Topics included their favorite anime, who would win in a battle royale, and the mystery behind the Prism Devices in their music videos.

Check out our video interview with cosmosy below!

cosmosy has been busy releasing a lot of new music this year, including “Paradise ~ I need you ~”, a super catchy song that features the members trying to get the Prism ring. They even channeled the music video’s aesthetic with some of their outfits in the interview.

cosmosy will be performing in Los Angeles at KCON LA 2026, which will take place at the Crypto.com Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center from August 14 to August 16, 2026.

The post cosmosy Talks Anime, Music, and the Mystery Behind the Prism Devices at Anime Expo 2026 appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Moderated by Lisle Wilkerson, best known for voicing Nina Williams and Christie Monteiro in the Tekken series, the panel was lively, entertaining, and engaging. The first half of the panel focused on the popular WEBTOON manhwa ELECEED, which is being adapted into a TV anime series by DandeLion Animation Studio and will premiere worldwide in April 2027. The shonen web series, translated into 10 languages and still ongoing, is currently at chapter 393, with new updates weekly. For fans of the manhwa, Penguin Random House will also be releasing the print editions in North America next year.

ELECEED

At the panel, special ELECEED guests included the illustrator ZHENA and the author Jeho Son, who shared behind-the-scenes stories with the audience. When asked what anime had first inspired their craft, Jeho Son said it was Laputa: Castle in the Sky, one of Studio Ghibli’s most influential films, that he kept watching over and over. For ZHENA, it was the Rose of Versailles that made her heart beat so hard that she hopes her work might do the same for others one day.

Fans of the manhwa also learned that the cat version of the character Kayden, was originally supposed to be a dog. Jeho Son said that while preparing to pitch ELECEED to ZHENA, he changed his approach at the last minute and presented it as a “fat cat on the streets” story rather than a heavily action-oriented one, believing the latter would’ve made her less likely to join the project. In response to this remark, ZHENA emphatically nodded. And since ZHENA’s own cat is orange, it eventually became the final look of the important character. 

ZHENA also kept expressing that she was nervous working on the project, and Jeho Son explained that it was because he kept on emphasizing to her that the human version of Kayden had to be the “best-looking and coolest character ever,” while the cat version had to be the “laziest and most pitiful-looking.” It all worked out since the manhwa is almost 8 years old now and still going strong.

When an audience member asked how much input the author gives the artist beyond the Kayden character, it was revealed that although Jeho Son spearheaded the story, ZHENA provided feedback on certain characters, especially the ones she had worked hardest to draw. He couldn’t bring himself to kill off characters she felt particularly attached to!

Fans can look forward to the anime premiering in April 2027, but in the meantime, here’s the newest trailer:

RE:BEL ROBOTICA

The second half of the panel brought in a new guest, illustrator Mika Pikazo, known for her vivid, colorful style and most recognized for her character design work on the video game Fire Emblem Engage. Mika’s work was also featured prominently at this Anime Expo, as she designed the newest promotional art for the official magazines, banners, flyers, and more. You can’t mistake her style, which focuses on expressive eyes, hyper-saturated neon color palettes, chaotic composition, and sharp line work, which was heavily influenced by her 2.5 years living in Brazil after graduating from high school. 

Now, she’s working on an anime that was originally a self-published manga from Comiket called RE:BEL ROBOTICA with animation studio SILVER LINK. When the producer first saw her doujinshi, he was drawn to her beautiful use of color and wanted to bring that unique visual style to life through animation. The work also asks what the world will be like in 2050. Will advanced technology really make people happy?

There’s an incredible team surrounding the anime, including:

• Director Shin-Onuma, known for the Fate Prisma Illya series 
• Screenplay by Ryo Yoshigami, known for Psycho-Pass
• Composer Yuki Kajiura, known for Demon Slayer, Sword Art Online, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and more

All we know is that the anime will officially premiere sometime in 2027. In the meantime, here’s the newest trailer, until we get more updates:

Anime Expo, the largest celebration of Japanese pop culture in North America, will return next year to the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 2 to July 5, 2027.

