I’m on the verge of a breakdown, man. I barely survived the Winter 2026 anime season. There aren’t enough hours in the day to keep up with the current Spring 2026 lineup. And now, Summer 2026 is almost upon us.
But hey, surely it’s fine, right? There’s no way Summer 2026 could be on par with the last two seasons. It was just a coincidence that the previous six months of anime have been chock-full of back-to-back bangers. I’ll just have a quick browse through the upcoming schedule to confirm that we’re finally entering a quiet period, so we can all catch up on what we missed in the—oh no. Oh god. Lord, have mercy.
Much like the last two seasons, the Summer 2026 schedule looks unreasonably stacked. You and I Are Polar Opposites is already coming back for a second season, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’s fourth and final season is out in July, followed by The Elusive Samurai’s second season in the same month, and, to top it all off, Skeleton Knight in Another World is finally returning after a four-year break—but you knew that already, didn’t you?
So, instead of going over all the returning series this season, let’s focus on the proper new stuff. And, yes, before you ask, this was stupidly difficult to cut down to just ten. How do people have enough time to watch all of this stuff?! This is literally part of my job, and even I’m struggling.
The Ghost in the Shell (Koukaku Kidoutai)
Premieres on Crunchyroll on July 7
All right, firstly, I understand that starting a list of “new” anime with a new Ghost in the Shell adaptation might sound like cheating, but this one gets a pass for several reasons. If you’ve only ever watched the Ghost in the Shell adaptations and never read Masamune Shirow’s original manga, I think you’re going to be in for a bit of a surprise with studio Science Saru’s upcoming adaptation, The Ghost in the Shell.
I love Ghost in the Shell, and, for the most part, I love the adaptations we’ve had up until now. However, the three separate continuities we’ve seen so far all share one thing in common: they haven’t really been very manga-accurate. Some have adapted the plot somewhat faithfully, yes, but there are two major (pun intended) things they always seem to change: Masamune Shirow’s art style and, weirdly, Motoko Kusanagi’s personality.
Shirow’s manga is just sillier overall, and that’s doubly true when it comes to Kusanagi. She’s kind of a goofball, and there are a couple of hints in the latest trailer for The Ghost in the Shell that more than imply we’ll be getting this less serious, goofier version of Kusanagi in the new version. For that reason alone, I’m interested.
Sparks of Tomorrow (Nijusseiki Denki Mokuroku: Eureka Evrika)
Premieres on Netflix in July
Kyoto Animation is, weirdly, an animation studio that has undoubtedly improved over the past decade, yet is seemingly only known for the projects it tackled during its infancy, such as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star, K-On!, and Clannad. All four of those shows premiered within a four-year timespan, from 2006 to 2010.
It’s not that Kyoto Animation suddenly fell off or something—quite the opposite, in fact. The last project it produced was City the Animation in 2025, and that absolutely slapped, but I guess it just wasn’t anywhere near as popular as the studio’s earlier works. I’m hoping that this doesn’t prove to be the case with Sparks of Tomorrow, because the premise alone has me intrigued.
Hiro Yūki and Kazumi Ikeda’s light novel is set in an alternate version of 20th-century Japan, where electricity was never discovered, and an overreliance on steam-powered technology has blanketed the country in a thick smog. Protagonist Kihachi wants to fix this by tracking down his older brother’s book, the 20th Century Electrical Catalog, which he thinks will usher in a new age of technological advancements. Sounds cool as hell, and I’m a sucker for steampunk settings anyway, so I’ll be there on day one.
Goodbye, Lara (Sayonara Lara)
Premieres on Crunchyroll on July 5
Comparing an anime to a Studio Ghibli film is the video game equivalent of comparing an action RPG to Dark Souls, but I think I should get a pass when it comes to Goodbye, Lara.
This one specifically reminds me of the late 90s to early 2000s run of Ghibli films, as the fantasy-inspired art style and the soft-faced characters are giving me heavy Howl’s Moving Castle and The Cat Returns vibes.
There’s no manga for me to waffle about here, because Goodbye, Lara is an original story, produced by the team at Kinema Citrus. What I can waffle about, however, is how consistent Kinema Citrus’ animation has been over the last decade, as it’s the animation studio behind The Rising of Shield Hero and Made in Abyss. That said, the only proof you need of its talent is the trailer linked above.
The World Is Dancing (Wārudo Izu Danshingu)
Premieres on Crunchyroll on July 2
I read Kazuto Mihara’s The World Is Dancing a while ago now, sometime in 2024, and I absolutely breezed through it. It’s pretty short, but I remember enjoying it so much that I started and finished it in a single day.
The story is based on the 14th-century playwright and actor Zeami Motokiyo, who is credited as the author behind some of the most famous plays in the Noh tradition, a classical form of Japanese dance and drama fusion. I didn’t know any of this going into The World Is Dancing, so don’t worry about brushing up on your 14th-century Japanese history before you watch the anime adaptation.
Speaking of the adaptation, the folks at Cypic are helming it. They’re responsible for producing The Summer Hikaru Died, which might be in my top three anime of last year, and Apocalypse Hotel, which was criminally underexposed outside of Japan. If I had to put money on one anime on this list being a surefire hit, I think I’d go all-in on The World Is Dancing.
BLACK TORCH
Premieres on Crunchyroll on July 4
If you’re a fan of watching cool-looking anime characters punch each other, then look no further than Black Torch. Tsuyoshi Takaki’s 2016 manga is about a dude called Jiro Azuma. He’s a bit of a punk, he’s got spiky hair, and he can see spirits that other people can’t. If you’re thinking to yourself, “huh, sounds a lot like Ichigo from Bleach,” then, trust me, you’re not the first to make that comparison.
