Read it First: Manga, Light Novel Sources for Winter 2026 Anime
It's hardly a rule that you have to read the source material before you watch the adaptation, but what if you want to? A decade ago, anime fans who wanted to read the manga or light novel before the show debuted were out of luck (legally speaking), which means that the fact that we can read most of the source material for a given season of anime is exciting. Of course, with the increased amounts of manga and light novels (and games) translated into English, that means that we at ANN can't always keep up with everything, but to make your pre-season reading easier, we've collected all of the reviews available for upcoming anime's sources. We'll keep updating this page as more reviews come in, so check back to see if you can get a preview of what to expect when Winter 2026 rolls around!
Not sure what's ahead for the winter anime season? Check out the source material in our roundup of manga and light novels getting an adaptation!― It's hardly a rule that you have to read the source material before you watch the adaptation, but what if you want to? A decade ago, anime fans who wanted to read the manga or light novel before the show debuted were out of luck (legally speaking), which ...
For this reincarnated salaryman, a life as an unwanted noble’s son is a ticket to a new beginning, but an easygoing life is a long way off.― Human creativity is unendingly interesting to me. We are in an unprecedented time of stories that start in incredibly similar ways, and yet, each story is different enough for us to warrant taking time to tell you all about it. Today, we are speaking of the fir...
Jerome channels his inner Clement Clarke Moore as he looks into the Amazon AI Dub Debacle.― 'Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the site, The ANSWERMAN pondered what readers might write; Two questions were sent about dubbing with care, In hopes that some answers soon would be there. The eggnog is flowing, the family's near, But by glass number three, boredom appears. Your thumbs are a...
The fall anime season is drawing to a close. Here are the best anime to binge over winter break, from Spy x Family to SANDA!― The fall anime season lacked a main character. While past anime seasons included big protagonist energy from the likes of DAN DA DAN, The Apothecary Diaries, and Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, alongside emotional supporting stories from My Dress-Up Darling and Apocalypse Hote...
As a longtime fan of the Fate franchise in general and Fate/strange Fake in specific, it was everything I hoped for and more.― The full series of Fate/strange Fake has been a long time coming. Written by Ryohgo Narita of Durarara!! fame, the book series has been ongoing since 2015 with the first novel getting an animated TV special, Fate/strange Fake -Whispers of Dawn-, back in 2023. Last year, the ...
Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Ando celebrate announcement with illustrations― The staff for the television anime of Kei Urana's Gachiakuta manga announced on Monday the series is getting a second season. Urana celebrated the announcement with an illustration. The graffiti designer for the series, Hideyoshi Ando, also created an illustration for the announcement. The final episode for season one aired before ...
New anime's teaser visual, video revealed― The Jump Festa '26 event on Sunday announced that the Shikaku Arc (Assassins Arc) of Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man manga is getting an anime adaptation, and unveiled the teaser visual and promotional video.The Chainsaw Man television anime series premiered on TV Tokyo and five other affiliated channels, as well as on Amazon Prime Video in October 2022. Cr...
Uma Musume finally hits #1 this week after hovering close all season. But the surprise of the season might be This Monster Wants to Eat Me as it reaches the top 3 for 3 weeks in a row!― Let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season,
based on the polls you can find in our Daily Streaming Reviews
and on the Your Score page with the latest simulcasts. Keep in mind t...
Soft, slow, and sweet, The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be-Wife is mostly a nice bit of reassurance that, despite what the news may tell us, the world isn't completely horrible after all.― It can sometimes feel like not a lot of romances start at the very beginning or go beyond the couple getting together. Either we meet them when they're already fully involved with each other or leave them at that...
Announced after episode 12 on Saturday― The 12th episode from the television anime of Firehead and YahaKo's A Wild Last Boss Appeared! light novel series ended on Saturday with a special video announcing a second season: The staff describes the anime:
In the year 2800 of the Mizgard calendar, Rufus Mafarl — feared as the Black-Winged Conqueror — faces his final battle against the heroes known as the...
Teaser trailer, visual revealed― The Jump Festa '26 event on Saturday announced that the second season for the television anime of Yuuto Suzuki's Sakamoto Days manga is in the works, and revealed a teaser trailer and visual.The anime's first season premiered on TV Tokyo and affiliated channels on January 11, and the series also debuted on Netflix on January 11. The first season's second part premier...
Anime's 2nd season premiered on July 19― The Jump '26 event on Saturday announced that the anime of Naoya Matsumoto's Kaiju No. 8 manga will get a "conclusion arc" anime, as well as a new anime short. The new anime short is titled "Narumi no Heijitsu" (Narumi's Weekday). The first season premiered on TV Tokyo in April 2024 and aired for 12 episodes. Crunchyroll streamed the anime with English subtit...
Manga centers on spy resurrected into body of woman― The Jump Festa '26 event on Saturday announced that Osamu Akimoto's Mr. Clice manga will get an anime adaptation. 秋本先生が描く爽快スパイアクション『Mr.Clice』がアニメ化決定✨連載40周年を迎えた本作の最新話は来年1月下旬発売予定の「ジャンプSQ.RISE 2026 WINTER」に掲載されるぞ❗️第１話は⬇️をチェック❗️https://t.co/oZX1fWo9So pic.twitter.com/7FI9OZCroD— こち亀info【公式】 (@Kochikame_info) December 20, 2025 Shueisha will publish the...
Gallop again animates new work― The Jump Festa '26 event on Saturday announced that Osamu Akimoto's Kochikame manga will get a new anime project. Gallop is again producing the anime, titled Shin Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo (New Kochikame). The project commemorates the 50th anniversary of the manga. A 50th anniversary website will formally open in spring 2026. The new anime will...
3rd season ended on Friday― The official X/Twitter account for the television anime of Hiromu Arakawa's autobiographical manga Hyakushō Kizoku (The Peasant Noble) announced on Friday that the show is getting a fourth season. #百姓貴族(@anime_hyakusho)December 19 The third season premiered on Tokyo MX, on October 3. The season's final episode aired on Friday. The first season of the anime premiered on th...
Lots of new entries into old franchises are in the news this week, but do we really need all of them?― Welcome back, folks! The year is winding down, but our work with games doesn't! I've been fortunate to have a bit of spending money this month, which means I can add a ton of titles to my collection that I've kept an eye on. Unfortunately, this means that I have an even bigger backlog. Man, remembe...
While you will still be slaying hundreds of enemies and using massive attacks to slay enemy leaders, you do have to pause and take your time to avoid being caught flat-footed.― Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is another strong Warriors title that provides plenty of enjoyment for Zelda fans and musou die-hards alike. As I like to do in my reviews, allow me to lay out my background before I get i...
The manga exhibit, which runs from November 19th through March 9th, takes pieces of the permanent collections and tells the story of manga’s origins in from comic strips and scrolls to kamishibai and commercial books in Japan.― While in Paris for (the amazing! wonderful!) Y/CON 11, my wife encountered a poster in the subway for a manga exhibit that had just opened. At the same time, manga journalist...
At the 38th Tokyo Film Festival, we were able to speak with Shōji Kawamori about this upcoming feature film, Labyrinth (and also about Macross finally being released across the wider world).― While this film technically has both idols and giant robots, Labyrinth is about as far from what you'd expect from acclaimed Macross creator and mecha designer Shōji Kawamori. Rather than space battles and gian...