The post ELECEED Anime and Mika Pikazo’s RE:BEL ROBOTICA Revealed at Anime Expo 2026 appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

When asked what they were most excited about for Season 3, both spoke about the wider world compared to Season 1, seeing more of Maomao’s different facial expressions, more mystery solving, and having a lot of fun interacting with many new and current characters. 

“The Apothecary Diaries has constantly grown in scale, in the story, and in the world. Because of that, there are more things to distract or for Maomao to be curious about,” Yuki Aoi said, “but personally, I’m really looking forward to interacting with Lahan.” 

Takeo Otsuka said, “Of course, I love her relationship with Jinshi, but I’m particularly excited for Season 3, a character called Lahan.” We’ll definitely pay attention to Lahan since both VAs mentioned his name. Since he’s Maomao’s biological cousin and adopted older brother, their scenes together often have an entertaining “older brother and younger sister” dynamic. Lahan is also a genius with numbers and investigates financial and political matters alongside Lakan.

The Voice Recording Process

When asked whether the VAs had any warm-up rituals before delivering lines or embodying the character, both said they don’t have routines and that, when they’re acting across from each other, the exchange naturally brings the character to life. 

This information surprised me, since I wasn’t aware that Japanese voice actors work in a group setting, since I’ve seen so many American VAs working solo in a booth! This makes so much more sense, though, as the dialogue feels more conversational. “Many, many people! We have a whole cast. Like 20 people and 4 microphones, so we all kind of have to dodge each other as we go to the mic and record,” Yuki Aoi said, laughing. 

Later on in the panel, Yuki Aoi mentioned that the group recording process feels like elementary school in the best way, since the vibes are so much fun.

Takeo Otsuka praised her by saying, “She makes it look so easy, and she kind of leads the way with her voice when she steps up to the mic. The entire studio just goes into Apothecary mode, like we’re all in her world, in her universe.”

Can You Guess Their Favorite Lines?

Of course, I had to ask what their favorite lines were, and for Yuki Aoi, she reminisced about two lines. 

“This is poison. I’ve been made to say it so many times, even though it only appeared in the anime once, but I remember adjusting the tone a lot with that line. There aren’t that many lines when, after you eat, you say it’s poison, so I thought it was really impressive and unique.”

And then when Jinshi gets a scar on his face.

“You’ve become more manly than before. Maomao wasn’t looking at a physically manly Jin-Shi due to the scar. I think she was looking at the soul of a manly Jin-Shi. So it really shows where Maomao is focused on in terms of her definition of manly, and it’s like an almost spiritual growth.”

For Takeo Otsuka, his favorite line, “Is my pretty face the only value I hold? Because it’s really interesting to see how their relationship progresses and when Maomao’s definition of manliness changes. For Jinshi, there aren’t that many people he can say that to, so I think there’s a lot of meaning in saying that to Maomao.”

Special Stage at Peacock Theater

The official evening panel was packed with excited fans, and they warmed up the audience pre-show by inviting Maomao cosplayers to the front to perform a “Maomao catwalk” to compete for Crunchyroll pins and signed copies of The Apothecary Diaries manga. 

We were then blessed by a new 52-second trailer for the movie, coming out in Japan on December 11, 2026, titled The Apothecary Diaries: The Deceased Consort’s Hidden Treasure.

After energetic introductions and the voice actors confirming that Season 3 dubbing had already begun, they moved to the standing microphones to treat the audience to not one but four live dubbing clips!

The scenes:

• Jinshi and Maomao’s first meeting, where he wrote a note to single her out
• ****THE FROG SCENE*****
• Jinshi asks Maomao if he was just a pretty face to her
• Jinshi gifts the ox bezoar, and Maomao loses all composure

Obviously, the crowd went wild for THE frog scene, but it was also interesting to see how the characters’ dynamic changed from their first meeting to near the end of Season 2 in just a few clips, performed so well by the voice actors.

Takeo Otsuka, after performing Jinshi live, said, “All of your reactions were just so perfect! I was like, man, should I overact a little bit, should I exaggerate a little bit more? I’m really getting into this. It’s my first time doing this in front of such a huge live audience, but I had so much fun; you guys made it a lot of fun for me.”

