Anime
Milky☆Byway: New Character Art and Official Poppy Song
No release date has been announced yet for the upcoming short spin-off. The new music piece will be released digitally in December.
New character designs for the anime spin-off Milky☆Byway Spring Special "Kyofu no Cherobin Party" were released on November 7, 2026. At the same time, the team behind Milky☆Subway has released an official song for the mascot Poppy-kun. The singer Shoko Haida provides the vocals.
Chiharu and Makina Get New Outfits
The new images show the two main characters with changed wardrobes. Chiharu wears a pink top and a light skirt, while Makina appears in dark trousers and two-tone hair. The designs belong to the self-contained short spin-off "ミルキー☆バイウェイ スプリングスペシャル “恐怖のチェロビン・パーティー”", which was already announced in July.
According to the official statement from Shin-Ei Animation, the project is still in progress. Yohei Kameyama handles the original concept, direction, screenplay, character design, sound direction and animation. Shin-Ei Animation oversees planning and production, and Titan Industries acts as the production committee. No release date or cast for the new short anime has been fixed yet.
Official Poppy-kun Song on YouTube
Alongside the new designs, "Papipupe! Poppy-kun", the theme song of the police mascot from the series, is being released on the official Milky☆Subway YouTube channel. The track is sung by Shoko Haida, who appeared as a singer on the Japanese children's programme Okaasan to Issho from 2003 to 2008.
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Kameyama wrote the lyrics, and Kohei Doi is responsible for composition and arrangement. A separate release of the music is planned for December 18, 2026. The lyrics pick up a running gag of the series: in the fictional world, sugar is considered a dangerous substance, and handling it illegally is a crime. The characters Kurt and Max were also arrested for sugar smuggling.
From Graduation Project to New Anime Episode
The series traces back to Kameyama's 3D animated short Milky☆Highway from 2022. The twelve-episode sequel Milky☆Subway aired from July to September 2025; in early 2026 a cinema version with additional scenes followed, and later an extended 4D version. According to the production company, the official YouTube channel has now reached more than 300 million views.
The sequel thus remains faithful to the short animation format. Further releases in this area include the new short film series Hello! Pikmin from Nintendo Pictures, as well as the renewed TV broadcast of the 3DCG series POPEE the Performer in Japan.