My Hero Academia creator Kohei Horikoshi has returned to Weekly Shonen Jump with a new 61-page one-shot titled Quit Laughing Shijima (Warawanaide yo Shijima-san). The story was published in the magazine’s combined Issue 37/38, released in Japan on August 10, and is also available internationally through Shueisha’s MANGA Plus service.


Described as a “boy-meets-girl horror” story, the one-shot follows a town in which everyone seems to admire the mysterious Shijima, while something more sinister lies beneath the surface. The horror premise marks a clear change of pace from the superhero action that defined Horikoshi’s decade-long run on My Hero Academia.


Quit Laughing Shijima is Horikoshi’s first manga published in Weekly Shonen Jump since My Hero Academia concluded in August 2024. Its simultaneous availability through MANGA Plus also gives readers outside Japan direct access to his first post-My Hero Academia manga work.

Akiba Station will return to Los Angeles Comic Con with an expanded anime and Japanese pop culture area when the convention runs October 30 through November 1 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Created in partnership with Otaku Collectives, the attraction debuted in 2025 as a 40,000-square-foot dedicated anime space and is being enlarged for its second year.


The 2026 version will feature larger Japanese-inspired environments, including cherry blossom installations, curated displays and themed areas designed for photos and fan interaction. Organizers are also planning more interactive activities, exclusive merchandise and expanded participation from returning partners, alongside anime vendors, voice actors and live programming.


Additional anime brands, artists, voice actors and special guests are expected to be announced ahead of the convention. The expansion gives anime programming a more substantial dedicated presence within L.A. Comic Con rather than treating it solely as part of the convention’s broader comics and pop culture lineup.

Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of the Mermaid Island has surpassed ¥5 billion at the Japanese box office just 14 days after opening on July 24. The film’s official account reported more than 3.5 million admissions alongside the milestone, continuing a strong theatrical run that began with ¥2.24 billion earned during its first three days.


The performance makes The Secret of the Mermaid Island the second highest-grossing Japanese film released in 2026 so far, behind Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway. The speed at which Chiikawa reached ¥5 billion also places its early run in the company of major recent anime hits such as Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time and HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle.


The film is the first theatrical feature based on Nagano’s Chiikawa manga and is distributed in Japan by Toho. No international theatrical or streaming release plans have been announced.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Walpurgisnacht: Rising will receive IMAX screenings in Japan when the film opens theatrically on August 28. According to the film’s official website, this will be the first IMAX release in the history of the Madoka Magica franchise, giving the long-awaited sequel an expanded premium-format theatrical run alongside standard screenings.


The announcement also included a new IMAX visual built around Walpurgisnacht, a central element of the film and the wider series. Walpurgisnacht: Rising continues the story of 2013’s Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion and arrives after multiple delays to its theatrical release.


The IMAX rollout covers participating theaters across Japan, with the official site publishing a theater list ahead of the August 28 opening. No IMAX screenings or theatrical release plans outside Japan have been announced.

VIZ Media has partnered with The Gotham Group to develop new film and television projects based on VIZ-owned properties, with the RWBY franchise and VIZ Originals graphic novel line at the center of the agreement. Gotham will identify and package potential projects from VIZ’s library, although no specific adaptations, formats, casts, studios, or release dates have been announced.


The partnership gives VIZ another path to expand RWBY after acquiring the franchise in 2024 following the closure of Rooster Teeth. RWBY Volume 10 is already in production, while the property has previously expanded beyond its original animated series through manga, novels, games, RWBY: Ice Queendom, and two Justice League x RWBY animated films.


The Gotham Group brings experience adapting young-adult and genre properties, with credits including Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Maze Runner films, and The Search for WondLa. VIZ Originals titles are also eligible for development under the deal, potentially bringing some of the publisher’s creator-driven graphic novels to film or television for the first time.