They further expanded on what it was like to see and perform these scenes back-to-back, from the first episode to the most current available. Yuki Aoi said, “Maomao’s perspective on Jinshi has definitely changed. She sees his straightforwardness, seriousness and sincerity that she wasn’t aware of before. Jinshi, in my opinion, is a person who has been desired by people since birth. So when he gave the ox parts, the fact that he’s doing something for someone else to the degree that he is, and adding more work to his plate as if he doesn’t already have enough, really shows how their relationship has changed.”

Takeo Otsuki remarked, “Maomao now really sees the more stoic and mature and composed version of Jinshi. But because they’ve spent so much time together, I don’t know if Maomao is aware of it yet, but I can certainly see her beginning to open her heart to Jinshi.”

And with this, we eagerly await The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 – Part 1, which will premiere on Crunchyroll in October, with Part 2 following in April 2027. A huge thank you to Mikey McNamara for helping to translate our interview and to studio OLM, TOHO animation STUDIO, Crunchyroll, Natsu Hyuuga, and Touko Shino for bringing this beloved world to life.

The post The Apothecary Diaries Japanese Voice Actors Tease Bigger, Exciting Season 3 for Maomao & Jinshi appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Based on Kei Urana’s manga, Gachiakuta did not take long to separate itself from the rest of the shonen crowd. The series has this grungy, grimy, graffiti-covered identity that immediately makes it feel different. The world is literally built around society’s trash. Still, the show somehow turns that into something visually exciting instead of just bleak.

A big part of what made Season 1 work was how they adapted it. Gachiakuta has such a specific look and attitude on the page, and thankfully, that translated really well into animation. The action had impact, the character designs popped, and the vital instruments power system gave the fights a different rhythm from the usual. In other words, it felt familiar enough to grab people quickly, but strange enough to keep them curious.

Season 2 looks ready to push all of that further. After the events of the first season, Rudo’s journey through the Pit is only getting more complicated. His powers continue to grow, but so do the threats around him. The new teaser shown at Anime Expo gave fans another look at his abilities and made it clear that the Cleaners will play a bigger role in what comes next.

This is the point where Gachiakuta starts to feel like more than one character just trying to survive. The world opens up. New allies enter the picture, and new enemies begin to move. Also, the story begins to dig deeper into the systems that created this broken society in the first place.

Gachiakuta Season 2 director Fumihiko Suganuma described this next chapter as a “big pivot” with “a lot of growth.” Gachiakuta already had the look and the attitude. Now, it has to show how far its world and characters can go.

The post Gachiakuta Season 2 Teaser Shows What’s Next for Rudo and the Cleaners appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The first thing that stands out is the look. This is Marvel, but not quite the Marvel most people are used to. The game is not trying to copy the MCU or feel like another comic book adaptation. It takes familiar characters and locations, then pushes them through a very specific anime lens.

Still, the real question was always going to be the gameplay. Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is a 4v4 fighter, but not exactly in the way I expected. Your team of four shares one life bar, so this isn’t like Marvel vs. Capcom. You can’t tag someone out, let them recover, and keep rotating through your roster. Here, your team feels more like one connected unit. Another interesting wrinkle is that only the first two characters are available right away. The other two have to be brought in through certain in-match conditions.

I can already see different kinds of players approaching this in completely creative ways. Some people are probably going to lean hard on one or two characters and treat the rest of the team almost like backup tools. Others will probably build around flexibility, picking characters who can cover a range of setups and matchups. It’s hard to say how deep that rabbit hole goes after only a short demo. However, the system already feels like it has room for players to experiment.

My biggest concern going in was whether the controls would be too complex. Arc System Works makes incredible fighting games, but they are not always the easiest things to pick up casually. Thankfully, Tōkon felt much easier to understand than I expected.

The inputs are familiar, with classic quarter-circle motions and shared special move commands across most of the roster. When you’re making a fighting game with characters as popular as Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Wolverine, you need people to feel like they can actually play it without needing a study guide open next to them (yes, Tekken, I’m talking to you). Tōkon seems to understand that.

There is also a simplified control option that lets players use specials and supers with a single button press. It was mapped to the right trigger in the build I played, and I can see how that would be a huge help for newer players.

