Tokyo Anime Dispatch

On June 25, 2026, Dwango announced the summer 2026 anime lineup for Niconico. The release confirms 62 titles in total, with 57 first episodes available for free, weekly free access for many new episodes, and a mix of premium and rental options for selected shows. It is a practical snapshot of how one of Japan's biggest video platforms plans to cover the new season. What Was Announced The official schedule begins on July 2, 2026 and extends through late July, with some titles listed as starting on July 31. Among the series highlighted in the announcement are Yani Neko , Youjo Senki II , Mushoku Tensei III: Jobless Reincarnation , BLACK TORCH , and Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- 4th season . Niconico says it will make the first episode of 57 titles free. For many of the shows in the lineup, new episodes will also stay free for one week after release. The company also notes that premium and rental viewing will remain available for selected titles. The release date mat...

On June 21, 2026, Dwango published a new anniversary roundup for Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai just as the franchise’s annual Watanagashi Day observance came into view. The press release is not a sequel tease or a cast announcement. Instead, it is a retrospective built from NicoNico’s free marathon reruns: a scene ranking that shows which moments still pull the strongest reaction from viewers two decades after the TV anime first aired. The timing matters. The series is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and the current post uses a year of comment data to show that the show’s most infamous beats have not lost their power. For a franchise that has always lived on collective watching, the result is less a piece of trivia than a snapshot of how online fan culture keeps old episodes feeling immediate. What Was Announced The June 21 release from Dwango ranks the most-commented scenes from the 2025 free NicoNico broadcasts of the original series and Higura...