\n<\/p>\n
\n\tNetflix\u2019s love-in with Japanese content is continuing.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe streamer has unveiled four titles as part of its 2026 slate reveal, which was showcased today and follows an all-time record for viewing hours of Japanese content in the second half of 2025.<\/p>\n
\n\tOn the film side comes One Year to Live, Buy a Man<\/em> from Hiroki Kazama. Added to the anime slate is Sparks of Tomorrow<\/em>, which is based on Hiro Yuki\u2019s \u201920 Seiki Denki Mokuroku,\u2019 and in the TV space is webtoon live-action adaptation Viral Hit<\/em> and unscripted auction format Doors Closed, Bids Open<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tOne Year to Live, Buy a Man<\/em> is based on the 2021 novel of the same name by Toriko Yoshikawa. It follows careful 40-year-old single woman Yui Katakura, who is diagnosed with cancer and changes her approac to life after being given a year to live. She meets Sena, a money-troubled pink-haired nightclub host, \u2018buying\u2019 him for 720,000 yen and beginning an unconventional bond that turns into an unpredictable love.<\/p>\n \n\tKo Shibasaki and Eiji Akaso star, with Yoshikazu Okada the screenwriter and Kazama directing. Kasumi Yao and Tsutomu Hirabayashi are the producers, with AOI Pro. the production house for Netflix. No release date has been set.<\/p>\n \n\tSparks of Tomorrow<\/em> is from Kyoto Animation, with Minoru Ota the director, and Yuma Uchida and Sorta Amamiya starring. The anime features an alternative version of the 20th century in which technological progress evolved along a different path shaped by steam power, blanketing the Japanese city of Kyoto in smoke. <\/p>\n \n\tPer the synopsis: \u201cA boy, hardened by the loss of his brother, grows distrustful after their shared dream of an \u2018Age of Electricity\u2019 is cut short. A deeply devout girl hides her dreams and regrets for her deceased mother deep within her heart. When the two cross paths, they set about exploring the secrets of the 20th Century Electrical Catalog, a glimpse into the future they long for. Together, they must confront their pasts and carve a path toward the future they once believed in.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tA July launch date has been set.<\/p>\n \n\tViral Hit<\/em> will launch earlier, on May 28. The series, based on the Webtoon title of the same name from Taejun Park and Kim Junghyun, will be directed by Hideki Takeuchi and written by Yuichi Tokunaga. The pair are known for collaborations on the likes of Fly Me to the Saitama <\/em>and Cells at Work!<\/em>. Ouji Suzuka, Ai Mikami, Araki Sugou, Mieko Harada, Nana Asakawa and Takuro Osada star.<\/p>\n \n\tThe live-action adaptation follows Kota, a bullied high school student who realizes fighting could be a profitable venture after a fight with a classmate is accidentally streamed and goes viral. He launches a streaming channel and begins to change his life.<\/p>\n \n\tDoor Closed, Bids Open<\/em> will be hosted by Japanese TV personality. Matsuko Deluxe. Billed as a \u201cforbidden auction show,\u201d it will see a \u201cselect few\u201d bidders invited to a secret social club, which mysteriously appears in an underground space. Inside, they have no idea what is up for sale. Imagine, Inc. is producing, with Junji Nakayama the producer, alongside Shinichi Sakurai.<\/p>\n \n\tThe orders come as Japanese content booms on Netflix. At a digital roundtable with journalists this month, Netflix\u2019s VP of Content for Japan, Kaata Sakamoto, called 2025 a \u201cbreakout year\u201d thanks to titles such as Last Samurai Standing<\/em>, Alice in Borderland<\/em> Season 3 and Bullet Train Explosion<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tAnimes such as Dan Da Man<\/em>, My Moledy & Kuromi<\/em> and Record of Ragnarok<\/em> also drew in subscribers, with Sakamoto saying: \u201cToday, one in every two Netflix members globally watches Japanese anime, and the total viewing hours have tripled in the past five years. For audiences around the world, discovering anime through Netflix has become part of everyday life.<\/p>\n \n\tThe service has also teamed with MAPPA, the studio behind Chainsaw Man<\/em> and Jujutsu<\/em>, to develop anime content, and secured all 47 games from the 2026 World Baseball Classic for the first time. The baseball will begin on March 5 and run to March 18.<\/p>\n \n\tOther launch dates announced at the showcase include One Piece: Into the Grand Line<\/em> on March 10, Steel Ball Run Jojo\u2019s Bizarre Adventure<\/em> on March 19, Sins of Kujo<\/em> on April 2, Straight to Hell<\/em> on April 27 and Soul Mate<\/em> on May 14.<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tIn total, Netflix is lining up 26 original series, films and anime adaptations in 2026. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n