The fact that people still find and enjoy Hanasaku Iroha warms my heart. It was the first anime that made me enamoured with SOL as a genre. Need to rewatch it at some point.

Toxic romance with a male yandere as the main character is all I could ask for. Extremely excited to see Shinpei animated.

This season

Fate/strange Fake - I am but a casual Fate watcher, who has seen only Fate/stay night and Fate/Zero and did or did not find it too pretentious to my liking, why am I enjoying it this much? The cast is fun, the priest is somehow annoying but in a hot way, and the blond girl with her knight duo’s dynamic looks interesting. Fun.

In the Clear Moonlit Dusk - I was so afraid the guy would remind me of Itsuomi and I would have to either suffer or drop it, but, luckily, it wasn’t the case (I’m staying optimistically cautious though). I’m pretty sure manga is more gorgeous, but I’ll keep watching for now, since it’s from the author of Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet and Hirunaka no Ryuusei, and I enjoyed both.

You and I Are Polar Opposites – hand-holding in the very first episode? Modern romances know no shame. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this premiere. I liked how supportive Suzuki’s friends were of her. Also, OP reminded me of Shoshimin’s Kaseijin, so I looked into the director. Kyouhei Ishiguro, got to remember this name.

The Daily Life of a Part-time Torturer - watching the cast going on with their daily lives is almost satisfying, though I mostly ignore the torture bits. The boys are cute. The banter is good.

Dark Moon - looks like your standard supernatural reverse harem slop. I’m gonna watch it unironically. For now, that is.

Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You Season 2 - the production is still bad, but at least there is emotion in voices. I’m kinda addicted to this friends circle drama. Maybe I should switch to manga.

Makio noticed that Asa is good at singing, and now I expect her to sing or hum a melody every upcoming episode. Otherwise I’ll be teeny tiny bit disappointed.

Both Nana and Shingo are a great addition to the cast. I hope to hear more of Nana’s laugh.

The way Asa always reacts to adults doing or saying something that is not very grown-up in her opinion is quite fascinating. I wonder if it’s just a child’s idea of an adult thing or her mother’s influence.

I both loved and hated the ending. From a philosophical perspective, it was excellent, but from a narrative perspective it was a bit underwhelming.

I wish it ended on episode 23. I may have liked the ending if it got more episodes to get used to, but the shift from the story to the philosophy lesson was too abrupt for my liking. It somewhat ruined my overall enjoyment of the show.

However, leading into the conclusion, I definitely felt my lack of knowledge impacted my enjoyment.

I think one needs to be a true Gundam fan to enjoy GQuuuuuuX. I watched first Gundam, but still felt confused at times. My biggest problem with the show, though, was the main trio and how underdeveloped those characters were. At least the animation and cinematography looked cool.

Finished Hana yori Dango. It was delightfully messy and super fun to watch. I really liked the female characters. Tsukushi is an amazingly strong main heroine, Tsubaki is a great sister and adult, and Shigeru’s personality makes her a good friend. Also, it’s truly pretty aesthetic-wise. I’m all about seasonals, but I get where the nostalgia for old art-styles is coming from.

This Season

• Sentenced to Be a Hero – instant drop. I was quite baffled to see such an overwhelming positive reception of its premiere around the net. I’m glad people have something to enjoy and look forward to though, it’s simply not for me.
• Tamon’s B-Side – I’ve read a couple of chapters after the adaptation announcement to see what to expect, and so far so good. Utage’s obsession with Tamon is what I’m here for. Can I also get a second season of Eripiyo fangirling over Maina?
• Hana-Kimi – It would have looked so good if it was adapted in its time.
• Ikoku Nikki – I think it’s the earliest in the season I get my AOTS contender.

I read the synopsis, I saw the trailer, I had a feeling it would be good, but everything about the premiere exceeded my expectations. I love Makio and Asa already.

