Anime News This Week: Spy x Family Season 4 and Second Film, Fool Night Trailer, Minami-ke Returns After 14 Years and More

Anime News This Week

Anime fans, this is a "2027 is already booked" week.

The Forgers are doubling up with a new season AND a new movie. A slice-of-life classic is coming back after 14 years. A steampunk western dropped all at once on Netflix. And a tiny pink Stand just stole the entire internet.

We broke all of it down on the latest episode of Anime Goes Audio, presented by The Anime Blog dot com, and here's the written version for everyone who likes to read their news.

Quick show note: Maya and Connor are hosting while Kenji takes a break for school. Kenji may return — and now he has to, because Connor just tied his perfect trivia record. More on that below.

Here's what's in this week's rundown:

• Spy x Family Season 4 and a second theatrical film are both coming in 2027

• Bass X Machina drops all 6 episodes on Netflix

• Fool Night's main trailer builds the hype for November 26

• Dragon Ball Super: Beerus dubs start November 12 on Crunchyroll

• Minami-ke returns after 14 years, plus Hirayasumi, Spirit Circle, live-action Naruto and Mashle, and a record Godzilla weekend

Let's get into it.

Spy x Family Season 4 and a Second Film — Both Announced for 2027

This is the big one, and it took over our whole episode.

On Sunday, November 8, at the ANIME EXTRA MISSION II event in Tokyo, Spy x Family announced both Season 4 and a second theatrical film, both coming in 2027.

The announcement came with a brand-new Season 4 teaser visual of the whole Forger family — Loid, Yor, Anya, and Bond together in the city while newspaper pages fly everywhere — drawn by character designer Satoshi Kadowaki.

What's NOT announced yet matters just as much: no premiere month, no film title, no plot details, and no streaming plan. We don't know yet if the film adapts manga material or tells an original story like Code: White did, so don't lock in either guess.

What we do know is the momentum is real. Season 3 ended last December, so a 2027 return keeps the gap short, and Code: White already proved this family can carry a movie — it made over six billion yen in Japan.

Our full argument about whether a season and a film in the same year is genius or a meltdown waiting to happen is in the Deep Dive below.

Want to catch up on the Forgers before 2027 takes over? Check prices for Spy x Family (paperback)

Bass X Machina Premiered November 3 on Netflix — All 6 Episodes at Once

Story two is pure chaos in the best way.

Bass X Machina premiered November 3 on Netflix with all 6 episodes at once. It's from creator LeSean Thomas and Studio Mir, and it's a steampunk western — dusty frontier energy, big mechanical weirdness, and that gorgeous Studio Mir action polish all in one binge.

Six episodes is also the perfect length to actually finish, which turned into a whole debate on the show: are full drops one-night events, or do weekly drops serve a series better? Maya finished it in one sitting and regrets nothing. Connor still made his case for weekly. Listen and pick a side.

Fool Night Main Trailer — Netflix Drops Every Episode November 26

The hype for November 26 is officially out of control.

Fool Night dropped its main trailer on November 5. The trailer revealed the opening theme "Shake! spit out." by Tempalay, the ending theme by Nowlu, and five new cast members, including Shion Wakayama as pianist Sumi Matsuno.

Sunrise and Shaft are co-producing a story where people transform into plants at the end of their lives — and somehow every frame looks stunning and weirdly hopeful instead of pure gloom. The source manga just crossed 1 million copies worldwide, right before the anime lands.

Netflix is dropping every episode worldwide at once on Thursday, November 26, so clear your evening and hydrate.

Curious about the plant-people story everyone will be talking about? Check prices for Fool Night (paperback)

Dragon Ball Super: Beerus Dubs Start November 12 on Crunchyroll

Dub fans, your patience is about to pay off.

Crunchyroll confirmed that the English, Spanish, and Portuguese dubs for Dragon Ball Super: Beerus start streaming November 12, with new dubbed episodes rolling out weekly after that.

This is the enhanced edition revisiting Beerus arriving and meeting Goku, with refreshed and all-new animation, so even a rewatch feels fresh. Weekly drops also mean the group chat discourse is about to be loud for months.

