It's been a long time since I wrote a summary of new streaming releases and a lot has changed in the UK anime industry! The dedicated streaming services are now limited to Crunchyroll, who get almost everything, and HIDIVE, who get a couple of titles per season (usually isekai fantasies). Disney+, Amazon Prime and Netflix tend to grab a handful of titles between them per season then stream them on a delay, so that there's no point engaging in online fandom due to spoilers and irrelevance.
But overall, we're in a pretty good place after Crunchyroll killed off most of the 'competition' - because I maintain that competition in streaming services is only worthwhile when they're competing on service quality, not exclusive titles. We occasionally get a taste of this when a really big show streams on both Crunchyroll and Netflix, but for the most part artificial competition between streaming services only leads to fans having to pay more or miss out in order to watch their favourite titles each season. The idea that competition is better for viewers falls apart when they're paying for five streaming services at once just to keep up with anime.
I can't justify the cost of HIDIVE when they only go for weaker titles, unfortunately, and at the time of writing Disney+ have raised prices and made advertisements mandatory, so I've cancelled my subscription and am just waiting for it to run out next year. With luck, I'll at least get to see all of Tokyo Revengers before then!
This is looking to be a sparse season for me due to more than twenty sequels airing to shows I didn't watch. There are also several remakes of older titles. Perhaps it's a good opportunity to give the new content more of a chance than usual?
QUEEN BEE's National Tour 2026: 星 (STAR) is about to kick off on 11/10/2026 in Japan and to mark the occasion, new merchandise has been revealed. The new goods will be sold online through the official ROCKET-EXPRESS store from noon on 06/10/2026, with shipping commencing the following day.
It's been a few years since I last updated my blog with my current anime viewing so it's now time to get back into that habit! Here are my completely subjective personal opinions about the handful of series which made it into my viewing scheduling this past summer.
A final impressions post requires the usual completely arbitrary top three, and accordingly here it is.
1. Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia
2. The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You season 3
3. Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun season 4
If this had been last season I think Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun might have been top of the list, as I loved the music festival arc and Purson Soi is one of my favourite characters. 100 Girlfriends came in strong, though, and while it's difficult to enthusiastically 'love' Jaagugar in the same way, given its darker themes, I've found it compelling each week.
Outside of anime, I've also been enjoying Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Taskmaster, Chef & My Fridge and Monday Late Show (Getsuyou Kara Yofukashi) during their weekly airings.
It cuts together various scenes from across the twelve episodes of Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia to show Sitara's struggles and happier moments with the longer version of QUEEN BEE's beautiful ending theme song 星 (STAR) playing in the background. This anime was a special one which will stick with me for a while; I'm very happy to have the opportunity to revisit it again so soon.
While I don't think I'm going to make a habit of doing this for every QUEEN BEE release (or delve back into the back catalogue), I thought I'd post about STAR (星) in order to unbox my copy and delve into the lyrics. For the purpose of this article I will stick to the official English title of STAR but the song is originally titled 星 ("Hoshi") in Japanese.
I purchased my copy of STAR from CD Japan and the EMS shipment was delivered on 10/08/2026, which was a little after the official release date of 05/08/2026 and not bad for an international delivery.
This past Monday marked the 15th anniversary of QUEEN BEE's debut with a major label, together with the streaming event for the 2024 anniversary concert where more than five thousand fans tuned in live to celebrate the occasion and leave supportive comments.
Accordingly, entertainment news website Natalie has posted an affectionate retrospective of the band's album releases over the past 15 years together with personal commentary from journalist Amano Fumiaki. I'll summarise his comments below as I found them heartfelt and interesting.
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the band's major label debut under Sony, QUEEN BEE's YouTube channel will be streaming their 15th anniversary solo live show 正正正(15) (Sei Sei Sei). The show took place at Yoyogi National Stadium 1st Gymnasium on 20/04/2024 and the set list for the broadcast can be intuited from the preexisting home video release of the footage.
I guess I'll report some minor QUEEN BEE (女王蜂) news! The 15th anniversary of the band's major label debut is approaching, with their first Sony album 孔雀 (Kujyaku / Peacock) having been released back on 07/09/2011. As such, there are a few special events to commemorate the occasion.
Prize draws will be held at the Shinjuku branch of Tower Records
There will be a special lottery for customers who spend ¥2,000 (pre-tax) or more on QUEEN BEE music and/or video products during their visit. Lottery tickets can be earned from 07/09/2026 to 21/09/2026, with the winners being announced on 25/09/2026.
The prize will be a 'historical jacket collection' t-shirt showing 28 of QUEEN BEE's Sony album/single covers from the past 15 years, up to and including 星 (STAR). Every ¥2,000 spent counts for one entry in the lottery and there will be 30 prizes available, all in Large (L) size only.
