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This was probably the biggest surprise of the season for me. Right up until the very last minute, I was undecided on reviewing this, but the finale was so good that I had to sing a little praise for this show. I will tell you right now, I’m not a furry, furry sympathizer or anything of the sort and I still really enjoyed this show so don’t feel like watching this makes you some weirdo. It’s definitely very sexually charged, both overtly and subtly, so if that’s a problem for you given the interspecies relationship aspect, fair enough. But this certainly isn’t a “furry series” ... I saw this as more of a commentary on systemic racism, bigotry and an attempt to change societal perceptions of interspecies relationships, within the context of this universe of course, not advocating for anyone to go out and date a goat or anything like that of course. I think stories like this, while a little uncomfortable, are important. It’s crucial that authors, especially female authors, be able to express their sexuality in their writing, even if it’s not kinks that I’m into, I respect someone being true to themselves and just going for it. Additionally, I think there’s some nice real world takeaways from the story about accepting people who look different than you and opening yourself up to new experiences. Not to mention the show just looks absolutely incredible, it’s probably the best looking show this season and top 5 all year which is insane for an obscure beast folk shoujo romance like this!

I was really skeptical about this show both before AND even after the first episode. It is definitely an experience and it moves so fast. One minute we’re getting a cute opening scene with Mari getting used to her school life and the next, Hidaka’s in heat trying to fuck her. I did think the romance moved extremely fast here, but it’s so cute and pure that you just kind of roll with it? The great art direction also makes every single moment so much more heartfelt and emotional. Objectively, Mari and Hidaka falling for each other so hard after like 1-2 meetings is crazy, but in the context of the story you just get swept up in the whirlwind romance as well. I guess in hindsight, some of the most iconic relationships in fiction have been similarly short. Romeo and Juliet, Titantic, etc., so it’s not unprecedented, but this show does move at a lighting pace. Narratively, the two leads’ relationship is a device used to analyze the wider societal discrimination Beastfolk face. He and Mari’s relationship is a literal and metaphorical bridge between the two races and a path towards coexistence. Hidaka’s mere presence at school creates some tension and I enjoyed seeing him gradually win over his classmates. Often times we prejudge people based on what others have told us or selectively curated news articles and then when we actually get to know people we realize we had it all wrong. Same thing here, the school is extremely anti-beastfolk at first before welcoming Hidaka as one of their own, culminating in the last two episodes where the class’ trust in him is put to the test. The romance is cute don’t get me wrong, but that was definitely my favorite part of this series. Again, it’s something that can be taken and applied to the real world too. I know personally, when I got to grad school and got to interact with people from various countries around the world of which I’d previously had negative opinions, I completely changed my opinion. No one’s above learning and expanding their horizon and this show really drives that home! Get to know people, talk to them and realize we have more in common than different.

The supporting cast is really good here too! I was initially sour on Yukihiro because he kept pursuing Mari even though he knew how she felt about Hidaka, but I was pleasantly surprised with his character development at the end. They didn’t drag things out too much and actually had him be very thoughtful, understanding and even proactively helping Hidaka and Mari’s relationship succeed even at the cost of his own feelings. Respect. Kisara was basically the same, but for Hidaka. For a one cour show that has so many horny scenes, there’s a surpassing amount of character development by the end and a very clear trajectory for story progression. I do wonder how the rest of the story will go after the ending of this season as it felt like we were really just working up to Mari and Hidaka establishing something together. I hope the author continues to focus on the wider social issues in the universe.

This show has absolutely no business looking as good as it does! It’s an absolute treat for the eyes, the character designs are amazing, the animation is incredible, the art direction.. it’s all just top notch and some of the best of the year. This is also from the same studio that did isekai cheat skill which had God awful CGI and great 2D. Luckily, no CGI here so it’s just great 2D throughout which honestly, is a big reason this show is as good as it is. Anime is ultimately a visual medium, so if something looks good, that helps a lot.

Overall, one of the biggest surprises of the year and worth a watch. Not the best romance or story in the world, but it has some real world lessons, great production values and the ships do just hit in a way you have to experience for yourself. It’s one of them shows that you’re like “ok I’ll give it one more episode” and before you know it, you’re hooked and in love with the cast! Great watch.

Kimikoe gets 8 muzzles out of 10.

I’ve been saying for a while now that we’re in a golden age of both shojosei and Yuri. The sheer volume and diversity of content that’s being pumped out annually is insane. Back in the day we’d be lucky if we got one a year, now we’re getting 1-3 per season. It’s great for Yuri/LGBT fans and the industry as a whole to see different types of stories. In the case of Egatae, we’ve got a lesbian workplace slice of life story following Futami and her totally not gay gfs as they go about their daily lives as mangaka and manga assistants. The show totally ... nails the slice of life genre. It has a great mix of the daily activities of a mangaka, the girls interactions which are the perfect mix of hilarious, wholesome and downright heartwarming and character development. For a slice of life show, it’s not very stagnant, it always feels like something’s going on in this story because of how electric the characters are, the progression of Futami’s career and seeing her hit these various milestones and of course the romantic undertones. It’s just an all around great vibe. One of them shows you can just relax and use as a comfort watch. Easily one of the 10 best shows this season and arguably the most underrated.

