IMAnimation

IMAnimation (Japanese: イマニメーション, romanized: Imanimēshon) is a Japanese late-night anime programming block planned and produced by TV Asahi under the TV Asahi Animation label, and broadcast under the All-Nippon News Network affiliation, starting on October 6, 2024. The block airs on Saturday nights from 23:30 to 24:00 JST (effectively Saturday nights from 11:30 to Sunday 00:00 JST).

IMAnimation

Network	TV Asahi
Launched	October 6, 2024; 12 months ago (2024-10-06)
Division of	ANN
Country of origin	Japan
Running time	Saturdays 11:30 - 12:00 (JST)
Original language	Japanese
Official website	Official website

IMAnimation W

Network	TV Asahi
Launched	April 2, 2025; 6 months ago (2025-04-02)
Division of	ANN
Country of origin	Japan
Running time	Wednesday 23:45 - 00:15 (JST)[a] Thursday 1:03 - 1:33 (JST)[b]
Original language	Japanese
Official website	Official website

The block received an extension in 2025, titled IMAnimation W (イマニメーション, Imanimēshon Daburu), which airs on the same channel and its affiliates on Wednesday nights from 23:45 to 24:15 JST (effectively Wednesday nights from 11:45 to Thursday 00:15 JST). excluding ABC Television which airs the block from 25:03 to 25:33 JST (effectively Thursday mornings from 1:03 to 1:33 JST), following after Knight in Night [ja].

History

Prior to the creation of the block, the timeslot was originally used for broadcasts of drama programs produced by TV Asahi under the name Saturday Night Drama [ja] from 2001 to 2024, as prior to this, only variety programs were broadcast. The block was officially announced on June 24, 2024, and is the second networked late-night anime timeslot on TV Asahi following NUMAnimation, which previously aired in a local timeslot prior to October 2020. Following the announcement, the label TV Asahi Animation was created in order to house the block, as well as NUMAnimation, Doraemon and Crayon Shin-chan. The second season of Blue Lock became the first program to air on the timeslot.^[1][2]

IMAnimation W

On December 17, 2025, TV Asahi announced an extension of the block, titled IMAnimation W. Prior to the creation of the block, the timeslot was originally used for variety programs; it is the third networked late-night anime slot on the network. Your Forma became the first program to air on the timeslot.^[3]

Titles

#	Block	Title	Start date[c]	End date[c]	Eps.	Studio	Notes	Ref.
1	IM	Blue Lock vs. U-20 Japan[d]	October 5, 2024	December 28, 2024	14	Eight Bit	Based on the manga series written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura [ja]. Second season of Blue Lock.	[1]
2	IM	Baban Baban Ban Vampire	January 11, 2025	March 29, 2025	12	Gaina	Based on the manga series by Hiromasa Okujima [ja].	[4]
3	IM W	Your Forma	April 2, 2025	June 25, 2025	13	Geno Studio	Based on the light novel series written by Mareho Kikuishi [ja] and illustrated by Tsubata Nozaki.	[3]
4	IM	From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman	April 5, 2025	June 22, 2025	12	Passione Hayabusa Film	Based on the light novel series written by Shigeru Sagazaki and illustrated by Tetsuhiro Nabeshima [ja].	[5]
5	IM W	Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube	July 2, 2025	September 24, 2025	13	Studio Kai	Based on the manga series written by Shō Makura [ja] and illustrated by Takeshi Okano.	[3]
6	IM	Fermat Kitchen	July 5, 2025	September 27, 2025	12	Domerica	Based on the manga series by Yūgo Kobayashi [ja].	[6]
7	IM	The Banished Court Magician Aims to Become the Strongest	October 4, 2025	TBA	TBA	Gekkou	Based on the light novel series written by Alto and illustrated by Yuunagi [ja].	[7]
8	IM W	Wandance	October 8, 2025	TBA	TBA	Madhouse Cyclone Graphics [ja]	Based on the manga series by Coffee.	[8]
9	IM	Dead Account	January 2026	TBA	TBA	SynergySP	Based on the manga series by Shizumu Watanabe [ja].	[9]
10	IM	Akane-banashi	2026	TBA	TBA	Zexcs	Based on the manga series written by Yuki Suenaga [ja] and illustrated by Takamasa Moue [ja].	[10]

Notes

1. TV Asahi and all other stations
2. ABC Television
3. All dates shown are reflective of the actual calendar date of broadcast.
4. The first season aired from October 9, 2022 to March 26, 2023 on TV Asahi and its affiliates during the NUMAnimation timeslot.