The same store will also be displaying oversized replicas of the historical album/single artwork during the celebratory period, and customers who can win one of the display panels once the exhibition is over! They will be ex-display condition and it's not possible for winners to choose which panel they receive. One entry into the draw is granted per purchase of a QUEEN BEE music/video product during the campaign period. Customers who make a qualifying purchase will also be eligible for a QUEEN BEE logo stamp, which can be applied to a stamp sheet provided by Tower Records or to anything the visitor brings with them.
Along with the album artwork, the store will be displaying a replica of the celebratory cake from the 超メモリアル (Super Memorial) jacket and a 'countdown poster' commemorating the past 15 years.
Lastly, there will be a 'notebook of support' installed in the store until 21/09/2026 where fans can add their own messages for the band. The book will be presented to the members of QUEEN BEE once the campaign is over.
More celebrations during QUEEN BEE's 2026 national tour 星 (STAR)
With the band playing five national tour dates in Japan between 11/10/2026 and 30/10/2026, the anniversary will also be commemorated at the venues. Although it will take place after the Tower Records Shinjuku lottery described above, the exact same 'historical jacket collection' t-shirt will be offered as a prize again during the tour. The method of entering the lottery will be similar - spending multiples of ¥2,000 on music and video goods at the tour venues (details still to be announced) - and there will be 25 prizes available per show. Once again, only Large (L) sized t-shirts will be available.
The single 星 (STAR) peaks at 33rd on Oricon's ranking
I am a little disappointed that STAR has not performed better but the single charted for two weeks and only reached the 33rd position in Oricon's weekly sales ranking. It's a melancholic song so perhaps it was never destined for chart success but I find it beautiful every time it wraps up an episode of Tenmaku No Jaadugar (and unlike HALF, which is a brilliant song with an average ending credit sequence, the accompanying animation is a really good fit for STAR). I would have thought that the coupling track being new might have driven interest too. Perhaps people are hungry for another upbeat single after PERSONAL?
qb RADIO returns with episode 16
The irregularly-broadcast 'qb RADIO' podcast returned with episode 16 on 05/08/2026 after a two-year break to celebrate the release of 星 (STAR). Avu-chan, Yashi-chan and Hibari-kun all appeared on the show together to chat about recent events. The band members were in good spirits during the discussion, which was recorded shortly before they headed to London/Paris to perform overseas.
During the show they took the opportunity to reflect on their hard work since the previous episode of the radio show and their memories of performing in Paris for the first time ten years ago, which was their first ever trip overseas. During rehearsals, the lighting technician had suddenly vanished to have lunch without telling anyone and everyone had been rattled by their sudden absence. While everyone understood the importance of mealtimes, Yashi-chan wished that they'd told the band what was going on. Avu-chan playfully pronounced 'Pardon?' in French as they all shared memories of those times.
The band noted that they wouldn't have so much time to go sightseeing in Europe as they were on a tighter schedule this time, and they were especially concerned about the heatwave and (apparently famous) lack of air conditioning in London and France. Avu-chan announced that they had resolved to defy the hot weather while Hibari-kun had high hopes for a handheld fan he'd bought. I hope that those tactics worked out for them; it really was unbearably warm at times and being on stage must be even tougher than being in the audience. Towards the end, Avu-chan also spoke about the struggles they've had over the years and growing as a human being; despite the gruelling workloads and emotional burdens it's very clear that the band members care for one another deeply and share a good bond.
qb RADIO is available on YouTube and on Podcast services such as Spotify.
Hana Awase New Moon -Himeutsugi Volume- is the Nintendo Switch rerelease of the second game in the Hana Awase tetralogy, which originally debuted as a series of Windows PC games back in 2012. The Switch port from dramatic create (HuneX) comes with an extra short story as a bonus with each volume, as well as multilingual translations (text only) and an upgraded card battle system.
I played the previous game (Hana Awase New Moon -Mizuchi Volume-) back when it was first released on the Nintendo Switch in English in late 2023, and really liked its blend of unhinged plot twists, menacing love interests and hanafuda tournaments, so it was only a matter of time before I got to the second game in the series: Himeutsugi Volume. Each of the four games is based around a specific love interest (or love interests) from the 'Five Brights', the star pupils of the card-battling school the main character attends.
A while ago I backed the Kickstarter campaign for Battan's The Golden Fly (Kinbae) doujinshi to be translated into English and distributed by The Beguiling's BDP Press. Having discovered it by happenstance I didn't back it for any particular reason; I simply liked the artwork and this description:
"The Golden Fly showcases Battan's dreamy art and writing perfectly, a short story that showcases all of her talents. In her gorgeous, inventive layouts and breathless art The Golden Fly tackles class, yearning, loathing and the subtle, complex eroticism within, proving yet again she is one of the most important creators in yuri manga today."