As for the characters, I got to try a solid group, even though the full roster was not available. I spent time with Dr. Doom, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and a few others. I wanted Iron Man to be my favorite because, well, he’s my favorite character of all time. But Wolverine connected with me almost immediately.

He was fast, aggressive, and exactly the kind of character I like when I want to stay on top of my opponent. Once I got them pinned against the wall, Wolverine let me keep the pressure up. I was winning comfortably with him, while with other characters, I was either barely scraping by or getting myself into trouble. That probably says more about my playstyle than the game’s balance. However, Wolverine was still easily my early favorite.

My time with Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls was far too short to call it a sure thing. There is still a lot I want to know, especially about the single-player content and how online matches will feel once real players start tearing the game apart. Fighting games live and die by that stuff.

But as a first impression, this was extremely promising. It looks incredible, the controls feel more approachable than I expected, and the 4v4 structure gives it a different identity from the Marvel fighters people already know. It is easy enough to welcome casual players. Still, there seems to be enough depth here for competitive players to dig into as well.

For someone who loves Marvel but is only decent at fighting games on a good day, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls made a very strong first impression. If Arc System Works and PlayStation can nail the online experience and give players enough to do outside of versus matches, this could easily become one of my most-played fighters in 2026.

The post Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Hands-On Preview: Familiar Inputs, Wild Style, and a Fresh 4v4 Twist appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

During Anime Expo 2026, fans got a new look at what comes next for Frieren, Fern, and Stark. Season 3 is ready to premiere in October 2027, with the spotlight shifting toward the highly anticipated Golden Land Arc. More importantly, the new teaser visual gives fans a closer look at Macht, next season’s big bad.

The Golden Land Arc is one of the most anticipated arcs of the manga. Now, without spoiling anything, Golden Land pushes Frieren into darker, more complex territory. The arc explores a place shaped by tragedy, old magic, and unresolved history. There’s a lot of emotional weight behind it, which is exactly when Frieren tends to hit hardest.

Then there’s Macht himself. Macht is seen as the strongest of the Seven Sages of Destruction, and what makes him stand out is the way he challenges the usual idea of what a demon in this world can be. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has always treated demons as beings that understand, imitate, and distort human emotion. Macht seems to sit right in the middle of that, and he’s the kind of villain who could have the ability to be terrifying for reasons beyond raw strength.

Season 3 will also bring back the creative team from Season 2. Tomoya Kitagawa will direct the season alongside Tomohiro Suzuki handling series composition, Evan Call returning for the music, and Madhouse once again producing the animation.

The post Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 3 Shares New Macht Visual Ahead of Golden Land Arc appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Takanobu Mizuno is directing the series, with HAYATE Inc. overseeing production. The script is being written by Satoshi Maejima and Gen Urobuchi of NITRO PLUS, with Urobuchi also handling the series composition. Character designs are by Takashi Okazaki, while KAMIKAZE DOUGA brings the animation to life.

Ghost of Tsushima was released on PlayStation 4 in July 2020. The game also was released on PlayStation 5 in 2021 and Windows in 2024. The multiplayer expansion, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, launched in October 2020, while its sequel, Ghost of Yōtei, was released in October 2025.

Unfortunately, that was all that was announced at the Crunchyroll showcase. While there’s still no premiere date, Crunchyroll says more details will be shared at a later time.

The post Ghost of Tsushima Legends Anime Reveals First Character Designs at Anime Expo appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Anime Expo attendees were the first anywhere to learn that Solo Leveling: Beyond the System is officially in production. The upcoming theatrical anime film picks up directly after Season 2, continuing Jinwoo’s story on the big screen.

The audience also got an early look at the project through a teaser key visual and a short promotional concept video.

Once again, the studio behind Sword Art Online, A-1 Pictures, will be handling the animation. At the same time, Aniplex, Netmarble, D&C MEDIA, Kakao Piccoma, and Crunchyroll will be producing the film.

Outside of the announcement and teaser materials, that’s all that’s been shared for now, with more information expected at a later date.

The post Solo Leveling Isn’t Over Yet—Solo Leveling: Beyond the System Movie Officially Announced appeared first on Nerd Reactor.