ABEDON Wrote the OP So You Won't Hit Skip
UNICORN, the five-piece rock band that performed "Feel So Moon" for Space Brothers, handles the Season 2 opening theme "Kurenai no Ha." Keyboardist and songwriter ABEDON wrote the track with a specific goal: he wanted a song that starts with vocals and ends with vocals, so viewers won't reach for the skip button.
ABEDON also described imagining "leaves that gain beautiful color over time," layering that image onto Beryl, the middle-aged swordsman at the series' center. UNICORN has been active since their 1986 formation in Hiroshima and their 1987 major-label debut, and all five members contribute to songwriting and share vocal duties.
BLUE ENCOUNT, the four-piece rock band behind My Hero Academia Season 4's opening theme "Polaris," performs the ending theme "Mikansei" (meaning "Incomplete"). Vocalist and songwriter Shunichi Tanabe said the show helped him confront questions he had been putting off, describing the song as "the most honest, unvarnished answer" he could give to the question of where he stands and what his existence is worth.
"Mikansei" is arranged by BLUE ENCOUNT and THE CHARM PARK. The Kumamoto-born band has built a deep anime resume, contributing themes to BANANA FISH, Gintama, and Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans alongside their My Hero Academia work. Their "Polaris" has topped 100 million streams worldwide.
Pre-Screening Tour Wraps in Tokyo
The comment videos from both artists debuted at a pre-screening event held at the Marunouchi Piccadilly theater in Tokyo on June 28. The event screened Episodes 1 and 2 of Season 2, followed by a talk show featuring main cast members Hiroaki Hirata (Sanji in One Piece) as Beryl Gardenant, Nao Tōyama as Alusia Citrus, Hitomi Ueda as Slena Lisandela, Yūki Hirose as Kurni Krusiel, Hinaki Yano as Fissel Habeler, and Arisa Nakata as Myui Freia.
The Tokyo date was the final stop of a three-city pre-screening tour that also covered Nagoya and Osaka. On June 29, Hirata and Hirose will appear at TV Asahi's "New Anime Fest Summer 2026" live-stream event to promote the series.
From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman follows Beryl Gardenant, a countryside swordsmanship instructor who has risen to become a special advisor to a knight order and guardian to orphans in the capital. Season 2 sends him into new conflicts across magical academies, his hometown, border territories, and foreign lands rife with political intrigue. The series is based on the light novel by Shigeru Sagazaki and Tetsuhiro Nabeshima, published under Square Enix's SQEX Novel imprint.
The anime is produced by Passione and Hayabusa Film, directed by Akio Kashizumi with series composition by Kunihiko Okada and character design by Satsuki Hayasaka.
Looking Ahead
From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman Season 2 premieres July 8, 2026 on TV Asahi's nationwide "IMAnimation W" block, with additional broadcasts on BS Asahi and AT-X. Prime Video holds worldwide exclusive streaming rights starting July 9. Season 1 is already available on Prime Video for anyone looking to catch up before the new season starts.