The two things I loved most about this show were 1: the focus on the manga industry and the day to day dealings of being a mangaka. Everyone knows this industry is brutal, but this show actually does a great job of bringing that to life. Seeing Futami pull all nighters to meet crazy deadlines, consult with experts in the field her manga deals with, come up with ideas for chapters, volume covers, deal with writers’ bloc, attending volume release events, fan signs, contract negotiations, etc. While I’m not a mangaka, from everything I’ve seen online in terms of what the real life grind is, It’s actually a really accurate representation. I love how they gradually introduced new characters into the story to help Futami along on her journey. We start out with just she and her closest assistant Ha-san and then we bring on another assistant to help with the immense workload, then we introduce Nashida, who’s an absolute riot, to help out even more as Futami’s story gets more expansive, bringing in actual shogi players who Futami uses as consultants on her story to make sure she’s giving an accurate representation of the sport and then Futami’s editor/totally not gf Sato! The English title of “a mangaka’s weirdly wonderful workplace” is so accurate because there’s all these different crazy/vibrant personalities in this show and they just come together so well to make this story work. They all help Futami along in their own way and she would not be the writer nor person she is without them. The fact they’re all adults, with the exception of Nekonote, is so nice too because it makes Futami’s struggles so much more relatable. We might not be mangaka, but all of us can empathize with being at your wits end and just blowing off some steam with the homies to get us through a long week.

2: The yuri undertones. This show is gay as hell. It’s a cool mix of subtlety and overtly gay stuff, too so you’ve got characters like Sato and Futami who blush at each other constantly, go on dates and clearly have something way more than a simple editor-writer relationship going on, Ha-san quietly crushing on Futami and then you’ve got Nashida going full gay over Toko in the latter half, I love my workplace yuri. I just hate that the show ended right as things really started getting good on that front so we won’t get to see the development. If I can ever find the manga, I’ll definitely be tapping in for that. Really like that we actually got progress as the show went on too, so it’s not like a Hibike yuri bait sort of thing going on, the characters are definitely gay, that’s just not the priority of the story. Futami’s growth as a writer and person is and everything else is just part of that.

The show looks so good, I love how bright and warm this show feels. Nothing crazy animation wise, but the designs and background art are so good, not to mention great seiyuu performances!

If you’re a slice of life fan, Yuri fan or just like cute working girls trying to find their way in life, this is a must watch. I feel like it’s indicative of Fall 2025. There weren’t a ton of big hitters, a lot of really solid cozy watches that made you fall in love with the casts and this is up there near the top of that list.

Egatae gets 9 drawing tablets out of 10

I’m truly so glad TBHX got me into watching donghua earlier this year because otherwise I’d have missed out on the masterclass in fantasy storytelling and animation that is Who Made Me a Princess. I have seen a ton of reincarnated princesses, villainesses, noble women, the whole range of the otome spectrum, and none of them have hit quite like this show. I’ve always said that the best fantasy stories are those that actually transport you to another world and make you feel completely immersed in it. Think Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, etc. I’m not saying WMMAP is on that level of ... epic storytelling necessarily, but for 20 minutes every Sunday it helped me escaped the routine of my daily life and made me feel like I was apart of something greater. It’s a truly magical and beautiful experience that no other recent anime has come close to for me. I’m not sure what it is about Chinese animation, but there’s this epic quality to the ones I’ve seen thus far that just doesn’t exist in MOST Japanese anime. I’m trying to describe a feeling that was unknown to me until I watched TBHX this year, so I’m probably not doing it justice. You truly do just have to watch the first few episodes of this show and you’ll understand. My daughter Athanasia is one of the best written characters this year, her relationship with both her father and Lucas were among the best of the year, great character development, world building AND this show is a visual spectacle. One of the best shows of the year without a doubt.

I have a tendency to get really wordy and excited when talking about WMMAP because I love this series so much, so I’ll try to be as concise as possible here. There’s three things that really make this special as a story for me. 1:Athanasia as a character. Yes she’s the cutest, most lovable bundle of sunshine you’ll ever see, but she’s also just a phenomenal protagonist for whose accomplishments you can’t help but feel proud. Her first life ended in disaster and tragedy. She’s determined to not repeat that. The way she goes about doing that is both endearing and inspiring. The situation in her first life was really no fault of her own, but she still strives to improve every aspect of herself, specifically her magical ability and make inroads with people she couldn’t connect with before. That brings me to my 2nd point, her relationship with her father. Not many anime focus on daddy daughter dynamics and none have done it to the extent this series has. Athanasia’s relationship with her father is truly the backbone of this story. In her original life, the lack of a relationship with her father led to her doom, so she goes out of her comfort zone and establishes on this time around. It of course isn’t simple and there’s a lot of bumps in the road, but Athanasia keeping at it and slowly, but surely establishing that bond over the first few episodes was so good. It gets even better when you understand everything her father has been through and his initial frigid demeanor all makes sense. This author really made it a point to focus on the characters and that makes the series so much better. A lot of fantasy shows focus on the adventure or the quest to find the demon lord and they just fall flat because you don’t care about the characters, their struggles or anything other than some occasional fanservice and a cool battle or two. While there’s action in WMMAP, Athanasia’s relationship with her father, her development as a mage and her coming into her own as a member of the royal family are the priorities.