2025 Wrap-Up

• My AOTY: Zenshu
• Best continuing series: Shoshimin Season 2
• Best movie: 100 Meters
• Best adaptation: The Summer Hikaru Died
• Best original: Apocalypse Hotel
• Best animation: City The Animation
• Best romance: Yano-kun’s Ordinary Days
• Most underrated: Maebashi Witches

Honorable mentions: Orb: On the Movements of the Earth, Medalist, Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc and Blue Exorcist: The Blue Night Saga (both had one of their best arcs)

Score

• The Summer Hikaru Died (Tarou Umebayashi)
• Orb: On the Movements of the Earth (Kensuke Ushio)
• Blue Exorcist: The Blue Night Saga (Kohta Yamamoto)

Voice Acting Performance

• Sawashiro Miyuki as Anko Uguisu
• Umeda Shuuichirou as Hikaru
• Shinichiro Miki as Environment Checker Robot

OP

• “Kaseijin” by Yorushika
• “Saikai” by Vaundy

ED

• “Tada, Kimi no Mama de” by Sou
• “WALTZ” by Ryugujo

Best Episode

• Zenshu #4 (having an oshi saves lives)
• Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary Season 2 #6 (Osanai destroys Urino)
• Apocalypse Hotel #11 (Yachiyo takes a stroll)

Best Character

• Yuki Osanai from Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary Season 2
• Hikaru from The Summer Hikaru Died
• Yachiyo from Apocalypse Hotel
• Natsuko Hirose from Zenshu

Best Boy

• Tsukasa Akeuraji from Medalist
• Togashi from 100 Meters
• Luke Braveheart from Zenshu

Best Girl

• Memmeln from Zenshu
• Mio from Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex
• Kiyoko Yoshida from Yano-kun’s Ordinary Days

This season

Dropped Ranma. The first season fooled me into thinking I might actually enjoy Rumiko Takahashi’s works, but no, they are simply not for me.

Picked up Wandance. The dancing part isn’t of particular interest to me, but I liked the main characters. That accidental hand-holding scene in the fifth episode was cute, kinda genius and suiting Wanda’s personality.

Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26. Hilarious stuff. I loved the humour in Sisters, Love Is Blind, and Sasaki Stopped a Bullet. It’s the kind of humour that makes me wonder what’s going on in Fujimoto’s head. Chickens episode had really fun, dynamic animation, and I would have loved Yuuto if the running time were longer. My favourite part in Shikaku was the vampire laughing his ass off. So if I were to rank them based on personal enjoyment: 8 (Sisters) > 3 (Love Is Blind) > 2 (Sasaki Stopped a Bullet) > 1 (A Couple Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin’ in the Schoolyard) > 4 (Shikaku) > 7 (Nayuta of the Prophecy) > 6 (Woke-Up-as-a-Girl Syndrome) > 5 (Mermaid Rhapsody).

I’m not particularly impressed with fall season themes, but I did enjoy some of them.

• Kingdom S6 ED: “Houkou” by Sora Tomonari - my favourite ED of the season. I love both the visual part and the song.
• To Your Eternity S3 OP: “Fumetsu no Anata” by Perfume - another theme I watch every week. I find that sequence with water in the beginning really cool. The song is nice.
• Ginpachi-sensei OP: “Sakurakaze” by Botchi Boromaru - so fun and easy to sing along to.
• Sanda OP: “Adult Chick Children” by yama - the visual style is interesting to look at.
• Sanda ED: “Diary” by Soushi Sakiyama - sweet illustrations.
• With You, Our Love Will Make It Through ED: “Kimi ni Naretara” by Yoh Kamiyama - the song’s mellow vibe and the visuals with lovely colours go well together.
• Ao no Orchestra S2 OP: “Amadeus” by Galileo Galilei - I’m just happy to see my beloved Galileo Galilei performing anime themes again.

This season

Last week I dropped Towa no Yuugure, This Monster Wants to Eat Me, Ninja vs. Gokudo, and May I Ask for One Final Thing? However, I decided to stick with Yano-kun’s Ordinary Days. Third episode was an improvement for me, and then Kiyoko charmed me with her square mouth faces. Seems like Yano has finally fallen for her charm as well.

This season:

• Ginpachi-sensei - The first episode wasn’t as funny as I hoped it would be, and I started to worry the spin-off might not be my thing, but the second one was hilarious. That’s my beloved Gintama, hell yeah. The OP is nice, I like it.
• Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider - The teacher episode was ridiculously entertaining.
• Plus-sized Misadventures in Love! - I love Yumeko’s positivity and her pure enjoyment of being her cute self. However, I can’t put my finger on why it reads like mockery at times. Maybe due to it being an absurd comedy instead of drama (and Maebashi Witches setting the bar quite high this year). Well, the spirit is there.
• With You, Our Love Will Make It Through - The last premiere I wanted to check out. It’s… surprisingly entertaining. I’m treating it as comedy, I simply can’t take it seriously. I’ve seen people praising the animation, but it’s obvious that it’s quite limited; the staff is doing a good job at smoothing it out though.

