Once again it's time for a slew of new anime titles! Here is whats on my watch list, at list for the first episode or so, for the 2026 Spring season.
Go For It, Nakamura-kun!!
Nakamura Okuto is an average high school student who struggles with getting closer to a classmate he's fallen in love with, Hirose Aiki. Every time he tries to get closer to Hirose, in order to incrementally build a connection, his nervousness steps in and causes issue. Can he ever let Hirose-kun know his true feelings?
This is a by the numbers romantic comedy that overflows with nostalgia. The characters remind me of older Takahashi designs. The ending theme song is even reminiscent of credit songs from the 80's. Very nostalgia. Whats really remarkable about this story is that its boys love and it doesn't behave any different than a romantic comedy about a guy and a girl. Nakamura doesn't question his feelings, proudly identifies as gay, at least internally, and at this point doesn't put any social awkwardness into consideration. The only thing keeping him from opening up to the boy he likes is anxiety about being liked back. This is going to be a fun series to fill in the gap left by Polar Opposites while we await its second cour.
The series is available on Crunchyroll.
Kirio Fan Club
Nami and Aimi are friends and rivals in love. They both pine for their stoic classmate, Kirio, and are ready the battle for his attention. The problem...they're not sure he even knows they exist.
I might be expecting too much for this one but the first episode was a bit tepid. I was hoping it would be quite a bit more manic and unhinged. The previews made me think if Asobi Asobase but so far it hasn't gotten to that level or insanity. Here's hoping it does as this was my solo pick for the Spring season of the podcast!
The series is available on Hidive.
The Ramparts of Ice
Hikawa has had a hard childhood, continually being teased by her peers due to her short stature. This has lead her to develop and icy personality where she makes herself unapproachable and avoidable. Her only friend is the goddess of her class, Azmui, who struggles with the attention. But things may be turning around when she begins to interact with two boys from different classes who aren't bothered by her walls.
Anti social main characters being forced to gradually warm up to social interactions is a tired trope in slice of life anime. This one doesn't really seem to present us with anything new in that regard. However the 4 main-ish characters are enjoyable in their own regard so this one sticks around for now. Given this is by the same author as You and I are Polar Opposites, I will give it some time to cook....as that show was an amazing addition to the romance genre.
The series is available on Netflix.
Snowball Earth
Tetsuo is a genius who struggles to connect with others, social anxiety over powers his ability to talk with people, regardless of their age. He ends up piloting a robot designed to fight kaiju and becomes the hero of Earth. Ten years later, the earth forces face the kaiju in one final battle, only to loose. In a last resort effort the intelligent robot he pilots self destructs, ejecting him out into space. He awakes from cryo sleep 8 years later to find the Earth covered in ice and snow, still fighting the kaiju. How is he going to make friends now?
I thought I understood what this series was based on the previews, but the first episode serves up a classic giant robot story that I'm pretty sure does not pan out for the rest of the series. Tetsuo is an interesting introvert social misfit. I am not sure how well this series will do personally if it doesn't step up the comedy that I expect to come.
The series is available on Crunchyroll.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm
Yuru's idyllic and anachronistic life is shattered when the outside world invades his hidden village, murdering most of its inhabitants. Through the skill of a wandering trader he escapes with his life, unlocked hidden powers of his people. The life he has known all of his 16 years might just be a lie.
The premier episode of this latest anime adaptation of a manga by Arakawa Hiromu does not fail to impress and draw in the viewer. Its not my style normally but I respect her ability to tell a good story and so far its been good. Lots of unanswered questions to keep things interesting.
The series is available on Crunchyroll.
Akane-banashi
The person that most inspires young Osaki Akane is her father, an aspiring rakugo performer. But a disastrous performance during an promotion test her father and his peers are all expelled from their rakugo school, crushing his dreams forever. Now, a teenager, Akane is working to avenge her fathers disgrace and revive his way of performing.
The first part of the premier episode was well paced and enjoyable. It was presented as a heart warming tale of struggle and family bond. But the episode ends as any other tournament shonen story does...with our primary character confidently approaching their challenges head on. The artwork is fantastic but i dread the deep shonen tropes that will tarnish a story that could be really enjoyable. I suspect I wont stick with this one for long...fearing a slew of single dimensional side characters and forced tension.
The series is available on YouTube in North America and Netflix elsewhere.
