"Anime 1 Week" brings you a roundup of the week's anime news. From December 14th to 20th, news that "Tetsunabe no Jan!" will be adapted into a TV anime in 2026 and the release of the final 27th volume of the "Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt" manga were popular topics.
On the 14th, it was announced that the anime "Wings of Rean" directed by Director Yoshiyuki Tomino will be released on Blu-ray Disc (BD) for the first time. For the BD release, a new opening video will be produced to announce the beginning of the story, directed by Director General Tomino. It will be released on March 25, 2026.
On the 14th, it was announced that the theatrical anime adaptation of the popular light novel series " Rascal Does Not Dream Does Not Dream of Dear Rascal Does Not Dream ) will be released in the fall of 2026.
On the 15th, it was announced that Shinji Saijo's manga "Tetsunabe no Jan!", which was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Champion" (Akita Shoten) from 1995 to 2000, will be adapted into a TV anime in 2026. This will be the first time that the popular series, which boasts a total circulation of approximately 10 million copies, will be adapted into an anime. The series will be directed by Ei Aoki, known for his work on numerous popular works such as "Fate/Zero," " Aldnoah.Zero," and "The Garden of Sinners: The Movie," and produced by TROYCA, the studio behind "Aldnoah.Zero ," "Overtake!", and "ATRI."
On the 15th, it was announced that Toshiaki Iwashiro's psychic battle action manga "PSYREN," which was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha), will be made into a TV anime in 2026.
On the 16th, it was announced that the theatrical version of Chainsaw Man Chainsaw Man , based on the popular manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto , had grossed 9.61 billion yen and attracted over 6.28 million viewers in the 87 days since its release on September 19th. This puts it in 56th place on the list of all-time box office grosses in Japan.
On the 17th, it was announced that the movie version of " Wonderful PreCure!" from the popular anime series "PreCure," titled "Wonderful PreCure! The Movie! A Thrilling Adventure in the Game World!", will be broadcast on TOKYO MX from 10:00 AM on January 3, 2026. This will be the first time the series will be broadcast on terrestrial television.
On the 18th, it was announced that a new short anime, " Evangelion 30th Anniversary Special Performance," will be produced to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the popular anime series " Evangelion ." It will have its world premiere as a venue-exclusive video at the "EVANGELION: 30+; 30th ANNIVERSARY OF EVANGELION (Eva Fest)" event, to be held at Yokohama Arena (Kohoku Ward, Yokohama) from February 21st to 23rd, 2026. The new short anime, approximately 13 minutes long, will be newly produced for the event and will be planned, scripted, and supervised by Hideaki Anno, with Naoyuki Asano, who served as animation director for "Evangelion: Evangelion" theatrical version, directing. Kazuya Tsurumaki, Shinji Higuchi, and Kazuki Todoroki, who have all worked on the "Evangelion" series, will also participate as supervisors.
On the 18th, the official trailer for the second chapter of the popular Gundam anime series, "Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash" (directed by Shukou Murase), titled "Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash: The Witch of Circe," was released on YouTube. It was also announced that an IMAX version will be screened simultaneously from the film's opening day, January 30, 2026. The standard and IMAX versions will be screened on a total of 426 screens.
On the 19th, it was announced that Nippon Television (Kanto local) will be broadcasting a selection of the first season of the TV anime "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End," based on the manga currently being serialized in "Weekly Shonen Sunday" (Shogakukan). In preparation for the broadcast of the second season, a total of 20 episodes from the first season will be selected and broadcast for seven consecutive nights starting late at night on January Getsuku, 2026. Popular episodes such as episode 8, "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End," episode 9, "Aura on the Guillotine," and episode 28, "It'll Be Embarrassing When We Meet Again," will be included in the lineup.
On the 19th, the 27th and final volume of Yasuo Ohtagaki's manga Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt was released. The Thunderbolt Gundam, which made a big splash when it appeared in the final episode, graced the cover. To commemorate the release of the final volume, a screening of the anime Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt DECEMBER SKY was held at Shinjuku Piccadilly (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo) on the same day.
On the 20th, it was announced that a new anime project for Osamu Akimoto's popular manga "Kochikame" (This is the Police Station in Kameari Park, Katsushika Ward) will be launched, with a new anime series, "Shin Kochikame" (This is the Police Station in Kameari Park, Katsushika Ward), being produced. It will be produced by Gallop, the same studio that produced the 1996 anime "Kochikame."
On the 20th, it was announced that the anime "Steel Ball Run: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure," based on "Steel Ball Run," the seventh part of Hirohiko Araki's popular manga series "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure," will be exclusively released worldwide on Netflix starting March 19, 2026. The single, 47-minute episode, "1st STAGE," will be streamed. It was also announced that additional cast members will include Masaaki Mizunaka as Sandman and Kenichirou Matsuda as Pocoroco.
On the 20th, it was announced that a project will be launched to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the TV anime "Katekyo Hitman Reborn!", which is based on the manga by Akira Amano that was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" in October 2026. A new visual, "20th Anniversary Visual," drawn by character designer Masayoshi Tanaka, has been released.
