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.

My favourite episode of the season so far. A combination of visual and sound direction makes me feel like I’m watching live action, which works well with this type of story. And Hikaru’s VA is so good I’d never have guessed he voiced Shoshimin’s Kobato last season.

Ugh, those attendants were infuriating. Thankfully, the final part with Marie and Kyros spending time together was full of sweetness.

I’m glad they didn’t go with the abusive step-mother trope in Kyros’s backstory. Laura looked strict but at least she didn’t wreak her frustrations on a child. Oh, she was going to poison him instead.

That body pillow scene was both funny and cute.

Did Kyros get a new one with Marie’s name on it? Considering her severe case of inferiority complex he may need it for quite a while.

Monica is an adorable main heroine. Loved every single one of her derpy faces.

@rikka@ani.social