The third most important thing to me is the romance! Now I’m not gonna lie, I was on the fence with the Lucathy ship at first because technically there’s a very big age gap involved in this, but it’s one of those ones where it doesn’t feel weird because physically Lucas and Athy are at similar ages and mentally Athanasia is a reincarnated adult, although Lucas technically doesn’t know that.. but hey, whatever, it’s cute as hell. I love all of Lucas and athy’s interactions. They both love to troll one another, they talk trash, they have their little fights, but at the end of the day they’ll always apologize and come back together. How much they care for one another is palpable. They honestly have one of the most realistic relationships I’ve seen in a fantasy story like this. While it’s not blatantly romantic yet, you can tell it’s going that way and well.. if you’ve looked up anything related to this series, you’ve already seen panels and fanart lol. I kind of flip flop depending on my mood, but this is probably my favorite part of the story as a whole. I just hate that the episodes are so short so we only get like 5-6 minutes of them on screen together per week. Every scene they share is so fun, though! Cannot get enough of Lucas messing with Athy and pushing her to her limits before apologizing and flirting with her in his own way. They also are genuinely great FRIENDS first and foremost which makes any eventual romantic development that much better. In her past life, Athy didn’t really have that connection with anyone else her own age and Lucas has also been lonely for most of his life. They’re the perfect pair at the perfect time. There is a little bit of a love triangle going on which I didn’t really care for because I just don’t like Ijikiel that much as a character, but it’s cool seeing all these cute boys falling for my girl Athanasia! She’s the it girl.

The production values are absolutely stunning in this. Animation is fluid, art is bright and gorgeous, the ost is amazing and the Japanese dub is great too. It’s easily the best looking show this season and arguably of the year. Just a treat for the eyes and it stays that way throughout which I’ve noticed is another staple of Chinese animation. I guess that’s why it takes so long to get new seasons? But I’m grateful for the staff here.

Who made me a princess is one of those shows that will live rent free in my head for a longtime. I’m honestly glad this doesn’t follow the manhwa exactly so I can start reading it now that the donghua’s finished and get a totally different experience. I have a couple volumes already and will definitely be collecting the rest. Athanasia rocked my world and was one of the things I looked most forward to every week!

Who made me a princess gets 10 out of 10.

I have always and will continue to be Spy x Family’s greatest defender. That said, while last season people complained about the slower pace and the show focusing on the Forger’s becoming a proper family, I think most people will see season 3 as a return to the sort of story we had in season 1 which was a nice mix of action, comedy, wholesome family dynamics and now we have the added romantic angle as Yor and Loid slowly, but surely, begin to see each other as more than a marriage of convenience. Not to mention the great and emotionally poignant backstory from Loid, ... the busjacking arc and the wheeler arc at the end. This was a much more action oriented series that should be appealing to casual fans and returning fans alike, while serving as a proper evolution in the story. Last season felt a bit more episodic, but this season does feel like every episode builds on the previous and by the end of it we see a great deal of character development from all our leads! I thoroughly enjoyed every episode of this and I’m very excited to see where Spy x Family goes from here!

This season was really nonstop action, both emotional and physical. Right out the gate we got hit with Loid’s highly anticipated backstory arc which completely changed how I view him as a character and helped me understand why he’s the way he is. Before, I saw him as this perfect ultimate spy, but after seeing all the adversity he went through as a child, I appreciated every interaction with he and Anya so much more because he tries to be the father he always wanted! Generally, this season does a really good job humanizing Loid and making him feel like a person rather than an archetype. If season 2 focused on the family as a whole, season 3 takes a more individualistic approach giving Loid, Yor, Anya and even side characters like Fiona a time to shine

FINALLY, we’re seeing some romantic development between Yor and Loid. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still crumbs for now, don’t expect anything massive, but the gears are turning and slow motion is better than no motion. They at least seem more aware of each other now, thanks in large part to Yor’s jealous ass work colleagues, but hey, we’ll take it. Drunk Yor trying to find faults in she and Loid’s marriage was one of the funniest parts of the entire series! She’s definitely began to realize how much of a catch Loid is and he’s realizing what he has with her. This is one of my favorite parts of Spy x Family because you have these two badass, extremely deadly individuals who can handle any weapon or task, but when it comes to romance they’re absolute idiots. Thanks to Loid’s backstory arc, we actually understand WHY he’s such an idiot with romance in this season and that helped me be a lot more patient and understanding with him. Anyone who’s been through that much has earned a little grace.