This season’s premieres I’ve already checked out and gonna keep watching for now:

• Yano-kun’s Ordinary Days was on my radar and it’s a pretty looking show, but so far it lacks any charm. I’ll give it two more episodes to see how the romance develops.
• This Monster Wants to Eat Me - same thing.
• Towa no Yuugure - Episode 0 almost made me drop it, but the first one had an interesting worldbuilding. However, androids are not my thing, especially when the romance plotline is present, so I doubt I’ll finish the show.
• Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! - surprisingly fun due to both leads being enthusiastic about their special interests and having a great chemistry.
• Shabake - was looking forward to it, but found the premiere quite bland. Hope it improves further on.
• Sanda - Paru Itagaki, never stop being the woman that you are. The artstyle and Science Saru’s animation look super fun.
• May I Ask for One Final Thing? - while I can see the allure of a strong woman beating the shit out of bullies and aristocrats, I haven’t found the double episodes premiere particularly exciting.
• To Your Eternity Season 3 - I might be among those rare people, who enjoyed season 2 more than season 1, so I’m kinda excited to see what’s next. Also, “Fumetsu no Anata” by Perfume is the first OP of the season I liked (I feel like this season will be quite scarce in the theme department for me).
• Kakuriyo Season 2 and Kingdom Season 6 were among my most anticipated titles of fall 2025. The premiere wasn’t impressive, but both started strong. Same with the continuation of Ranma, Cinderella Gray and SxF.

Summer season:

• The Summer Hikaru Died - My AOTS. I read a couple of volumes and knew I was going to enjoy it, but the direction exceeded my expectations. Phenomenal voice acting and OST.
• Call of the Night Season 2 - A step up from season 1. Miyuki Sawashiro as Anko was majestic to witness.
• Dr. Stone: Science Future Part 2 - Loved this season, almost as interesting and exciting as the first one.
• City The Animation - Charming and fun.
• See You Tomorrow at the Food Court - The female friendship dynamic was on point, both girls were too damn relatable. Where do I find my own Yamamoto?
• Milky Subway - So much life and character in such a short running time. It was a delight to watch.
• Dekin no Mogura - Found it more enjoyable than Hozuki’s Coolheadedness.
• Fermat Kitchen - I guess I can call this one my surprise of the season. The story was catchy and intense. It’s like watching a sports anime but the sport is cooking, and I love sports anime.
• Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex - The story was simple and full of tropes, but we rarely get a fantasy romance with decent production values. An affectionate male lead and a cool maid added some points to my enjoyment of this show.
• Osomatsu-san Season 4 - A mixed bag, could have been an OVA or something. Some episodes were fun, others – not so much. Luckily, the summer season wasn’t overwhelming for me and I was in the mood for more Osomatsu.
• Ruri Rocks - This show was pretty and educational, but didn’t grab me in the way I had anticipated it to.

Damn, what an episode. With such a masterful storytelling this anime is entering a 10/10 zone for me.

Making Hikaru and Yoshiki’s voice actors sing the choir song instead of the usual ED, since the boys ditched the performance, was such a nice detail. Hoping to get both versions when the OST is out.

Always excited for more Gintama. OP by Botchi Boromaru sounds fun.

Kyros actually thought of wearing a maid uniform. He should get one in his size for next time Mio is absent again.

There’s nothing Mio can’t do. She’s built different.

We didn’t get to see Kyros in maid uniform, but he tried on some costumes for Marie’s entertainment while they were on a date.

Seems like Anastasia did fake her own death.

Hanako-kun waits till the last possible moment to save Nene because he enjoys hearing her scream his name when in trouble, doesn’t he?

@rikka@ani.social

I wonder why Tanaka works for the company and how he’s still alive.

Meanwhile Kurebayashi just slaps supernatural beings out of existence.

After credits scene is also interesting. Did Unuki-sama possess Hikaru’s body because the boy wished for someone to stay by Yoshiki’s side or did it have its own reason?

Kyros did get a new pillow with Marie’s name on it. Yay!

And Mio continues to be the best girl. She rightfully handled those attendants like two sacks of trash.

It’s funny how quickly the whole hairstyle situation can turn from hilarity to horror. Choromatsu and Todomatsu’s fighting under the rain had me rolling with laughter. In the end, even poor Todomatsu was peer pressured into getting a crew cut. Ichimatsu outplayed them all.

@rikka@ani.social

I’m enjoying this season. It’s pure NEETijou.