Minami-ke Korekara — Fifth Season Announced After 14 Years

Nobody had this comeback on their bingo card.

Minami-ke Korekara, the fifth TV season of Minami-ke, was announced November 8 at the Minami-ke Special Event 2026. It premieres in April 2027 at LIDEN FILMS, and the original cast is back after 14 years.

The teaser opens with Haruka calling her sisters for dinner, and Kana and Chiaki are immediately fighting like no time passed. The timing is perfect, too — the 29th manga volume dropped November 6. No streaming home has been announced yet outside Japan, so international fans are in the waiting room for now, but the reunion energy alone is worth celebrating.

Hirayasumi Heads to Netflix Internationally in January

Not every big story needs explosions.

Hirayasumi will stream internationally on Netflix in January, announced by Viz Media. Gen Hoshino performs the opening song, and if you want a cozy, human, slow-down-and-breathe kind of series, this is your January prescription.

A beloved slice-of-life manga getting a global Netflix window is genuinely great news, and it's the perfect counter-programming to everything else on this list.

Spirit Circle — 18 Episodes, Worldwide December Premiere

This one needs a respectful beat.

Spirit Circle was announced November 5 for a worldwide premiere in December, with 18 episodes. Satoshi Mizukami's cult reincarnation story is finally getting its anime after all these years.

It's also director Tatsuo Sato's final work. Sato passed away in April at 61, and he guided this project to completion. December isn't just another premiere — it's fans getting to see the last work of a director who gave us so much, and we'll treat it that way.

Live-Action Double Header: Naruto Greenlit, Mashle Casts Mackenyu

Two huge live-action bets landed in the same week.

The live-action Naruto movie is officially greenlit, with Lionsgate making it and Sony joining as co-financier and international distributor. Destin Daniel Cretton directs, and filming starts in spring 2027. No cast or release date yet, so keep expectations in the rumor-free zone.

And the live-action Mashle film cast Mackenyu as Mash, dropped a teaser, and locked March 19, 2027 for Japanese cinemas.

Our official position, as always: cautious optimism, with a side of please do not hurt us.

Godzilla Minus Zero Earns a Record $32 Million Opening Weekend

Big lizard, bigger flex.

Godzilla Minus Zero earned a record $32 million in its North American opening weekend — a record opening for the franchise over here.

It proves big theatrical anime and kaiju events aren't a niche thing anymore. They're the main event.

Also this week: My Crush's Crush unveiled its teaser with cast and staff and an April debut, adding another sweet romance to the spring pile. And The Apothecary Diaries still tops streaming charts for a fifth straight week, plus its Season 1 steelbook is out this week with art cards for the physical collectors.

Deep Dive: Spy x Family in 2027 — Genius Momentum or a Recipe for a Meltdown?

This is the argument that took over the episode, so here's the short version.

Maya's case: It's genius. Code: White already proved this family can carry a movie, the audience is hungry right now, and Wit Studio and CloverWorks have shared this series beautifully from the start. Fifty episodes in, the machine clearly knows how to make Forger content. The manga has beloved arcs fans have been begging to see animated, and a film gives the team room for a big original adventure too. Four generations watch this show together — kids watch Anya, parents watch Loid and Yor pretend to be normal, and grandparents somehow become Bond fans. You protect a fandom like that by feeding it.

Connor's case: Dropping a full season and a film in the same calendar year is either genius momentum or a recipe for a fandom meltdown. No premiere month, no film title, no plot details, and no streaming plan were announced at all on Sunday. We've seen other franchises try two productions in one year and end up with one of them feeling rushed, or the marketing cannibalizing itself. He wants the season to land first, breathe, and then let the film feel like an event instead of an obligation.

Where we landed: Optimistic, with Connor talking himself halfway into Maya's position live on air — momentum is real, Season 3 ended last December, and a family show lives or dies on families actually keeping up with it together. Maya claimed the victory anyway. Both verdicts, in full, are in the episode. And yes, we're officially campaigning for Bond to get his own poster moment in the Season 4 marketing. Best boy 2027, no other candidates will be considered by this program.

