Read It First: Manga, Light Novel Sources for Summer 2026 Anime
by 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 Summer 2026 rolls around!
This season's Read It First is sponsored by BookWalker. You can find many of the titles below on the BookWalker e-book platform. Just click "Read it On BookWalker!" link to find your next manga or light novel.
Monolith Soft's ambitious RPG is better than ever on the Switch 2.― Good news, folks! Xenoblade Chronicles is finally a real video game! It's got 4K graphics and everything!The Xenoblade Chronicles series is one of grand ideas, grand vistas and greater impact. People willing to look past its RPG trappings get quickly obsessed with its heady blend of science fantasy and Gnosticism. It's a labor of lo...
Season 1's final episode aired on Saturday― The staff for the television anime of Tadatoshi Fujimaki's Kill Blue manga announced after the final episode for てthe first season aired on Sat;urday that the series will receive a second season. Fujimaki drew an illustration to celebrate the announcementViz Media is publishing the manga digitally and in print, and it describes the first volume: Juzo Ogami...
So many iconic moments from the manga are replicated intelligently and beautifully here.― How many different adaptations can one single manga spawn? In the case of Masamune Shirow's 37-year-old Ghost in the Shell, too many TV seasons, movies, and OVAs to count on the fingers of both hands. It's a bona fide phenomenon, with influence beyond the realms of manga and animation. Although every version so...
With millions of views on YouTube and a feature film adaptation, Milky☆Highway is largely the work of a single man: character designer, 3D modeler, animator, and director Yōhei Kameyama.― With millions of views per episode on YouTube, Milky☆Subway: The Galactic Limited Express is one of, if not the, standout short-form anime of 2025—so much so that it got a theatrical run in Japan earlier this year....
The Summer Anime Trailer Watch Party returns with the hottest anime line-up.― The Summer Anime Trailer Watch Party returns with the hottest anime line-up. Watch all the trailers for the upcoming season with special guest Geoff Thew (Mother's Basement), and Anime News Network friends Lynzee Loveridge, Jacki Jing, and James Beckett. Find your next must-watch anime, from the biggest hits to hidden gems...
New season adapts Cohabitation arc― The staff for the anime of Reiji Miyajima's Rent-A-Girlfriend (Kanojo, Okarishimasu) manga announced on Saturday that the anime is getting a sixth season. The season will adapt the manga's Cohabitation arc. Character designer Kanna Hirayama shared a commemorative illustration: The fifth season ended on Wednesday on the DMM TV streaming service, and the season's 12...
Video, illustration, logo unveiled for Record of Ragnarok IV― Warner Bros. Japan announced on Friday that the anime based on Shinya Umemura, Azychika, and Takumi Fukui's Record of Ragnarok (Shūmatsu no Walküre) manga will get a fourth season titled Record of Ragnarok IV. The company streamed a trailer and unveiled the logo: Azychika also shared a commemorative illustration: Record of Ragnarok III, t...
Trailer streamed― The official X/Twitter account for the television anime of Yuhiro Tsujitsugu's Snowball Earth manga announced on Friday that the series is getting a second season. The staff unveiled a trailer: The first season's 13th and final episode aired on Friday. The anime premiered on NTV's extended Friday night programming block on April 3. Hulu is streaming the anime. Viz Media releases th...
Nippon Sangoku and Akane-banashi are locked in a neck-and-neck, seesaw battle for the third spot on the podium! This race won't be settled until the final results next week.― 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 that these r...
Happy Birthday, Sonic! My, those are some interesting choices Sega's making for you.― Welcome back, folks! I had a very fun long weekend, bookended by the wildest movies to pair together. On Friday, I watched the new Masters of the Universe, which was a total blast and put a big smile on my face. Then on Monday, I met up with some friends and watched Adolescence of Utena on the big screen. Both time...
An engaging story is marred by distractingly lackluster animation. A gorgeously animated series is hindered by a trite or nonsensical story. Maybe the characters are wholly unlikable, yet there are five seasons chronicling whether they'll get together.― What makes an anime 'bad'? The answer to that question will differ for everyone. An engaging story is marred by distractingly lackluster animation....
ChaO's Yasuhiro Aoki to direct anime starring Batman villain― DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation announced during their panel at Annecy International Animated Film Festival on Thursday the Joker: Laugh Riot anime, based on the Batman villain Joker, for a worldwide release. Yasuhiro Aoki (ChaO, Batman: Gotham Knight episode 4) is directing the anime at Sola Entertainment (The Lord of the Rings: Th...
