First Look at the New Titles for the Spring of 2025

Your Forma

     Set in an alternate world where technology is a bit more advanced, humanoid robots called Amicus are common throughout society.  They are instilled with what is essentially Asimov's 3 Laws of Robotics.  At the end of a, yet unexplained, leave of duty, Echika finds herself investigating a case to safe her partner.  Her abilities for diving into peoples brains is so good that any human assistant that has worked with her has suffered mental trauma from the experience.  This has led to her being assigned a high quality Amicus named Harold as her assistant.  He is arrested on suspicion of defying the laws an attacking a human.  He is released from custody when another attack takes place while hes under supervision and the two begin to search for clues, clues to lead to another sibling model potentially being the culprit.  They have to hurry to uncover whats going on with an Amicus defying its programming.

    This new take on the classic I Robot story feels like it came out 20 years too late.  The mystery at this point feels less interesting than a number of Ghost in the Shell's plot lines.  The artwork is rather low budget, even for 20 years ago.  The studio that did this adaption is Geno Studio.  They are mostly known for doing Golden Kamui...which has its own artwork problems.  Whats frustrating is that Geno Studio was born out of the ashes of Manglobe after is bankruptcy and dissolution.  Manglobe...19 years ago, released another cyberpunk mystery featuring a female lead and her inhuman assistant, Ergo Proxy.  That series still has a high quality of artwork and atmosphere.  Manglobe also produced Samurai Champloo and Michiko & Hatchin.  Your Froma is a far step from those in quality and substance.  Beyond all of that, this is a boring plot that we have seen countless times before.  I don't know what new ideas this show could present that would make it worth retreading.  Echika is no Motoko Kusanagi.

Your Forma is streaming on...Samsung TV Plus?

Sword of the Demon Hunter

     Jinta and his sister flee their home only to be adopted by a kindly stranger and brought to his small village.  The village has a tradition of a shine princess that the village reverse and protects from the dangers of the world around.  Their adoptive father is the designated protector of the shrine princess and busies himself protecting her from demons that search her out.  Years later his adoptive sister is the princess and he has replaced his adoptive father as her protector.  But when plans outside of his control bring ruin to his home, upending everything he has worked for, he must reevaluate what he uses his sword for.

    This was a late entry into the watch list, normally not being an anime I gravitate for, but something compelled me to watch the hour long first episode when a friend suggested it.  I was not disappointed at all in the story that unfolded.  This is a gritty story that does not shy away from being realistic.  But, its hard to tell what episode two will be like since episode one ends 170 years in the future, to essentially the present time.  I don't want to get into a lot of details because there's a lot that transpires in the first episode that are best experienced.  The character design and the artwork is good, a little problematic at times with feet?  The characters are engaging and the story treats the audience with respect.  If this pans out to be solid all the way through I may have to evaluate my blanket opinion on light novels distributed through the amateur publishing site shosetsuka ni naro.

The series is being steamed on HiDive.

Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive?

     Yuu and Himari have been best friends since middle school when Himari developed an overwhelming passion to help Yuu acheive his dream or selling jewelry and accessories.  Their friendship is as strong as ever and their partnership has lead to early success with his business.  Himari doesn't understand personal boundaries and doesn't consider there to be any possibility of romance between them, Yuu shares this sentiment and is otherwise more of a loner.  When Himaris' best friend from elementary school, Rion, comes into the picture her feelings for Yuu come into question in the face of a potential rival?

    This is a standard love triangle anime, potentially filled with a lot of plot lines that we've seen time and again.  But there is something about the care free attitude of the story that makes it more enjoyable than it should be.  Himari is over confident and unflinching in her place in the world, her boisterousness is enjoyable and its going to be fun to see her succumb to fear.  While it probably wont bring anything new to the table for the story, something feels like its going to be an enjoyable delivery.

This series is being streamed on Crunchyroll.

Everyday Host

    This is a hectic short about a group of men who work at a host bar and their insane antics.

    It's hard to get a solid feel for this one just based on the first 5 minute episode.  The comedy is solid and the artwork is cheaply made but this should be fun in its short package each week.

This series is not available for streaming in English.

 Gag Manga Biyori Go

    The seminal gag anime returns for a fifth series to honor the manga's 25th anniversary.  The first episode kicks off with a beloved character, Usami-chan, the  no nonsense grade school detective, who once again uncovers her classmates perverted crimes.