Spoiler Talk: Steel Ball Run Episode 8 — "Tusk, Part 2"

Spoiler warning: if you haven't watched Episodes 7 and 8 on Netflix yet, skip this section, go watch, and come back when you're emotionally compromised.

Steel Ball Run also took its first weekly fan poll win in Week 5 with 10.42%, and the "Tusk" two-parter is why.

This is where Johnny stops being just a racer with a mysterious arm and becomes a Stand user with a name, a power, and a reason to live. The big debate everywhere: Johnny realizes Tusk is connected to the corpse arm inside him, and when he thinks he might lose that arm, he thinks he loses Tusk too — so does Tusk belong to Johnny, or to the corpse part itself? Fans are split right down the middle.

Meanwhile Pork Pie Hat Kid and his Stand Wired will not stop. He's loud, he mispronounces Johnny's name, and he might be the most annoying menace this show has produced yet — annoying in the perfect JoJo way, because the pressure never lets Johnny breathe.

The cliff-top moment is the headline, though. Johnny finally admits he's found a reason to live again, and choosing to save Gyro over keeping his hope of walking again is devastating. The fight is the hook, the hope is the headline, and a protagonist choosing a person over a miracle is the oldest trick in storytelling because it works every single time.

Fans are also buzzing about Johnny figuring out the bigger pattern — nine corpse parts, a race route that passes through where they rest, and Lucy Steel sniffing around President Valentine. That's a lot of plot math for a guy with almost no information, and we love him for it.

Our verdicts: Maya says "Tusk, Part 2" is where Steel Ball Run stops warming up and starts being legendary. Connor's slightly cooler but still a yes — the exposition math is convenient, the emotion is absolutely real, and Gyro and Johnny are now officially his favorite disaster duo of the season.

If you're catching up on our Steel Ball Run coverage from the start of the season, start with the Closing links below.

Trivia and Mailbag

• Stand or Band: Connor ran the table again — Soft and Wet (Stand), King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (band), Moody Blues (both), Earth, Wind and Fire (both), and Green Day (both) — going 5-for-5 and tying Kenji's crown. Next week needs a tiebreaker, and Maya is researching the deepest cuts in the entire franchise for the rematch.

• Mailbag: If you could bring one anime power into real life for exactly one week, what are you picking? Connor takes teleportation, because airports are the real villains. Maya takes Anya-style mind reading, purely for grocery store chaos. And

  how do you convince a friend to start Steel Ball Run without spoiling Tusk? Tell them it's a cross-country horse race in 1890 with fifty million dollars on the line, then say absolutely nothing else ever again. Protect the first watch at all costs.

One to Watch: Witch on the Holy Night

Our single pick premiering soon, and this week there was no debate.

Witch on the Holy Night, the ufotable / Type-Moon film, opens in Japan on November 20, and North American fans get it in theaters on January 29, 2027.

Ufotable doing a Type-Moon story is a visual event by default. It even picked up a manga adaptation starting November 11, which tells you how hard the push behind this film really is.

If you care about gorgeous animation at all, this is the theatrical ticket you plan your month around. Put it at the very top of the list — above the shame section. We're making a new category called actually important.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Closing

Hear Maya and Connor argue about all of it on this week's Anime Goes Audio, presented by The Anime Blog dot com. And if you love what we do, you can support the show on Patreon.

Next week we're watching for the Expelled from Paradise sequel film on November 13, more Steel Ball Run, and whatever chaos the fall season throws at us next.

And if today's Spy x Family news sent you back to your shelves like it sent us, you can buy and sell physical manga and track what your collection is worth over at BuySellManga — if your shelves are groaning, it's the easiest way we know to keep a collection honest.

More from The Anime Blog:

• Anime News This Week: Bleach Finale Today, Kaiju No. 8 Finale Film, Date A Live Finale Film and More

• Anime News This Week: Bleach Airs Its Second-to-Last Episode, Edgerunners 2 Drops Tomorrow, JoJolion Is Finally Coming and More

Stay addicted, everybody!