My girl Anya is back and arguably better than ever. The busjacking arc was one of my favorite yet. The way she expertly navigated such a difficult and dangerous situation was awesome. Yes, she can read people’s minds, but knowing what people are thinking and doing the right thing with that information are two different things. I was so proud of her in that arc and she showed a lot of maturity and poise. You can see Loid and Yor rubbing off on her just like any other parents would for a kid. Also really enjoyed all of her moments with Damian this season. After the whole found family gradually becoming a real family dynamic, she and Damian’s relationship is my favorite part of this series. They are so cute, I just need her to stop seeing him purely as part of Loid’s mission and as an actual normal boy her age!! Damian’s family actually played a big role this season with Yor becoming close to Damian’s mom as well. I think that was such a cool development because Yor desperately needs a positive older sister type figure in her life as she’s constantly the one having to be the older sibling between she and Yuri. She often needs advice herself though, so having an older character acting as a mentor figure should be big for her growth! Some subtle Yuri vibes there too which is always great! I’m looking forward to learning more about Melinda. It’s also funny that she and Anya have both become so close to Damian’s family so Loid has multiple inroads with Damian’s father!

Production values are amazing as usual this season. The big fight scenes look amazing, character designs and general animation are great too. You know what you’re gonna get from WIT/Cloverworks and they don’t disappoint. There’s a ton of love that goes into this show and it shines through every week. I’m consistently impressed at how good the fights in this look! The voice acting has always been one of the best parts of the series and it’s really good once again in this season. I actually got a chance to meet a few of the seiyuu at Anime NYC this year so that was a really cool point of emphasis for me this season.

I could go on and on about how much I love this season, but I don’t want to drone on too much. To me, this was peak Spy x Family. Had everything we’ve come to know and love from the series while expanding with new characters, some development and setting up for future plot points. It’s hard to believe 13 episodes went by that quick because every single episode felt like it was only 5 minutes long! I really hope this is a sign of things to come because spy x family is looking better than ever.

Spy x Family season 3 gets 9 out of 10.

For many years I thought Oregairu Kan was the worse romcom I’d ever seen, but I can now confidently say Watari-kun surpassed it. For 6 months I subjected myself to the torture of watching these episodes. Why? Well, I’ve never dropped anything and refused to let this garbage break that streak, no matter how much it infuriated me. Plus, you can’t make an informed and educated review on something if you haven’t seen it all. While it does improve slightly at the end, the characters in this show are all so frustratingly dumb and the story so poorly written, it’s not worth sticking around. I ... only sat through this because of my inability to drop shows and wishing, hoping, PRAYING that Ishihara got the happy ending she deserved. The average person doesn’t have the time to subject themselves to things they don’t like, so I’d highly recommend avoiding this show.

I’m not going to waste time giving this some flowery and well thought out critical analysis like I usually do with my reviews. This show is too bad for that. I’ll get right to the point. Why do I hate this show? Simple, the MC is a spineless coward and a pushover, the female lead who wins is predictable from the start(first volume cover gimmick) is so unlikeable she makes me want to vomit every time she’s on screen. They’re childhood friends and she’s cute so that totally justifies her stalking the MC and sabotaging his love life with the girl he’s had a crush on for years, right? According to Satsuki’s fervent and extremely loyal fanbase, yes. For me, this was so cringe and immediately got this show off on a bad foot. Satsuki constantly comes between Ishihara and Naoto and does everything in her power to make Ishihara, who already has issues due to past trauma, even more insecure. Yes, trying to seduce a guy you know has a girlfriend is wrong. Again, this gets brushed off because she’s attractive and the author tries giving her some sob story to make us empathize with her, I’m not buying it though. She’s a POS and even though we all knew the ending was going to be what it was, it doesn’t make me any less annoyed that it turned out the way it did. “Ishihara isn’t perfect either bro, stop putting her on a pedestal” yes, I’m quite aware that Ishihara is a flawed character who needed to work through a lot of issues in this series before getting in a relationship, however that does not negate anything I said about Satsuki. She still exasperated things and put Ishihara in some really difficult situations that didn’t need to happen if she just respected boundaries.

Speaking of boundaries, don’t even get me started on the whole possessive thing the MC and his sister had going on for most of the series. Now again, they explain this with some backstory about their parents and you’re supposed to empathize with Suzu, but empathizing≠liking or thinking something’s ok. This is still a very unhealthy and toxic dynamic that’s uncomfortable to watch for probably the first cour of the show. Thankfully, it gets better and Suzu does arguably have the best character development in the entire series, but for a while there, it was sketchy. The concept of boundaries is really important in the series overall, though as we see Satsuki struggle with them, Ishihara, Touki, the Kouhai love interest.. etc. Everyone in this show needed a nice therapy session for unpack all the trauma they went through. I get what the author was trying to do in making a broken, flawed cast especially since it’s a seinen story, but the problem is it’s just not good. Can anyone really look at this series and say Naoto was a good protagonist? Will he be remembered? No. If you liked this show, you found Satsuki attractive and wanted her to be happy, the MC, even with his growth in the last few episodes, is just utterly boring and uninspired. You know it’s a wish fulfilment story because none of these girls should’ve fallen for him.

