It won both the Jury Award and Audience Award at Scotland Loves Anime. Keen to get a big scoop of melancholy, with a sprinkle of crime thriller, topped off with a bit of slice of life bliss, we take a (spoiler free) look at the movie.

Japan House London Announces Photography Exhibition: Invisible

Date: 2026 March 14 09:50 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Culture

The good folks from Japan House London have sent us details of an upcoming photography exhibition called Invisible . It's set to run from 3rd June to October 2026. It will showcase two major contemporary Japanese photographers: Kawada Kikuji and Iwane Ai. The exhibition will be directed by the team behind the KYOTOGRAPHIE photography festival.

Like many fans of photography we've always wanted to go to KYOTOGRAPHIE in Kyoto and we think it's great that Japan House London are bringing a bit of it over to the UK.

This is Japan House London's first photography exhibition.

Death Note the Musical London UK Details

Date: 2026 March 10 20:38 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Death Note the Musical London UK Details

We've just received news about Death Note The Musical. It' set to run at London's Barbican for 6 weeks from Thursday 30th July until Saturday 12th September 2026.

The live action musical will be performed in English. The first week of performances as part of the Barbican summer season have sold out within 24 hours of tickets going on sale, with remaining tickets selling at record speed making it the fastest selling ever Barbican Summer Season.

They've got a great collection of creative talent behind this production including director Stephen Whitson (Hamilton UK and Moulin Rouge! UK), Emmy-nominated designer Jon Bausor (Spirited Away, Bat Out of Hell) and choreography by Olivier Award nominated Fabian Aloise (Evita at the London Palladium and Sunset Boulevard at The Savoy) alongside Jason Howland as orchestration and arranger, with additional lyrics by Morgan Reilly. The cast will be announced soon.

We're very curious how they'll hand Ryuk?! Will it be some kind of puppet or an actor in heavy prosthetics? Also what kind of songs will they have? We're curious about the lines!

The hugely popular manga, Death Note follows the adventures of Light a high school student who discovers Death Note, a notebook where you can write down the name of anyone and they'll die in 40 seconds. It's a supernatural mystery, detective story, fan favourite and title that gets you thinking, if you had a Death Note, would you use it? And if so who would you use it on?

The manga spawned an anime, a TV show, several live action movies, video games. There's also a great spin off manga of short stories.

To find out more and book tickets for the remaining performances vist DeathNoteTheMusical.com

Akira Anime 2026 UK Cinema Screening Details

Date: 2026 February 25 21:33 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

The good folks from Anime Limited have sent us details for the up coming cinema release of the classic Akira. It'll hit cinemas around the UK from Friday 17th April 2026. This will include IMAX cinemas. You can visit AkiraFilm.co.uk to sign up for updates and to find a screening near you.

Akira is a hugely influential title. Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo who also made the original manga, Akira is one of those landmark titles that got many people discovering anime and manga. It's a classic for reason, you've got a dystopian cyberpunk future, delinquent kids, biker gangs, a causal bit of government conspiracy and military intervention all wrapped up in an amazingly high quality animated title.

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

The Last Blossom Anime Movie UK and Ireland Cinema Release Details

Date: 2026 February 23 20:27 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

The good folks from Anime Limited have revealed the cinema release details for The Last Blossom. Pitched as a thrilling and life-affirming crime drama it'll hit cinemas around the UK and Ireland on Friday 27th March 2026.

The original feature is from the up and coming team of director Baku Kinoshita and writer Kazuya Konomoto, the same duo responsible for the truly fabulous ODDTAXI. The whole synopsis for this film does sound different with an elderly inmate serving life in prison nearing death and starts to reflect on his life. We're massive fans of ODDTAXI so are very excited about this movie and just like ODDTAXI, we're not exactly sure to expect, which is half the fun!

If you're lucky and want to catch this movie early, you could go to a Japan Foundation Touring Film Screening that's running in selected art house cinemas around the UK.

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

Jujutsu Kaisen in Concert London UK Details

Date: 2026 February 07 17:35 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Fans of Jujutsu Kaisen will want to head to the Eventim Apollo in London on Wednesday 3rd June 2026 for an evening performance of Jujutsu Kaisen in Concert. It's a new live concert experience based on all 3 seasons of the anime in a hybrid ensemble of classical and modern instruments. They promise us you'll experience every fight, triumph, and dramatic beat in full, cinematic sound as scenes are shown on a large HD cinema screen.

New Ghost in the Shell 2026 Music Production Details Revealed

Date: 2026 February 07 11:12 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

We've just received details about the the new 2026 release of Ghost in the Shell. It's already been revealed that it'll be released in Japan sometime in July 2026, but now we're told that Taisei Iwasaki, Ryo Konishi and Yuki Kanesaka will be providing the music for the series.

Taisei Iwasaki will be the musical director and is best known for composing the score for Belle, while Ryo Konishi, produces for artists such as Chara+YUKI, Mrs. Green Apple, TOMOO and more. They'll be collaborating with composer Yuki Kanesaka, who produced the music for TV anime Dr. Stone.

Lupin The IIIrd: The Movie - The Immortal Bloodline UK and Ireland Cinema Release Details

Date: 2026 February 05 21:35 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

The good folks from Anime Limited have sent us details about the up coming cinema release of Lupin The IIIrd: The Movie - The Immortal Bloodline. The film is due to hit cinemas around the UK and Ireland from Saturday 21 February 2026.

It's directed by Takeshi Koike (who is best known for Redline and a segment on The Animatrix) and we're promised an adrenaline infused Sci-Fi adventure that connects celebrated capers past and present. To be honest they had us a Lupin III, but combining it with Takeshi Koike just makes us to watch it even more.

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

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