Completing the trio of guests around "Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life" is Haruka Yabu, a producer at Pony Canyon. On Saturday 18 July 2026, after the premiere in the great hall, she will talk about how the series came together alongside director Hideyo Yamamoto and producer Yuya Ogisu.
Some paths into anime production run in a straight line, others wind through many stops, and Haruka Yabu's clearly belongs to the second kind. She joined Pony Canyon in 2014 and has worked in its anime and visual content division since 2016. Before that she was active as a promoter for idols and voice actor artists and as a music producer in the social game field, before eventually moving into anime production.
That closeness to music suits "Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life" rather neatly, since the musical side of the series rests with Pony Canyon. The opening theme "High Maintenance Girl" comes from Masayoshi Oishi, the ending theme "Very Good Encounter" is sung by Maaya Uchida, and the score is by Yukari Hashimoto and R.O.N. So if you enjoy a look behind the scenes and want to know how picture and sound come together, this is one panel not to miss.
On Saturday 18 July 2026 at 16:30, after the premiere in the great hall of the Metropolis Halle, she will take a seat on stage with director Hideyo Yamamoto and producer Yuya Ogisu and give you an insight into the work behind the series. We look forward to welcoming her to Anime Messe Babelsberg 2026.