Nippon Sangoku
Japan as a modern society collapses following a century or neglect and knock-on effects from global irrelevance. What takes its place is a fracturing into three spheres of influence that resemble the warring states period prior to the unification of the three great unifiers. After his wife is killed by a callous official, Aoteru begins a journey to reunite the nation and bring back the prosperity of the past.
The artwork is awkward but I enjoy most of the character work. Japan has a strong link to the Three Kingdoms narratives of ancient China and a semi-unhealthy fascination with its own chivalrous era. It will take a few more episodes to see if there is anything interesting in this story or if it will be a collection of misplaced hero worshiping and historical white washing.
The series is available on Amazon Prime.
The Klutzy Class Monitor and the Girl with the Short Skirt
Sakuradaimon is a school monitor who has a strong sense of duty and justice. One girl brings trouble to the school code every day, with her dyed hair and too short skit. Kohinata is trying to find her identity and refuses to bend to the strict rules of her school and ignores Sakuradaimon's harsh authority. But something sparks in her when she realizes hes really just an idiot with a strong sense of duty and she begins to enjoy interacting with him.
Sakuradaimon is pure and simple...a piece of wood. His ridiculous sternness and sense of duty goes a long way to deliver the comedy. The first episode established a lot of the ground work and built the two main characters relationship with a solid foundation. It helps that the episode covered a handful of scenarios instead of trying to drag out a single plot line. If it can continue to deliver a rapid pace of remotely connected scenarios this could be entertaining.
The series is available on Crunchyroll.
Pardon the Intrusion, I'm Home!
Nakama is works a steady job and loves anime, setting up her apartment as a shrine. Unfortunately the neighbor to her right pounds angrily on her wall when she watches anything other than Usaneko Club. Her neighbor to the left learns of her troubles and offers to help her...but that help ends up being a confrontation leading to a large hole being created in her wall. The angry neighbor is none other than the author of the Usaneko Cafe manga. A surly petulant genius. Blinded by her favorite creators sudden appearance she makes him dinner which leads to him demanding he prepare meals for her 3 times a day moving forward...
The first episode sets up the characters personalities rather well, they all fit into recognizable archetypes. Its funny to have a series about a girl who idolizes someone and now has to deal with them in a close basis, given last seasons Tamon's B-Side. This is one of those stories you dont need or want a lot of depth too as the real meat will be the antics. It will be interesting to see how creative it can get.
The series is available on Crunchyroll.
I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in Class
Maehara begins his high school career as he always does, comfortable in being alone. He is not very good with social interactions and over time has resigned himself to being alone, enjoying his passions on his own. That doesn't mean he doesn't yearn for companionship, he just isn't willing/able to put in the effort to accomplish it. That changes when a girl named Asanagi befriends him over his love of campy horror movies. Asanagi and her childhood friend Amami are the center of their class and wouldn't be the type of person that would connect with the gloomy weirdo. However they share a lot more in common than anyone would guess.
The entire premise of the series is nothing more than wishful thinking. Its the fantasy that so many incels carry. "I'm a special person, its just the other peoples responsibilities to figure that out". Beyond the toxic roots of its premise, the friendship between these two unlikely kids is actually fun, Asanagi is a hyper weirdo and Maehara is largely comfortable around her. Time will tell if this can keep up with this positivity or fall into the trap of generating awkward drama to change things up. I suspect the later but time will tell.
The series is available on Crunchyroll.
Eren the Southpaw
Koichi wants to go to school for graphic design after high school. When someone defaces a local art museum with graffiti he is fired up by its artists talent. The artist is a co-ed named Eren who carries significant baggage about art and her dead father.
Not sure what to take of this first episode, especially since its a prologue to the actual story. Koichi is a it of an elitist, which might be an extension of the original manga's author. It will be intersting to see how this preamble will tie into the larger story but will it be something compelling enough to make the viewer want to stick around for the conclusion?
The series is available on Crunchyroll.
Even a Replica Can Fall in Love
Nao is a replica of Sunao, a copy of the girl created initially out of desperation and emotional strain. Over the years Sunao would conjure Nao into existence for companionship and eventually replacement. Over the years, with reliance on her replica to participate in the things she did not want to, Sunao would grow more and more isolated and despondent. Nao, being summoned more in the high school, begins to build her own separate life from the girl who controls her existence.
At first I thought this was a sci-fi story that took place in a world were replica technology existed, like Blade Runner. I was awaiting the explanation of the technology. Instead we get a super natural origin for the replica, pushing aside all of the technological concerns. This deftly clears that way for what could be a very profound story about self worth and the dangers of convenience. I am quite excited to continue this story and see how deep its psychoanalysis goes.
