Anime Expo 2025 is complete! The annual convention held in Los Angeles is the must-go place for the biggest anime fan in the country, as well as the world. With over 400,000 attendees, Anime Expo is the place where the biggest companies in the anime industry make their announcements of upcoming titles.

There were tons of announcements at Anime Expo 2025 from companies such as Viz Media, Yen Press, TokyoPop, Square Enix, and Crunchyroll to name a few. But there were announcements that were very unique and were hard to find more information on such as an anime project from an anime podcast host; the music debut of a Japan-based VTuber group, and an “afrime” anime film in the works.

Let’s check out the Top 3 News Highlights From Anime Expo 2025 that you may have missed!

GeeXPlus Announces “Bâan”, Gigguk‘s Anime Movie Project

GeeXPlus, an influencer agency wing of Dwango and Kadokawa has announced at Anime Expo 2025 an anime short project entitled “Bâan -The Boundaries of Adulthood-” where YouTuber and Trash Taste Podcast’s co-host Gigguk is involved. GeeXPlus announced the founding of the GeeXPlus Productions IP alongside the announcement of the anime project.

Bâan will open in theaters in Tokyo on August 24th, then released on Gigguk’s channel on YouTube with a Japanese and English dub, as well as a behind-the-scenes video. Gigguk also released a separate video on his channel announcing the project.

The plot of Bâan -The Boundaries of Adulthood- is described as follows:

Two main protagonists, Arai Daichi and Rinrada Ratchamanee, are searching for a place where they belong. The story is set in two worlds: the Japan in the real world, and the fictional world of Euthania, which are connected by each other throuigh a warp gate. Arai Daichi, a 21-year-old man who has conflicts with his family, seeks to run away as far as he can to Euthania. Meanwhile, Rinrada Ratchamanee, a 19-year-old Euthanian, sets out from her village to connect with Japan.

VShojo’s NOVA VTuber Group Debuts With “Starry Connection”

VTuber agency VShojo revealed during Anime Expo 2025 that their recently launched Japan-based VTuber group, NOVA, made their global debut! On July 5th, the official UNIVOLT channel on YouTube uploaded a teaser, following the official MV for their debut single, Starry Connection several hours later. In addition to the debut single launch, it was also announce that the UNIVOLT label was created in collaboration with Universal Music Group for more projects in the future!

The VTuber group NOVA made their debut in November 2024 on Twitch and YouTube, streaming primarily in Japanese as VShojo’s first entry into the Japanese market. Featuring Hotaru Akatsuki, Hestia Happiness, Nagi Okamoto, and Peke Yutori, the group travels through parallel dimensions in a post-apocalyptic world.

Download and stream Starry Connection on Spotify, Apple Music, and more from the single’s Linkfire page: https://lnk.to/NOVA_SC

Jaden Smith Involved in “Afrime” (Afro-Anime) Project, “MFINDA”

Multimedia production company N LITE announced during Anime Expo 2025 that the upcoming “Afrime”, or “Afro-Anime” movie, MFINDA, will see Jaden Smith voice the character Kozo in the upcoming project. Smith also serves as the executive producer and music contributor for MFINDA, with NBA MVP Joel Embiid providing a behind-the-scenes documentary on MFINDA’s production with his production company, Miniature Géant.

MFINDA’s story is described as below:

MFINDA tells the story of a young girl, Odi, who is transported into the past where she joins another young girl, Nasambi. They must venture into the MFINDA and confront evil spirits to reclaim the Nkisi if she has any hope of returning home.

MFINDA will feature additional well-known names including actress Viola Davis alongside Julius Tennon under JuVee Productions; MAPPA’s Masaru Marayama from Tokyo Godfathers serves as the producer, Gisaburo Sugi from Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie as the director, and Arthell Isom of D’art Shtjio as the co-producer. JuVee Production’s Head of Film, Melanie Clark, along with Genco Inc.’s Taro Maki, and Eric Beckman of GKIDS are executive producers. Additionally, GKIDS is the co-production partner for MFINDA.

[Source: Anime News Network – (1), (3), Sakura Index]