Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai

Mahiru Kouzuki, a skilled artist, gives up on her passion after her elementary school classmates ridicule her colorful jellyfish mural. Several years later, upon encountering an unexpected admirer in Kano Yamanouchi—a former idol with a troubled past—Mahiru decides to pursue her childhood dreams once more.

Tasked with designing the mascot for Kano's new music project, JELEE, Mahiru enlists the help of her childhood friend and professional streamer Kiui Watase to make JELEE's first music video. Together with Kim Anouk Mei Takanashi, a pianist and fan of Kano's work as an idol, the girls aim to turn JELEE into a global hit. However, if they want to succeed in this ambitious endeavor, they will first have to free themselves from the shackles of their pasts.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Yamanouchi, Kano Main

Takahashi, Rie Japanese

Watase, Kiui Main

Tomita, Miyu Japanese

Kouzuki, Mahiru Main

Itou, Miku Japanese

Takanashi, Kim Anouk Mei Main

Shimabukuro, Miyuri Japanese

Baba, Shizue Supporting

Uesaka, Sumire Japanese

Setou, Mero Supporting

Okasaki, Miho Japanese

Honami Supporting

Shiina, Hekiru Japanese

Koharu Supporting

Seto, Asami Japanese

Suzumura, Akari Supporting

Amaki, Sally Japanese

Yanagi, Momoko Supporting

Shutou, Yukina Japanese

Saitou, Shingo Producer

Suzuki, Renta Producer

Takeshita, Ryouhei Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Kimura, Eriko Sound Director

Reviews

Jan 10, 2026

Issac113234

Recommended

This is the only anime I've truly fallen in love with because of its characters, story, animation, setting, and message, which is why I also consider it my all-time favorite anime.

Story 9/10

Jellyfish's story is simple but incredibly well-executed, with each line of dialogue compelling us to learn more about the protagonists' stories and their world. It touches on themes like self-acceptance, fighting for your dreams, insecurity, and high expectations.

Characters 9/10

Mahiru, Kano, Mei, and Kiui all have incredible development throughout the series. Some are better than others, but in the end, they all achieve something in their lives or aspire to be professionals in their passions. ... Secondary characters like Miiko and her daughter Ariel, who also have equally good development, are great complements to our four protagonists.

Animation 9/10

In this aspect, the anime does a fantastic job with color, tone, and lighting to give Shibuya a unique atmosphere and imbue the characters with considerable expressiveness and charisma.

Negative points

- I have to be objective, so I'll say that the final episode felt rushed, at least halfway through, because the foundation was solid.

Final rating 9/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Dec 9, 2025

UrsaMayor

Mixed Feelings

Started as Cinema, Ended as “It’s Fine I Guess"

Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai starts insanely strong. The first arc hits with a level of emotional clarity and vibe control that made me think this was going to be one of the standout drama titles of the year. The character writing actually feels lived-in and the themes land without trying too hard. It’s the kind of opening that makes you go “oh yeah, they cooked.”
Then the mid-series shift happens and… yeah, it trips over its own shoes. The drama gets louder but somehow feels less meaningful. A lot of the conflict turns awkward instead of compelling ... and you can tell the pacing is fighting the script. It’s the same issue some fans mentioned in other shows that start strong but can't keep the momentum. Not unwatchable, just noticeably less tight.
The ending is rushed, no sugarcoating that, but at least the emotional beats come together. And the performances? Absolute win. The JELEE girls’ final scenes hit, and Kano’s vocals stay undefeated. Production-wise, the staff genuinely put care into the music direction and sound staging. You can really tell the post-recording team carried some scenes harder than the writing did.
Overall, great first half, messy second half, solid music, strong emotional core. It’s the kind of show where you go “I liked it, but it could’ve been so much better.”

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Aug 2, 2025

Mehfisto

Not Recommended

I love the "cute girls doing cute things" kind of trope as long as it doesn't fall into extreme cringe and if the vibes are good. "Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night" does this really really good for the first half. The VA really delivers, the art is great and the group coming together feels so uplifting it just feels good and is extremely enjoyable.

Halfway through pacing starts to crack a bit. We have some side characters out of nowhere that we didn't feel the need for take the spotlight, as well as some forced drama about some of the girls' past that is ... just, plainly said, badly written, and the resolution is kinda meh. But still, there's few parts that shine and the show keeps going, and as i was saying i'm happy to give a lot of way as long as the vibes are there.

Unfortunately the turn in writing toward the latest episodes completely ruin what I felt could have been for me an absolute masterpiece in uplifting vibes.

I don't know what kind of problems the writers have with their ethics but we see one of the top ten anime betrayals and yet everything flows as if the betrayed is at fault while everyone else feels completely ok with it. The main villain is suddenly seen as a good person despite absolutely no change of character. Values get completely overthrown as friendship is suddenly valued less than business opportunity, and a moment of popularity can wipe off a lifetime of manipulation and trauma.

You'll be spending any minute waiting for a "redemption" that will never come, and every minute will taste more and more bitter as it becomes obvious that the dissonance in narrative is now staining the whole opera.

I really really wanted to like this anime, and the first half was so great I couldn't wait to come back here to give this a 9, but this is literally the most messed up ending in probably hundreds of anime i have watched in my life and it's extremely sad to have to give it such a low vote.

The turn of events feels so so bad it completely ruined an otherwise fantastic anime.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Poll: Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Jun 22, 2024	202 replies	by perseii »» Dec 5, 2025 8:59 PM
	Poll: Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Jun 8, 2024	138 replies	by perseii »» Dec 4, 2025 9:55 PM
	Poll: Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai Episode 9 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Pinoffin - Jun 1, 2024	212 replies	by perseii »» Dec 4, 2025 9:20 PM
	Poll: Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - May 25, 2024	72 replies	by perseii »» Dec 3, 2025 11:43 PM
	JELEE BAG - new mini CD album released by King Records animelatonina - Dec 3, 2025	0 replies	by animelatonina »» Dec 3, 2025 11:05 AM