Anime Expo 2026: Kadokawa Anime 10th Anniversary Panel & Black Torch

 By Jonathan Bilski

AX was busy with panel after panel and multiple premieres. One of the top ones we attended was the Kadokawa Anime 10th Anniversary Panel. Followed by the Black Torch Panel & Premiere.

Producers from three big series came out for the Kadokawa Anime 10th Anniversary Panel. They were Konosuba producer Rie Ogura, Bungo Stray Dogs producer Chiaki Kurakane and Re: Zero producer Sho Tanaka. They gave little tidbits about the shows. One of the silliest was adding panties to the opening theme of Konosuba alongside the much tamer feathers. They basically took us into some insight into random facts we might not know like assigning animator parents to the children being bombed episode of Bungo Stray Dogs to make the emotions run high.

After the producers spilled the beans about what it's like to work on their franchises we got treated to The trailer for the new season of The Saga of Tanya the Evil to which the crowd was in awe. Then we got the world premiere of Re:Zero Season 4, Cour 2, Episode 1 and it's gonna be painful having to wait for it to return in August on Crunchyroll. It looks so good, but at least it's not a year to have to wait and see how the story unfolds.

You had me at a talking cat. Black Torch is like Chainsawman-Lite. Similar story, but at least from the first episode and panel it's way, way, more light-hearted. Black Torch is currently airing weekly on Crunchyroll.

Synopsis: When the reluctant shinobi and soft-hearted teenage animal whisperer Jiro meets the mononoke cat Rago, the worlds of humans and spectral beings collide! Japan’s undercover spy agency is eager to contain the damage but Rago’s power isn’t easily contained.

*Got to slide into this panel as there was some overlap from the previous one. There's just too many great things all going at once at AX. Try to space more of it out! 

Oddly, showing us the premiere episode in Japanese, because the dub cast of AJ Beckles (Jiro) and Keith Silverstein (Rago) were there for the panel, we got to enjoy a new supernatural action show get its start. After listening to the dubbers talk about the show vs the sub, gotta go with the dub crew on this one. They even acted a scene or two and seemed superior, but that might be bias as they were right in front of me.

AJ Beckles (Jiro) and Keith Silverstein (Rago) with Rago cat masks

Cute cat masks of Rago were given out at the panel for some group cat pics. 

Check out the theme song below and start getting addicted to a new series with Black Torch. 

 

Anime Expo 2026: 18+ Artist Row: Where's My Family Matters' Urkel Body Pillow, Dammit!

 By Jonathan B.

*Don't worry, it's covered or on par with a Rated-R movie below.

What's up with the 18+ section? It's the first year it got its own artist alley row. And, here we thought there'd be Guy Fieri sex dolls and Urkel's face on some body pillows. Or to be a bit contemporary, the now adult cast of Stranger Things on some things. But, no. Anime and video game characters ruled all imagery along the row. There was, of course, some fun dirty ideas, but not the fun dirty ideas sexualizing other aspects of American culture I was hoping for.

 

 

Bring on the schlongs and boobs! As you can see 18+ Artist Alley Row "Xeno" was manageable. This was due to a very strict process of how many horny people were allowed in at a time. This probably made it the most comfortable part of artist alley to walk through once in it. The rest of Artist Alley, this year, was just too busy. This waiting to go down row "Xeno" let you fancy yourself a connoisseur of hentai at a gingerly pace.

 

Once in, there was no end to the majesty of willies and titties to gawk at from many a favorite characters...not on a sitcom or cooking show. And, some of it done by some already known Artist Alley members of yester-AX who wanted to go a bit more dirty.

 

There was definitely some in-jokes related to series online and through anime. Just not enough of a strange variety I was hoping to share.

However, this doujin fit my criteria of something you wouldn't normally think of being porn was "Don't Come to W*lmart Tomorrow."

For a first year run at a row it was an okay start, but nothing that blows away the regular 18+ section. They might want to change it to be more of a square again and not separate the artist alley from the named booths. Just one big adult family.

Even though it was a breeze to walk through, having another wait time, another line to see more porn is to brutal for the fine folks who just wanted to goon. 