Story’s weak, but the production values are just as bad. This show looks like a slideshow for most of its run and the few good episodes it has aren’t much better. The voice acting is decent, character designs are OK, but it’s a bad anime in production and writing.

I sat through this garbage so you don’t have to. I don’t regret it because I did like seeing those moments where Ishihara was happy and I liked a couple of the supporting characters, but this was just such a bad watch. I hate the main couple as individuals and as a couple, everyone acts like an idiot, drama for the sake of drama.. this felt like a shitty afternoon soap opera with none of the charm.

Watari-kun gets a very easy 1 out of 10.

Very few shows have captured the intricacies of depression and suicidal individuals as well as Watatabe. What I love most about this show is that underneath the yuri, there’s actually a very realistic depiction of what living with depression is like. Depression isn’t just about being sad, it’s a constant struggle to stay above water and not getting sucked up by the current. Basic tasks like getting out of bed, going to school and eating are hard to do. While it’s become somewhat romanticized in recent years because of social media, it’s a truly horrible thing that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. While this an ... anime, it gets the daily struggle of that right and packages it with a great yuri story with good character development and a soundtrack that’ll make you tear up on multiple occasions. I cannot recommend this show enough for any yuri fan or anyone who likes well written characters and drama. It’s a mystery to me how it went so under the radar in a rather quiet season, but it’s unequivocally one of the best shows this season.

It’s actually been a great year for supernatural LGBT horror stories with both this and The Summer Hikaru Died airing in back to back seasons. Both deal with queerness, longing, depression and use supernatural concepts as allegories for real world issues. They also both have hauntingly beautiful atmospheres that persist throughout. There’s just this eerie traditional Japanese horror vibe that hangs over this entire show and makes every episode feel so tense. The cool thing is the Yokai aren’t even the scary part of this show. It’s Hinako’s inner struggle, her desire to take her life and Miko/Shiori trying to help her regain her will to live. The real “monster that wants to eat me” is the depression that Hinako has been battling for so long. I think it’s so wonderfully handled because that’s really how it is for people battling depression. Every day is a struggle, existing is a horror story. Wanting to die, but feeling guilty for potentially leaving your friends and family behind. It’s like you’re trapped in a prison and you can’t win no matter what you do because someone will be hurt.

This is definitely a heavy story, but it’s not all depressing. There’s actually a lot of light moments and really sweet interactions between our main cast. My best girl Miko brought some much needed warmth to the story and her unwavering devotion to Hinako warmed my heart. Just seeing the lengths she’s willing to go to in order to keep Hinako smiling, even sacrificing some of her own personal happiness, was just beautiful. She personified what it means to be a true friend. This show features one of the best love triangles you’ll see in anime because most anime will just have the two rivals get closer with the MC, but Watatabe intimately explores Shiori and Miko’s relationship and makes that a focal point of the story. Their gradual progression from enemies to putting their differences aside and prioritizing Hinako’s happiness over both of theirs was so beautifully done. Real love isn’t selfish, it’s willing to make sacrifices and we definitely see that from both of our love interests! I haven’t read the manga, but this would be the ideal set up for a polyamorous relationship. Shiori and Miko provide some of the funniest moments this season, their banter and the way they mess with each other is so good! By the end of the show, they’ve both become indispensable to Hinako’s life and bring her two distinct but equally important types of relationships. Almost as if Miko represents the sun and Shiori the moon. You can’t have life on earth without the two.

Production values are really good, but they aren’t flashy. They manifest in the ost, the direction, the incredible voice acting, etc. This feels like a J-drama and even though there’s only a handful of action scenes in the show, every episode feels action packed because of how the direction heightens the emotional tension and brings it to the forefront.

This was one of my fave weekly watching experiences this year. I had so much fun picking apart every aspect of every episode on twitter. The voice acting, the direction, the reveals at the end, the ship teasing, the queerness, ah it’s all perfect. I definitely understand why people hyped this up so much. Hinako is one of the most realistically written MCs I’ve seen in a while and I wish for nothing but her happiness. Miko always left me with a smile on my face after she showed up on screen, and Shiori was such a great multi faceted character who represented Hinako’s romantic and mental liberation from her years of suffering! Very well written story and peak yuri.

Watatabe gets 10 out of 10.