    Welcome back king!!!  I am a huge fan of the Gag manga series, which sadly had little to know audience in North America.  That may change now that Amazon is apparently going to have all of them available on top of simulcasting the new series.  Lets five!!!!

This series is being streamed on Amazon Prime.

Kowloon Generic Romance

    Kujirai Reiko works for a small realtor in New version of Kowloon, the infamous densely populated neighborhood good that existed in Hong Kong until the 1990s.  She is serious and put together, a stark contrast to her gorilla like co-worker, Kudou Hajime.  Something doesn't feel right with her though as she questions the things around her.  Her vision is suddenly perfect, a man at a cafe claims to have seen her before, referencing her being Kudou's girlfriend.  Does any of it have to do with new technology developed by a powerful pharmaceutical company that is ever present in Kowloon?

    Convincing me to watch this was easy.  I'm a fan of the authors previous work, After the Rain.  Its a potential love story between two adults and it has this mundane cyberpunk quality to it.  All I can hope for is a fantastically complex mystery and a really good payoff.  Everything is pointing to Kujirai recreating herself with the new technology, represented by a futuristic geometric shape hovering above the rats nest of Kowloon.  Side note, this is my pick for the Spring Season of The Otaku Network Podcast.

This series is being streamed on Crunchyroll.

Lazarus

     Set a little in the future, a brilliant scientist created a drug that removed all pain from those that took it and then disappeared right as the age of panacea began.  He returned a few years later to warn everyone that the drug was also designed to kill anyone who took it after a certain amount of time passed.  He wanted to use it as a warning for humanities hubris and sets a one month time frame for anyone to find him, to receive the antidote.  A group of specialists called Lazarus, are one such band undertaking the search.  But first, they need to recruit some fresh blood.

    A new series by the legendary Watanabe Shinichiro usually draws attention.  This American/Japanese joint venture has definitely had he hype train going.  I'm not sure if its going to stand up to that hype though. Its got some great moments but I struggle a little with some of the character design choices and the inconsistent animation quality...plus I'm not that big of a heist film fan.  We shall see...

The series is being streamed on HBO and airs on Cartoon Network...currently only in English dub...

Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary 2

    We pick up where last season left off and have a mystery being explored by Yuki's boyfriend, the underclassman Urino.  Yuki and Jogoro are still on bad term, not interacting at all in this first episode.

   I welcome this very dry and serious mundane mystery back to the fold and am interested to see what it can bring to the table. So far its spreading its wings by focusing on other characters for a change. Good start!

This series is being streamed on Crunchyroll.

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai 2

    Its the start of the second year of high school and Aharen and Raido are officially a couple.  But that doesn't really change the way they behave.  Their small friend group are also part of the class and the new home room teacher is the one who always exploded with joy when she encountered them around town.  Then a new student transfers in, a flashy gyaru who knew Aharen in grade school, the person responsible for Aharen being shy with interacting with others.

     I am so happy to see this fun and cute anime return!!  Literally have nothing else to say, just watch it.

 This series is being streamed on Crunchyroll.

Summer Pockets

    decides to spend his summer on a remote island, staying with a distant aunt, helping her clear out his grandmothers affects.   He is trying to restart his life following an as of yet explained 'event'.  As he explores the island, he begins to encounter some odd personalities in it.  While this summer retreat heal the hole in his heart?

    This is the latest adaptation of a visual game by the legendary KEY.  Maeda Jun was part of the team that developed it but I don't think its his baby entirely.   So prepare to moe archetypes, personal tragedy and twists.

This series is being steamed on Crunchyroll. 

Zatsu Tabi

    Chika is a new manga artist who is struggling to get her first series started.  On a whim she decides to take a few days off and go on a spontaneous trip to Northern Honshu, in hopes of clearing up her blues and sparking inspiration.

    This is a travel-log style iyashikei and so far its nice.  The main character is agreeable and there's some relatively realistic details around...its not dissimilar to Laid Back Camp honestly. 

This series is being streamed on Crunchyroll.

 MS Gundam GQuuuuuX

    In an alternate version of the events of the One Year War, Char steals the Gundam and uses it to help Zeon achieve victory.  A girl growing up on a space colony finds herself in the middle of a rebellion 5 years after Char and his Red Gundam disappeared.  She encounters a girl working as a courier for contraband and is fast tracked into the world of underground mech fighting.