Even Takaki’s art in the manga is eerily similar to Tite Kubo’s in style, to the point that Black Torch‘s protagonist would easily pass as Ichigo’s little brother if you just dyed his hair orange. Comparisons aside, though, the manga is a fun time. As long as you don’t go in expecting anything mindblowing—in fact, leave your brain at the door before reading—you’ll probably enjoy it.
I’m pretty excited to see what animation studio 100studio can do with the source material. 100studio is relatively young, having only produced two projects and one film in the four years since it was founded, but its batting average is great so far. Quality Assurance in Another World, in particular, was very good, so I hope Black Torch is the start of something big for the studio.
Chainsmoker Cat (Yani Neko)
Premieres on Crunchyroll on July 2
Gonna be completely honest with you out of the gate on this one; I do not know what the hell Chainsmoker Cat is about. I haven’t read it, but I’ve seen people describe the manga, which is appropriately written by someone called NyanNyanFactory, as being about “cat girls with substance abuse problems,” so consider my curiosity well and truly piqued.
It’s a comedy, I know that much, and based on the trailer, yeah…I’d say the protagonist looks appropriately down on her luck. She do be chainsmoking too, so at least the title is accurate. What I know for certain is that Bibury Animation Studios has been kind of bringing the heat lately. Honestly, I don’t usually like the kind of manga they choose to adapt, but it’s hard to argue that the likes of Witch Watch and Magical Destroyers aren’t well animated.
Basically, this is my way of saying that I’m open to seeing how this one pans out. The animation being good is a given at this point, so Chainsmoker Cat is going to live and die based on how funny the source material is. I mean, hey, I didn’t think I’d like Dandadan before I read it, so who knows?
Behind the Supermarket, Smoking with You (Super no Ura de Yani Suu Futari)
Premieres on Crunchyroll in July
I didn’t plan to make this a smoking-related anime double bill, but I have actually read Behind the Supermarket, Smoking with You, and lemme tell you, this one is a treat. Jinushi’s manga is about a middle-aged salaryman named Sasaki who has a crush on Yamada, who works at his local convenience store. One night, a cool lady in a leather jacket, named Tayama, invites Sasaki to smoke with her outside the store, and teases him about his crush on Yamada.
Spoiler alert: Yamada and Tayama are the same person. I say “spoiler alert,” but you’ll figure this out in the first five minutes. It’s just a weirdly wholesome story about a guy who is a complete moron. Highly relatable stuff.
A story like Behind the Supermarket, Smoking with You doesn’t really need an S-tier animation studio behind it. After all, it’s just about a bunch of people standing around smoking. That’s handy, because Asahi Production has made a whole bunch of stuff that I’ve never even heard of, let alone seen, so I can’t attest to the studio’s skill. Regardless, this seems like a hard one to mess up, so I’m still going in with high expectations.
Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia (Tenmaku no Jaadugar)
Premieres on Crunchyroll in July
You know what? I don’t think I really need to explain how talented the animation team behind Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia is, because holy shit, have you watched the trailer linked above? This looks incredible.
But if you’re still that keen to read me prattle on about it, this one is being animated by Science Saru, the team behind The Ghost in the Shell. I’ve not read the manga, but it’s written by someone whose name is Tomato Soup, which I’m going to assume is a pen name. If not, props to Mrs. and Mr. Soup for seeing their shot and taking it.
Also, I think Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia deserves a watch solely based on the fact that it’s based on the 13th-century history of Iran, which was then known as Persia. There are a handful of anime set in Persia, but to call them “historical” might be a bit of a stretch, so this definitely gets points for being unique as far as anime settings are concerned.
Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games (Tai Ari Deshita: Ojō-sama wa Kakutō Gēmu Nante Shinai)
Premieres on Crunchyroll on July 7
I’ve not watched a lot of anime produced by Diomedéa. I’ve also not read Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games. I’ve not even got a huge amount of faith in this one, although the animation quality in the trailer looks fairly decent.
So, why include it all, you might ask? That’s pretty simple. It’s because Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games has a fairly unique selling point: It’s being produced in collaboration with Capcom.
Turns out, in the manga, the young ladies in Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games play a fake fighting game called “Iron Senpai 4.” For the anime adaptation, the production team has decided to team up with Capcom and replace the fake game with Street Fighter 6, real footage of which will appear in the anime. The said gameplay footage is even going to be produced by the pro fighting game team FAV Gaming, just to add that extra layer of sauce. Also, apparently the manga is where this FGC meme originated from. That’s funny enough to earn it at least a couple of episodes of my time.
I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day (Kimi ga Shinu made Koi wo Shitai)
Premieres on Crunchyroll in July
Yuri-focused anime and manga are a mixed bag. For every Bloom Into You and Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury that comes along, you also get an equal amount of yuri anime that are more focused on titillation rather than, y’know, building a good story that just also happens to be about gay women.
Thankfully, I’ve read Aono Nachi’s I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day and can confirm that it’s almost definitely not what you’re expecting. It’s not that there’s a twist I’m spoiling or anything, but rather that it’s more akin to something like 86: Eighty Six rather than your standard romance.
The only real element I’m not sold on is the animation studio, Roll2. It has released one anime so far, Love Is Indivisible by Twins, which I have not watched because…hey, look, no offense, but I’m not gonna spend my very limited time on this earth watching the love-triangle anime where a guy dates a pair of twins. I don’t care how “peak” it is, you dirty little freaks.