The series is available on Crunchyroll.
Rent A Girlfriend 5
Picked up immediately after the end of the last season, we get a crash course on Mami's upbringing and what shaped her personality and intention aimed at destroying Kazuya. At the last moment Chizuru backs off of Mami's plan to come clean to his grandmother...extending the conflict.
I was dreading returning to this series, as the last season was such a terrible waste of time. This first episode did well however, even if it tried to trick the audience into sympathizing with our villain....Mami. But it ended with more delay in the resolution of the biggest problem, the lie about Chuzuru not being Kazuya's girlfriend. How much longer can it go and how much more fanservice can be jammed in?
The series is available on Crunchyroll.
Gal's Can't be Kind to Otaku?
Seo is an introverted otaku who's main obsession is a girl aimed version of Pokemon. The girl in front of him in class is one of two gyaru, Ijichi, is outgoing and bubbly. She grabs a limited edition erasure from his desk and in the process of him trying to get it back, Ijichi's friend, a more stoic model type, Amane, inadvertently lets it slip that shes a fan of the show as well. This minor slip up leads the two girls to continue interacting with the bewildered outcast who struggles to recognize their sincerity.
While a cute and amusing comedy this is literally otaku fantasy. Its the tired trope of the super hot girl finally recognizes the qualities of the dejected protagonist and instigates an unlikely relationship with them. It is very by the books, not offering anything new and when compared to the other story of the same concept, Second Prettiest Girl, I'm not sure this one will last as long as that one.
The series is available on Crunchyroll.
The Warrior Princess and the Barbariuc King
Defeated in battle, Serafina finds herself a prisoner of war by the heir to the throne of the barbarian horde. Her people have been battling them for years, attempting to expand their country. In the clutches of the enemy she expects the worse to happen to her. Instead she is the subject of a strange courtship ritual as the man who defeated her, Veor, wants her to be his bride, following a long tradition of his people to find brides in warrior women faced in combat.
Its kind of hard to rationalize forced marriage, especially via intentional Stockholm syndrome. However, the series is trying to present its self as easy going and playful as the 'antagonist' is kind and well meaning, just following his peoples ways. That doesn't make the basis of the concept any less problematic, but I think the charisma of the characters might make it less troublesome...time will tell.
The series is available on Crunchyroll.
A Hundred Scenes from Awajima
Set in a prestigious all girls high school, Awajima Revue, the story follows a number of different students as they try to find their way along the stressful path of academic success where the bar is set to extreme heights. Friendship is fragile in a world filled with competition and success.
This was a 100% include in my watch list as its the latest adaptation of one of my favorite manga artists, Shimura Takako. I have not had the chance to read this manga yet, so the story is fresh and new. I am excited but anxious for the drama and heart break. . Bring it on!
The series is available on Crunchyroll.
Kujima, Why Sing When You Can Warble
On his way home from school one day, Arata encounters a strange being calling its self Kujima. Kujima is a tall humanoid being that slightly resembles a bird? It can use human speech and tells the bewildered middle school student about an unconventional life following the death of his parents. He was raised by a kindly Russian man but eventually told that he needs to rejoin his own species and suggested him go to Japan to do so. Kujima, unaccustomed to living as a wild thing asks Arata and his family if he can winter with them before looking for his own kind.
Its hard to say where this weird and quaint series is going to go! Kujima feels both benevolnt and malevolent. Just what are this weird creatures intentions and will his time with the Koda family become a catalyst for them to become closer again? Weird series so far that leaves way more questions than answers in the first episode...Kujima is a little unsettling.
The series is available on Crunchyroll.
Botan Kamina Fully Blossoms When Drunk
Botan is a first year college student who is started to dip into the finer things of being an adult. She discovers that the RA in her dorm likes to drink, but does it in private due to being embarrassed about her consistent hiccups. Her RA feels comfortable enjoying alcohol with Botan, but Botan seems to switch personalities with alcohol.
At first I was excited about this prospect, not knowing anything about the story. A story about adults with a side plate of yuri? But what we got, at least in the first episode...and I'm rather disappointed. The idea of the characters being adults only seems to exist in the premise that they are drinking. Otherwise they act like an otaku's version of moe girls...and its rather annoying. I don't know how many more episodes I will get through but its really gotta turn its self around from being....rather pointless.
The series is available on Crunchyroll.
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