    There are two things that annoy me with the majority of Gundam stories; the repetitive wunderkinds and the inability to move past Char.  This one has both aspects and so.e character design I'm not the biggest fan of.  We will see how it goes, hopefully better than Reconguista in G.

This series is being streamed on Amazon.

Apocalypse Hotel

    Set in the 22nd century the story revolves around a hotel in Ginza that is fully staffed with robots.  They have been maintaining their daily duties and have preserved the hotel for over a hundred years, following the mass exodus of humanity from the plant.  The surface has become unlivable due to a virus that was unable to be contained.  Those humans that didn't die fled.  Now the hotel carries on, hoping for guests that may never arrive until they run out of time.

    This was way more enjoyable that I thought it would be.  It's firmly in the realm of sad iyashikei.  It's cute but there is a sadness that hangs in the air as you know they will probably never be able to fulfill their duties and will just fade away in time ...forgotten buy the world around them.

This series is being streamed on Crunchyroll.

Honey Lemon Soda

Honey Lemon Soda (ハニーレモンソーダ) is a 12 episode romance based on the manga of the same name by Murata Mayu.  It originally aired during the Winter of 2025.

    Ishimori Uka is a first year high school student who struggle with self esteem.  She was isolated and bullied in middle school and struggles to become more confident.  Things begin to change however when the most popular boy in her grade intervenes in a round of abuse by her old tormentors.  Miura Kai is stern and aloof but when he intervenes for Ishimori he does so in the hopes that she will begin to stand up for herself and build some confidence.  Unknown to him, she chose to enroll in this high school instead of a more prestigious one, because of a chance encounter with Miura during exams.  He came upon her on the street when she was having a bit of a difficult moment and offered a helping hand.  She figured out what school he was applying for due to this and switched her enrollment request.  She was drawn to him for his kindness and his appearance.

    A group of classmates who hang around Miura begin to take interest in he girl who previously had been as innocuous as a statue.  One outgoing girl, Ayumi, takes charge and doesn't stop encouraging her to join them and relax.  Through both of their efforts, Ishimori gains a group of people she can spend time with and slowly the class includes her, bringing her a sense of belonging.  Though she may be growing like she wanted, her thoughts are clouded by doubt and self hatred.  Mirua is not exactly forthright with his mannerisms and causes her more doubt.  He wants her to stand up for herself but does so in a stern manner.  Its hard for her to understand if hes annoyed with her or not.  She questions every action and ever time he chides her for continuing her deeply ingrained habits.  The more time she spends with him, the more feelings for him grow.  However she doesn't know if he has any interest in her and is just being a guardian for her, willing to abandon her once either she or he is done with the arrangement.  She wants more than that but is afraid to seek it.  He's too hard to truly read, guarded as he is, she struggles to understand if there's any chance for her desires to come true.

    I went into this series with a negative attitude, which persisted through its run.  There were some moments near the end of it that were worth while but over all i still have a problem with this story.  This presents its self as a tale of hope for girl who struggle to find their voice in their peer group.  Instead its a story of a girl who is awkward and self hating who needs a strong boy to show her how to succeed.  Its a bit infuriating with how  reliant she is on Miura.  It doesn't help that hes rather obtuse in what he tells her and how he reacts to the things she does.  She created her own narrative about what hes thinking which sends her into a deeper spiral.  This stories ability to instill hope in individuals looking to pull themselves out of a similar situation isn't the best.  The message of only needing to find a strong confident man to protect you as you grow isn't the most forward thinking.

     The artwork is ok, though it has this weird fetish with making everyone's eyes urine yellow.  Otherwise, the artwork wasn't the worst.  There were tender moments where the animation team really put their effort in creating a strong impact.  Though the last few episodes felt like the series got a different director.  There was a stylistic change that took place that reminded me of His and Her Circumstance.  It was nice, but strayed from the tone of the story telling up until that point.  Regardless, it was a big of a slough for me to work through this series.  i am sure a lot of that is my own distaste before even starting episode one.  But I persisted because i wanted to see how it resolved.  t was OK...mostly stuck in the bounds of realism, but a lot of it seemed shortcut, perhaps laving out some finer details.  However, ,I'm not interested enough to see if anything was omitted from the original source material.

The series was simulcast on Crunchyroll.

Flower and Asura

 Flower and Asura (花は咲く、修羅の如く) is a 12 episode coming of age anime based on the manga of the same name by Takeda Ayano.  The series originally aired during the Winter of 2025.