“If it isn’t the consequences of my own actions” the anime. Ever created your own head canon/OC and wanted to escape to that world? Well, be careful what you wish for. As Iana discovers in this show, things don’t always turn out as rosey as we imagine them in our heads. Tenkuro isn’t a groundbreaking show, but it is an extremely fun Otome style story because it follows Iana dealing with the edgy universe she created back in school as an escape from her mundane life. While her real life was boring, this world she created in her story was anything but. It’s a world ... of magic, hot guys, perfect female self inserts like her namesake Konoha and a villainess who is constantly trying to kill her sister and is hated by the entire kingdom. Iana being reincarnated as the villainess and having to deal with the fallout from the story she wrote is so fun to see play out. Yes, a lot of the things you see in this show are not original. We’ve seen them done in many other Otome shows. The thing that makes this show fun is that it’s aware of those tropes and is poking fun of how cringe they are through the lens of Iana who wrote this story. Seeing Iana fight to change the perception people have of her and ensure she gets a good ending, even though everything in this world is stacked against her was a blast. There’s a nice amount of romantic teasing, comedy, some action, this has everything I could want in a shojosei like this. We get 1000 male self insert isekai slop shows a year, so I see absolutely nothing wrong with the ladies getting a fun parody spirited show like this!

Your enjoyment of this show will basically come down to how much you like Iana. If you find her antics funny, you’ll have a good time. If you take everything too seriously in this, you’ll won’t. Fortunately for me, all of Iana’s jokes and gags hit. Seeing her overcome one obstacle just for another death/bad end flag to pop up in its place was great. The absurdity of the story is what makes it to me. This show gets progressively more unhinged as we go on, but it’s also got a genuine charm to it. Iana begins to empathize with the character of Iana and feels bad for creating such a world where people had to endure such hardships. Obviously most of us are not going to be isekai’d into our own story worlds, but I do think it’s a nice little creative thought process to envision how YOU would feel being in the shoes of a character you created. It adds an authenticity to the story and will probably help you write a better one overall. The way things diverge from the original story she created as the show goes on keeps things unpredictable and engaging as well. Iana doesn’t know what’s coming next which means she needs to fully understand her characters and world.

I’m a romance merchant so for me, after Iana herself, her interactions with the male leads, especially Sol, were awesome. In typical villainess fashion, Iana becomes the center of everyone’s attention and pulls all the hot guys. While some like Yomi are just plot conveniences, I actually really liked how things played out with she and Sol. It’s a gradual thawing that shifts to romance and it’s so sweet! I will definitely be reading more for them!

The production values aren’t the best here, but they’re good enough for what the show is. Iana looks pretty, Konoha is cute, Sol, Yomi and Guinoford are hot. That’s all you need.

Really enjoyed this show from start to finish. This has to be one of the most underrated shows of the season. If you go in with the understanding that it’s supposed to be campy comedy series that pokes fun at some traditional Otome tropes, you’ll really enjoy this. Iana is one of the most fun MCs this season and every moment she’s on screen is such a trip. I’ll miss this show

Tenkuro gets 9 out of 10.

Getting it out the way early, I like Wandance. Yes, the CGI sucks and looks wonky, yes it takes getting used to. No, that didn’t turn me off from the show. I like the characters, I like the story, learning about dancing, the choreography, the music, etc. As a k-pop/j-pop stan, this was fun. Riehata, the legendary dance producer who’s worked with BTS and other big name groups being involved in this is crazy. It’s not going to be for everyone because a lot of people aren’t able to get past the CGI and that’s fair. It does look like a wonky PS2 cutscene 95 ... percent of the time and I understand it being a dancing anime means animation is extremely important. I just prioritize the other parts of the story so it wasn’t the end all be all for me. The two leads’ growth both as individuals and a team was really cool, I loved the supporting characters’ personalities and dance styles and I found Kabo’s journey from having no formal dance training to competing among the best and brightest very inspirational. It’s one of those stories that probably works better in live action format just because of how CGI heavy it would have to be as an anime, but I still enjoyed the anime for what it is. If you have any interest in the modern pop, especially J/K-pop industry or dance choreography in general, I definitely recommend going into this with an open mind. Plus, one of the star girls of the year in Wanda, so no brainer.

I think it’s technically fair to classify this as a sports anime since competitive dance is a sport in a sense. The best sports anime to me are those where the MCs journey feels believable. It’s not just a straight shot to the top, but one where they face adversity, two steps forward, one step back. Improvement at your craft is rarely a straight line, it’s full of ups and downs and setbacks and requires you to stay focused and committed. Seeing Kabo go from having basically no experience in organized dance to one of the best in his age category feels satisfying because we get to see him putting the work in, having success, failing, learning from those failures and growing as a dancer. The connections he makes enable him to improve and see things from others’ perspectives, picking up on various techniques from the people he comes across. Kabo in general feels like an MC you want to root for. The way he uses dance to help him deal with his speech impediment and express himself in a way he’s always wanted to is really cool as well. I love a good underdog story and this ticks all my boxes.

Kabo’s relationship with Wanda is another big thing for me. Wanda is such a cool and beautiful character, but the way she develops this rapport on and off the dance floor with Kabo is really heartwarming. She is someone who seemingly has everything going for her and he’s the shy awkward kid with a stutter, but she ends up learning just as much from Kabo as he does from her, not to mention all the encouragement and inspiration he ends up giving her just by leading with his example. As dance partners, you can see them unlocking each other’s full potential in several performances throughout the season. “Soulmates” is kind of cliche, but it really does feel like these two were born to meet and dance with each other. Being around each other is the only time they’re ever truly 100 percent comfortable and able to be themselves. There’s obvious romantic undertones, but the show doesn’t prioritize that. For now, the biggest thing is seeing them both improve as dancers and as individuals during this pivotal moment in their lives. PLUS, Wanda is one of the most beautiful characters of the year. I will miss her.