Onimusha: Way of the Sword Out Sept 4th

 

We've been looking forward to this one. And, it looks like Capcom is giving us the games we crave again.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword changed its release date to September 4, 2026 across PlayStation®5, Nintendo Switch™ 2, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Microsoft Store.  The trailer above is already old and has the old release date.

So you can pre-orders for Onimusha: Way of the Sword now and players who jump in and secure the Standard, Deluxe, or Premium Deluxe editions before September 24 will receive Early Adopter Bonuses as rewards. For more info, go to the link above.

Oh, and there's a demo for game out now on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. If you have ave data from the demo, you can also look forward to getting a Kubi Akari charm as a special bonus when the game is out September 4.

Corpse Flowers Blooming at The Huntington

 

A duo of corpse flowers are blooming at The Huntington. You have a very limited time to smell the awful funk as blooms don't last long.

Go to The Huntington site to learn more and get over there before it's over.

 

Also, this time special Corpse Flower Cookies to get at the pop-up while it's going on. 

Anime Expo 2026: It Takes One To TENGA & 18+ Section

 By Jonathan B.

Walking into the TENGA booth shouldn't be like walking into a friendly cosmetics section at a store. However, it totally was. In, probably the friendliest and most open booth in the 18+ section was the adult company featuring different pleasure items that don't look too conspicuous, TENGA. The brand's iconic red bottle, that let's you insert something into it, was raised in the center of the booth to draw people in.

A special branding deal with the Panty and Stocking anime has them featured on their own line of TENGA cups. They even have a special tissue case too. Apparently, American fans really enjoy seeing them on their special needs product of choice.

What also sets TENGA apart from other brands at the 18+ area was the merchandising. Sure, there's a lot of ways to get yourself off with Tenga products. But, they have a whole line of goodies to wear, carry and more.

Two of my favorites were the bucket hat and sleeping mask with tissues.

And, even more goodies were had in their capsule toys you could win.

 Beyond Tenga was the usual fanfare of smut only 18+ could share.

 Fakku! had a line per usual as they sell not only hentai, but there own merch as well. There's a wrapping paper they made that they don't sell anymore and dammit it was so funny to use for X-Mas.

One of the more funny booths had you fisting for prizes after you spent enough at a certain booth. And, there was a delightfully silly booth making fun of men's junk called Weenie World.

Hand in ha... places, 18+ seemed as busy as ever at AX this year.

Anime Hype: Tenchi Galaxy Funded, Major Bummer? & Next Friday: Magical Meow Meow

Final weekend at Kodansha House in Los Angeles! 📚💥

Immerse yourself in the world of manga, explore interactive displays, and take home exclusive merchandise while supplies last.

701 E 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013 pic.twitter.com/FtK7hhvrrc

— Kinokuniya USA (@KinokuniyaUSA) July 11, 2026

'TENCHI MUYO!' New Anime Sequel 'Tenchi Galaxy' has had its crowdfunding campaign officially surpass its $400,000 goal for a pilot episode in just 2 days!

Stretch goals include a Japanese Dub, 4k Ultra HD Support, and more https://t.co/cd2kkfBRiJ pic.twitter.com/upYOa9NhFx

— Anime Updates (@animeupdates) July 11, 2026

Looks like we'll at least have a brand new pilot for a new Tenchi Muyo! series called Tenchi Galaxy. You can still kick in money on Kickstarter. A lot of the original dub cast and original crew are coming back for it.

me and couple of friends were discussing about the differences between the two and this is how we came to understand it. https://t.co/JFdM8IJOZx pic.twitter.com/AmdIzqHuSP

— Halibut (@frezzdian) July 10, 2026

This is a pretty accurate take on how the Major is now in the new series/the original manga compared the deeper thoughts and detective we've known for years in other series.

Great pilot for a a duo of magical girl cat sisters.
 

Cactus Taquería Closing Sunday

You have two days left to eat at the taquería that survived a drive-by in the 90s and is beloved by Brad Pitt and Johnny Knoxville. We sat down with the owners to go down memory lane with them and remember when Bourdain stopped by to try his favorite lengua tacos.

The full… pic.twitter.com/HO7D2egaxn

— L.A. TACO🌴🌮 (@LATACO) July 10, 2026