If this is what’s to come, Bleach might have one of the best final arcs in shonen anime.― 14 years ago, the Bleach anime ended its 8-year run on a bittersweet ending that still left fans hungry for more. What was it Aizen saw within Soul Society that drove him to his tyrannical rage? How did Ichigo become so adept at gathering differing powers? What really happened during the Soul Reapers War with t...
Tsukasa Unohana debuted 4-panel manga in June 2022― Houbunsha's Comic Fuz website announced on Friday that Tsukasa Unohana's Gokigenyō, Ikkyoku Ikaga? (Good Day to You, How About a Game?) 4-panel mahjong manga is getting a television anime. Unohana drew a commemorative illustration: Kaori (Stardust Telepath) is directing the anime at Felix Film. Kazuyuki Fudeyasu (Is the order a rabbit?) is in charg...
Sylvia and Chris revisit Simoun on its twentieth birthday to honor the power of girls kissing.― Sylvia and Chris revisit Simoun on its twentieth birthday to honor the power of girls kissing. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead. Darkroom streams Simoun. @RiderStrike...
Manga about girl traveling around the world's dangerous places to taste local dishes launched in 2021― The official X (formerly Twitter) account for writer Juntarō Aoki and artist Shin Moriyama's Nabe ni Dangan wo Ukenagara (Getting Shots on a Frying Pan or Nabetama for short) manga revealed on Thursday that it is getting a television anime adaptation by J.C. Staff, and will debut in 2027. The anime...
Reiji Kawashima, Rumi Ōkubo star in project No.9 anime 平 純/Jun Taira― A website opened on Thursday to announce the television anime adaptation of Makoto Morishita's The Fledgling Demon Lord's Starter Shop (Sudachi no Maōjō) manga that will debut in January 2027. The website also revealed a teaser promotional video, teaser visual, and the anime's main cast and staff members.Morishita also drew an ill...
Daisuke Sakaguchi, Miyu Tomita, Iori Noguchi star in anime― A website opened on Thursday to announce that author Chinkururi and illustrator Yasutaka Isegawa's Gacha Girls Corps (Gacha o Mawashite Nakama o Fuyasu: Saikyō no Bishōjo Gundan o Tsukuriagero) light novel series is getting a television anime adaptation that will debut in January 2027. Micro Magazine had announced in May 2025 that an anime ...
Thunder 3 is one of the most insane manga I’ve ever read, and it’s incredible.― Thunder 3 is one of the most insane manga I've ever read, and it's incredible. It's a bizarre mash-up that I can only describe as “what if Crayon Shin-chan, but Gantz”. If that sounds like a wild combination, then it is. The first volume, which I reviewed for Manga Guide back in Fall 2024, certainly impressed me with its...
New tentatively titled project reimagines Tatsunoko Production's Shinzō Ningen Casshan anime― American animation news outlet Cartoon Brew reported that Singapore-based anime venture studio Kasagi Labo announced during its panel at this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival on Wednesday the new tenatively titled Casshan 2045 project, a reimagining of Tatsunoko Production's Shinzō Ningen...
Masuo Maruyama serves as special creative advisor― American animation news outlet Cartoon Brew reported that Singapore-based anime venture studio Kasagi Labo announced during its panel at this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival on Wednesday a new project connected to the Ninja Scroll (Jūbei Ninpūchō) franchise. Cartoon Brew lists it as a film. Madhouse and MAPPA co-founder Masao Mar...
4th season ended with episode 16 on Wednesday― Kadokawa announced on Wednesday that production on a fifth Classroom of the Elite television anime season has been green-lit, and presented a new visual:Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 (Yōkoso Jitsuryoku Shijō Shugi no Kyōshitsu e 4th Season 2-nen Sei Hen 1 Gakki), the fourth season anime, ended with its 16th episode on Wednesday. The season covered the ...
Anime fans continue to eat well each season, and spring was no exception.― This spring season ushered in more highly anticipated and visually stunning anime than I had seen since, well, maybe two seasons prior? Anime fans continue to eat well each season, and spring was no exception. Despite early trepidation due to its past project, Zom100, Bug Films' rendition of Kamome Shirahama's beloved Witch ...
Trailer, visuals, cast, staff unveiled for anime of Kasumi Yasuda's manga― Netflix announced during its Anime Studio Focus panel at this year's Annecy International Festival event on Wednesday that Kasumi Yasuda's Fool Night manga is getting a television anime. The anime will debut worldwide on Netflix in 2026. The new anime is the first ever collaboration between Sunrise and SHAFT. The companies un...
