Another week has come and gone. As always, the Bam Smack Pow team is here with the biggest anime news for our readers. All in all, this first week of May has been a pretty slow week for anime news. Still, there are a few noteworthy gems of anime news to share. The week's main theme is new reveals for the upcoming Summer 2025 anime season.
Keep reading for a look at what's in store for anime fans later in 2025.
My Dress-Up Darling season 2 debuts opening
Crunchyroll has shared the latest trailer for season 2 of cosplay romcom anime series My Dress-Up Darling, which is currently slated to debut in July as part of the Summer 2025 anime season. This trailer provides our first look at the season's opening theme, titled "Ao to Kirameki" by spira spica. Although Crunchyroll confirmed that they will be streaming the second season of My Dress-Up Darling, there is no confirmation as of this writing of when an English dub will stream.
The first season, which became one of the big hits of Winter 2022, streams on Crunchyroll with dubs into multiple languages. Crunchyroll provides the following summary for the series:
"Wakana Gojo is a high school boy who wants to become a kashirashi--a master craftsman who makes traditional Japanese Hina dolls. Though he's gung-ho about the craft, he knows nothing about the latest trends, and has a hard time fitting in with his class. The popular kids--especially one girl, Marin Kitagawa--seem like they live in a completely different world.
That all changes one day, when she shares an unexpected secret with him, and their completely different worlds collide."
The original My Dress-Up Darling manga series which the anime adapts is written and illustrated by Shinichi Fukuda and published by Square Enix — best-known as the publisher of iconic video games like Final Fantasy, but also owning various other publishing and entertainment division — through the magazine Young Gangan. The manga recently wrapped up its run in March 2025.
Kaiju No. 8 shares season 2 visual
Continuing with the reveal of more information about upcoming Summer 2025 anime, the Kaiju No. 8 production team has shared a new visual, which can be seen on Crunchyroll. This is the 11th piece of art the team has shared, which are meant to portray everyday life in a world of monsters. Crunchyroll has already confirmed that they will simulcast the second season of Kaiju No. 8 when it debuts in Japan.
Based on the manga series published by Shueisha (also publisher of iconic series like One Piece and Dragon Ball), the Kaiju No. 8 anime is produced by Toho Animation — fittingly for a kaiju-themed series, this is the animation division of the same studio that has been bringing us Godzilla movies since 1954.
Crunchyroll is streaming season one of Kaiju No. 8, which it describes with the following summary:
"The story revolves around Kafka Hibino, a 32-year-old longing to join The Defense Force and make good on his promise to a childhood friend, Mina Ashiro. He befriends a new coworker Reno Ichikawa, while cleaning up Kaiju remains, whose determination to join The Defense Force inspires Kafka to fulfill his childhood promise to pass the entrance exam and join Mina to protect humanity. When a small Kaiju burrows itself inside Kafka, he gains superhuman strength and powers fit for fighting Kaiju. He works to earn the trust of his human teammates, defeat increasingly powerful Kaiju, and keep the world safe."
Jujutsu Kaisen movie announces North American release date
GKIDS, the distributor that has recently re-released several classic anime movies including the 4K restoration of Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke and the feature-length movies in the venerable Lupin III franchise, has announced that is has acquired the rights to release the upcoming Jujutsu Kaisen movie, Hidden Inventory / Premature Death. The announcement also shares the North American theatrical release date: July 16, 2025 with both Japanese and English dubbed voice tracks. This follows a Japanese release date of May 30.
The announcement from GKIDs also contains a synopsis for the movie:
"Before they were enemies, Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto were high school classmates and friends. The two powerful sorcerers are tasked with protecting Riko Amanai, a student who has been designated to be sacrificed as the Star Plasma Vessel, until she can fulfill her duty. Pursued by a religious cult and other curse users, they are the only sorcerers capable of carrying out such a difficult task – but this mission will set their destinies, and challenge the two sorcerers in ways unimaginable. The beloved and deeply emotional “Hidden Inventory / Premature Death” arc from the global phenomenon JUJUTSU KAISEN returns to the big screen, reaching all new heights for fans and newcomers alike."
As seen above, GKIDS has also shared a trailer for Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory / Premature Death – The Movie. Additionally, in anticipation of the movie's release, fans can stream both seasons of Jujutsu Kaisen and the previous movie Jujutsu Kaisen 0 on Crunchyroll.
Godzilla x Kong sequel coming 2027
Finally, although this last piece of news isn't directly anime-related, it will probably still be of interest to anime fans, due to the involvement of one of Japan's biggest (in more ways than one) pop culture phenomena. The previously-announced sequel to kaiju crossover hit Godzilla x Kong has announced its subtitle, and that ti is officially in production. The official Godzilla x Kong X (formerly Twitter) account has revealed that the next Godzilla x Kong movie Supernova will hit theaters March 26, 2027. The announcement also debuted the film's first teaser trailer, which we've shared above.
This also seems to suggest that a 2026 release date for the upcoming Toho-helmed sequel to Godzilla Minus One is most likely. Toho, the studio behind the original Japanese Godzilla movies, and Legendary, the American studio that brings us the Monsterverse have a deal that requires the two studios to release movies in alternating years. Given Toho's confirmation of a Minus One sequel in early 2025, later this year seems unlikely and 2028 seems too far ahead to announce at this point. Keep following the Bam Smack Pow team as we follow the production of both Supernova and Toho's Minus One sequel.
Come back next week for all the most important anime updates. In the meantime, keep following us right here on Bam Smack Pow for all the latest news from the worlds of Marvel and DC, and comics in general.