The elephant in the room is again the CGI. It’s awful and it’s very apparent. Around episode 3-4 I just started getting used to it so it didn’t faze me as much, but there’s a few scenes even later on where I kept thinking “there’s no way madhouse did this” and apparently I’m right, because they did outsource the 3DCGI. It’s really a shame that a series so heavily reliant on CGI for its subject matter couldn’t get halfway decent CGI. The 2D art looks great, I love the art style, it’s so bright and full of life, the 2D direction is good, the voice acting is good, the music bangs, although a few songs were reused to DEATH, generally speaking the OST slaps. It’s really a solid show other than the CGI and that’s why the score is what it is.

Even with the technical issues, the positives far outweigh the negatives with Wandance for me. I had a blast watching this show and enjoyed learning about dance fundamentals and the level of completion within the medium. It was an eye opening inspirational journey. It’s never too late to pick up a new hobby or challenge yourself to apply a new skill. I’ll be rooting for Kabo for as long as this series goes on and can’t wait to start reading the manga. I’m also looking forward to the live action adaptation which should be PERFECT for this series. Wanda, you’ll always be famous too.

Wandance gets 8 out of 10

Wasted potential seems to have been the theme of Fall 2025 seasonals because there were so many shows that either had interesting premises and never lived up to them, or started out good like this show and then fizzled out. I’ve been the biggest defender of this season overall, but there’s no doubt it’s been the weakest in a while. This show is emblematic of the entire season. Started out with the classic entire class getting isekai’d and named heroes by a country on its last legs trope, which to some is generic, but I loved Arifureta, Failure Frame, Kumo Desu etc., so my interest ... was piqued. What really made this show standout is how pretty it looks. It has great art and animation for a seasonal isekai which already puts it above 90 percent of them that look like slideshows, all it had to do was follow through with a half decent story which it started to with the revenge plot and then it just fell completely flat on its face. This show didn’t know if it wanted to be a romance, slice of life or assassin revenge story. Too many wasted episodes, the pacing started going too fast, characters falling in love overnight, one minute we’re in a dungeon leveling up then the next we’re solving a family feud.. this was just all over the place. I hate when shows make me look bad for putting them in my seasonal overview videos, but this one got me this season. Only worth watching for Amelia and Latticenail’s designs really.


One of my biggest pet peeves is when authors turn really cool female characters into maidens in love who are obsessed with the male lead and chasing after him instead of growing on their own as individuals and slowly developing that bond like normal people. Amelia was such a cool character when she was introduced and don’t get me wrong, I know it’s a fantasy anime. The two leads are destined to fall for one another, but it’s about HOW you do that. How you build up to that confession that makes it satisfying. Having them meet, have a battle together and then the next episode she’s swooning over him is just cringe male wish fulfillment bait. Even Failure Frame, which is also male wish fulfillment bait, didn’t have things developing this quick! I mean, swearing your life and making a soul bond with someone you just met is insane. Why would I feel any sort of emotional connection to that relationship? Have the couple actually go through trials and tribulations before doing stuff like that and it would mean more. I guess these authors rush through things so much because there’s no guarantee their series won’t get axed in a sea of other fantasy stories, but still. Maybe if you focused on telling a good story and not making the MC a feckless pacifist loser then you wouldn’t have that problem!

That brings me to my other problem with this show. Why the hell did you bother writing a story about an assassin who won’t kill? No one wants to see that garbage, especially when you’re in a fantasy world with objectively awful people who NEED to be killed to make the world a better place. This is like Batman’s logic of not killing the joker because he doesn’t want to become like him, but he’s ok with the Joker killing dozens of people annually instead. You’re not morally superior by letting monsters roam around harming innocent people and bringing the world to the brink of war. It’s so nonsensical that we had entire episodes dedicated to Akira pondering whether or not taking out the main antagonist of this season would make him a bad person. I understand that coming from peaceful Japan as a high school student would require some adjustment, BUT we should’ve had that in the first couple episodes, maybe a dungeon run or taking out some bandits, not waiting until the end of the show. Of the last 3 episodes, 2 just felt like filler and time padding so they could end the season off on a particular event.

One thing I’ll say this show gets right is the relationship between the MC and his familiar. Akira and Yoru’s bond was actually really cool, I like that Akira viewed him as an equal and Yoru is consistently keeping Akira on the right track and knocking some sense into him when he does dumb stuff. The side characters in general are decent. Crow was a cool older brother mentor type figure, Saran as well, Latticenail was a bundle of joy when she entered the show and Lia was also cool. It’s nice that the MC doesn’t instantly get a harem and the female characters(besides Amelia) actually hold their own.

