The first episode of Reincarnated as a Sword's second season premiered at Anime NYC 2026, where director Shinji Ishihara and producer Yosuke Shimada spoke about the series and their approach to its fantasy, action and comedy. The new season continues the adventures of Fran and Shishou, the sentient sword who supports her growth despite being unable to fight independently without a wielder.

Ishihara explained that Reincarnated as a Sword differs from his previous fantasy projects because its main character is an inanimate object. Since Shishou has no mouth for conventional lip-sync animation, the production conveys his emotions through his eyes, movement and, particularly, the performance of voice actor Miki. According to Ishihara, that combination allows the sword to remain lively and expressive.

The director described Shishou and Fran's relationship as closer to that of a father and daughter, or a teacher and student, rather than a romantic pairing. Shishou initially helps Fran develop, while Fran also matures independently. In the second season, Ishihara said, their relationship begins to move toward friendship. He emphasized that the series does not have a romantic focus.

Ishihara also discussed his long-standing interest in talking swords, identifying the sword from Space Adventure Cobra as especially memorable. He highlighted its ability to convert visual information into sound, allowing it to understand the world through a distinctive soundscape.

The conversation also covered Ishihara's work on BL titles including Super Lovers, Sasaki and Miyano and Welcome Home. He said he deliberately adjusts his approach according to the target audience of each project, although experiences from one type of production may still influence his choices subconsciously. He became interested in Welcome Home's omegaverse setting after its sound director, Shōji Hata, explained the genre to him and presented it as a fascinating subject from a science-fiction perspective.

Asked whether he would direct more BL anime, Ishihara revealed that he is currently working on another project but said it remains confidential.

Ishihara's connection to Fairy Tail creator Hiro Mashima was another topic of the interview. He explained that Farmagia began with Mashima designing the game's characters, after which the Fairy Tail team was asked to work on the adaptation. The team also considered what a Farmagia manga by Mashima might look like, although rights issues and other limitations prevented them from developing the project as originally intended.

Reflecting on his work with Mashima, Ishihara said the mixture of serious scenes and comedy in Fairy Tail influenced his sense of narrative rhythm. That experience, he added, shaped the way he handles comedic fantasy, alongside projects such as Tsukimichi and Guardian Hearts. After two decades in the entertainment industry, he said he remains surprised to still be working and is simply enjoying the experience.

Shimada said C2C became involved in Reincarnated as a Sword after Universal brought the project to the studio. He read the original manga and found its story compelling enough for the studio to accept the offer. He had already worked with Ishihara on projects including Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy-, Shangri-La Frontier and Shachibato! President.

According to Shimada, Ishihara's sense of tempo, narrative rhythm and comedy informs their script meetings. Shimada's role is to help communicate the project's central appeal to the wider studio team, such as the contrast between darkness and light when that is a key part of the work.

The interview also touched on the pair's film preferences. Shimada, who is particularly fond of suspense movies, named The Ghost Writer as a film he would like to adapt into anime. Ishihara chose John Carpenter's The Thing.

Producer Imada also spoke about Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, which he considers an important project in his career. He recalled that the production was difficult, but it was one of the first times he was able to work with the same team through to the end. He said the team behind Reincarnated as a Sword's second season has an equally strong sense of unity, and may be even better than the team from Hitori Bocchi.

Sources: Anime News Network.