Read it First: Manga, Light Novel Sources for Spring 2026 Anime
by The ANN Editorial Team,
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 Spring 2026 rolls around!
Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. Yen Press, BookWalker Global, and J-Novel Club are subsidiaries of KWE.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of Anime News Network, its employees, owners, or sponsors.
Not sure what to watch in the coming anime season? Read our reviews of the manga and light novels that inspired the shows from Witch Hat Atelier to Daemons of the Shadow Realm!― 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...
It feels like this is the moment author Fujino Omori has been striving for: when Lefiya and Bell are fully running parallel to each other.― Although this side story started out being about Aiz, it's really about Lefiya. That has been increasingly apparent as the books progress. Still, volume thirteen really cements the idea, and it feels like this is the moment author Fujino Omori has been striving ...
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Bleach's Noriyuki Abe directs anime― A website opened on Wednesday to announce the television anime adaptation of Kyouko Hikawa's From Far Away (Kanata Kara) shōjo manga, slated for release this year. The website is also streaming the anime announcement video, and reveals the anime's director Noriyuki Abe (Bleach, Flame of Recca, GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka). The anime news commemorates the manga's 3...
Yonehiko died on March 5 due to pneumonia― Talent management agency Aoni Production announced on Wednesday that voice actor Yonehiko Kitagawa died on March 5 due to pneumonia. He was 94. A private funeral attended by close family members was held, in accordance to his family's wishes.Kitagawa voiced several characters in the 1983 Kinnikuman series including Akuma Shōgun, Big The Budō, and Chairman H...
Dangan Pictures, Cannon Code animate Shōzen series for 2027― Fuji TV announced on Tuesday that Jiang Jia Meizi's Chinese manhua Shang Shan will receive a television anime adaptation titled Shōzen in 2027. Rina Kawaguchi plays Shōzen. Hiroshi Kamiya plays Dōzen. Daisuke Sakuma (Snow Man) plays Ryojin. Aoi Yūki plays Kensei. Ayumu Murase plays Chiro. Itsurō Kawasaki (True Cooking Master Boy, Lady Je...
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Coop and Lucas discuss the importance of physical media. Bonus: libraries may soon be able to stock Kpop Demon Hunters on disc!― Coop and Lucas discuss the importance of physical media. Bonus: libraries may soon be able to stock Kpop Demon Hunters on disc! Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network. Full Disclosure: Coop ...
Kaname died in February while drafting 14th chapter of new manga― The editorial staff of Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine announced on Tuesday that manga creator Majuro Kaname died in February. Kaname had been in the middle of working on the draft for the 14th chapter of their Doku o Kurawaba Sakura Made manga when they died. Their family held a private funeral.The staff of Weekly Shōnen Magazine a...
Shibayama died on March 6 due to lung cancer― Animation studio Ajiado announced on Tuesday that its former president and CEO Tsutomu Shibayama died on March 6 due to lung cancer. He was 84. A private funeral was held, attended only by close family members.Shibayama was born on March 9, 1941. He joined Toei Doga (now Toei Animation) in 1963, later moving to A Production (now Shin'ei Doga) in 1966. He...
While good ol' Frieren climbs back to #3 this week, let's give a nod to the ever-reliable You and I Are Polar Opposites, which has comfortably held its ground between #10 and #4 in our weekly user rankings!― 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 simu...
Even if Fujimaki’s love of sports gets in the way at times, these three volumes of Kill Blue still make for a fun read.― This trio of manga volumes rises and falls on its sportsy aesthetic. It's here where you can really, really tell Kill Blue was penned by the same mangaka who did Kuroko's Basketball (Tadatoshi Fujimaki), and he's definitely not gunshy about showing off his roots. He's got characte...
This film is not centered around Rimuru—and this ingenious choice is why the film works as well as it does.― My favorite aspect of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime as a series is how much focus it puts on actions having consequences—most notably the unintended variety. Once again, this movie puts this idea front and center. With his immense magic powers and modern-day knowledge, it can be eas...