Much has been made about how good this show and the character designs look and don’t get me wrong, it does look good, BUT I’m also confused why so many people act like this art style has never been done before. We just had failure frame last year which had that similar cell shaded 90s retro look. The only problem there being the animation was abysmal, while it’s solid here. Amelia’s character design is absolutely gorgeous don’t get me wrong and the show looks so pretty. It’s just a shame the story couldn’t keep up with the production values. Definitely one of my fave shows to look at this season though

Sutetsuyo’s an ok show. It’s not a must watch by any stretch. It had the potential to be better, but wasted it with bad pacing which was too fast at times, and too slow at others. If I knew what I know now about this show…I’d probably still watch it just for Amelia and Latticenail’s designs, lol. It’s a nice background noise sort of show, I just hate I expected anything serious to come from the story.

Sutetsuyo gets 6 out of 10.

Gachiakuta is one of the most unique new gen battle shonen. It takes a little bit to get going, but man once it does, this is such a fun ride. Unique combat mechanics, great cast with amazing chemistry, a very likeable MC and an extremely interesting post apocalyptic setting. There’s a lot to like about this one. It managed to separate itself from other generic battle shonen this season *cough cough* Tougen Anki, and feel like a breath of fresh air. Coming from Urana Kei, a former Ohkubo Atsushi assistant who he once called his successor, it definitely has a lot of that magic Fire ... Force had at the beginning when we were trying to learn the secret behind spontaneous human combustion. The characters have a similar charm, the fights are great and even the setting and combat mechanics feel similar, so if you’re like me and a massive Fire Force fan, I think you’ll get hooked on this very easily. Even newcomers will find a lot to be happy about here, though. It’s a genuinely well written and thought out shonen that doesn’t rely on traditional battle shonen tropes or cheesy cliches. It’s got all the makings of an all time great jump series and this was a very good start.

To be honest, I really didn’t get into this show until about 6-7 episodes in. The first episode is an absolute banger and ends on one of the wildest twists you’ll see, but after that, I just felt it was kinda meh. Had a few cool fights, but I didn’t really connect with the story or characters until that first big mission where Rudo and Zanka get ambushed by Jabber. Once that happened and we started getting some lore and fleshing out the characters, I was hooked. Then we got into the Amo tower arc and that’s when this just completely sucked me in. I did not expect a jump series to cover such a dark tactic with so much nuance and complexity. While one of the most uncomfortable episodes I’ve ever watched, it was sadly extremely realistic and treated with the utmost care. That’s an example of how well thought out this series is. It’s not just a bunch of cliches cobbled together with good animation like SOME popular Jump series as of late have been. I really like how Gachiakuta prioritizes world building and creating likable characters. Again, something it has in common with Fire Force. Even the antagonists in this show are likable. The raiders just struck me as an alternate universe version of the cleaners where they just ended up on the wrong side of the tracks, but they’re equally as loyal to one another and their cause and are willing to go to any length to accomplish that. One of the marks of a good battle shonen is when you end up liking the bad guys, not because of some last minute generic sob story, but because they’re actually principled and decent people who are just ideologically opposed to the leads. Noerde, we will never forget you, queen. Not to mention just how damn interesting these trash beast, sphere, ground and vital instrument concepts are! You have a great mystery that constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat and awesome characters.

Gachiakuta has one of those casts that genuinely feel like a family and make you feel apart of the story because you feel like you’ve known them your entire life. It’s the ideal atmosphere that every battle shonen aims for and only a few get right. If you go online and look at any discussion about this series, you’ll see a ton of people talking about ships, friendship dynamics or just making jokes about the character interactions. I actually didn’t know this series had as much motion as it does until a few weeks into its run and I quickly understood why! The cast are so fun. The way everyone rallied around Rudo and accepted him as one of their own, supported him in his personal goals and seeing how he comes to view them as his own family just really resonated with me. My boy has been through so much, so he deserves this more than anyone else!

The production values also started off a little slow before kicking into overdrive in the second half. Studio Bones had no business going as hard as they did on this. Some of the best fights of the year, great sound design, direction and the climax of Ano’s arc with her backstory is in the running for the best episode of anime this year, period. It’s always nice when a show gets an adaptation that does the manga art justice and even improves upon things like this first season. The voice acting is also amazing in this. Noerde and Ano’s seiyuu put in some truly great performances as does Jabber’s.

I really thought this would end up being mid background noise for those first few episodes and then I was completely blown away by where it went from there. It was such a take for me to hold off on reading the manga while this was airing, but I’m glad I did so I could experience all the twists of this first season on screen in all of studio Bones’ glory. Rudo is one of my fave new gen shonen leads, Ryou is one of the most badass female characters in jump right now and the cleaners have one of my favorite dynamics among newer shonen titles. Not to mention all the crazy lore in this series. It’s a must watch for anyone who likes WSJ series or those who just want a mix of mystery and action. The hype is justified for Gachiakuta, it’s got “classic”written all over it. I hope the rest of the story keeps it up, because this was great.

Gachiakuta gets 9 gloves out of 10