     Haruyama Hana is going to be starting high school at Sumomogaoka High, away from the isolated island she had grown up on.  After watching a poem recital in her youth, she has been enamored by the act of public story telling.  Inspired by the performance, she began to hold regular readings for young children in town.  An older girl from school witnesses this one day and invites Hana to join the Broadcast Club.  Hana declines at first due to relying on someone to ferry her back and forth each day with their boat.  Unwilling to give up, Usurai Mizuki, the senior, does some behind the scenes work and negotiates for Hana to be able to stay after school for the clubs activities.  Accepting the possibility that her desires won't burden those around here, Hana joins the club as one of four freshmen members.

     Hana suddenly learns more about the club than she expected during her first days, as the other new members have either participated in similar clubs in middle school or have a greater understanding of the topic.  Everyone is driven for a different reason, some are more hungry than the others.  But in the end they are there to enjoy themselves.  Hana is constantly being pressured by her peers to conform to their ideals on how to approach the clubs activities, but Mizuki gently pushes her along, sometimes forcing her to grow out of her shell.

    This was a nice change of pace from a lot of the recent titles out there.  It was through and through a coming of age story that didn't have ulterior motives or distractions...until the last arc unfortunately.  I'm a bit of a broadcast nerd, having working professionally in the media industry for over 25 years now as well as pursuing music and video production on the side for just as long, if not longer.  In my first year of middle school I joined an after school club similar to this, a forensics club, so I had a bit of an interest in the subject matter with this series.  However...the last arc, as eluded to, kind of spun the reality of the story into something a bit more fanciful as the group of plucky teenagers face off against a Showa era matriarch.  It felt a bit forced and they might have actually excluded that part to focus more on the NHK cup they had been focused on the entire show...but I also don't know how much of that was shown in the manga.  It was an odd direction regardless.

    Aside from what I consider a blunder in the story at the end, the show over all wasn't bad.  The characters were have rather blatant personalities.  At times, during an important recitation, the viewers are transported to a visual representation of the delivery which can be fun at times and awkward at others, leaving a rather uneven tone to the story in general.  For all the criticism I have for it, its generally not a bad anime, I just would have enjoyed it more with a few alterations.  I'm not sure if I will ever re-watch it or look for the manga, but I won't shy away from suggesting it to others who may be the right audience.  In a land full of similar stories again and again and again, its a nice change of pace.  It tells a straightforward and rather mundane story and we grow with Hana.  It's no Showa Genroku Raguko Shinju however...that is an amazing piece of literature about story telling.

The series was simulcast on HiDive.

Even Though We're Adults

Even Though We're Adults (おとなになっても) is a slice of life yuri romance manga by Shimura Takako.  The manga was published between 2019 and 2023 and has been compiled into 10 tankoubon.

    Elementary school teacher, Okubo Ayano, enjoys a rare night out at a small restaurant she visits from time to time.  The night slips away and she finds herself in the apartment of a woman who sat next to her at the bar.  Overwhelmed by emotions and unexplainable feelings, Ayano is drawn to her in ways she never felt possible.  Unwilling to dive too far too quickly, the other woman, Hirayama Akari, probes Ayano's feelings, searching for signs of trouble if she goes further.  Akari has not had a good track record when it comes to finding lasting love.  She tries to protect herself as well as she can by applying a series of litmus tests to a potential partner.  Ayano confesses she has never really felt this way about a woman before, not a deal breaker for Akari, who hopes that this new and exciting woman is just a late bloomer.  The pair exchange contact information and part ways before they decide to go any further, not wanting to ruin anything that may grow between them.

    Akari doesn't have long to wait to see Ayano again, nor does she have long to wait to see if the relationship will work.  The following week Ayano returns to the restaurant for dinner, accompanied with a man.  Ayano discreetly tells the stunned woman that the man is her husband, Wataru, crushing her freshly awakened dreams of happiness and companionship.  Afterwards, Ayano begins to open up to Akari about her situation, struggling with how to proceed, drawn strongly to Akari.  Ayano has never knowingly become emotionally drawn to another woman but hasn't exactly lead a traditional wife role.  She met her husband when she was 30 through an arrangement and the two decided to get married because it didn't seem like a bad idea.  After five years together, Ayano doesn't know if there is any real love for her husband and if she is staying with him out of convenience.  A better alternative to her current situation has not presented its self until Akari appeared before her.  Now she struggles with how to proceed, recognizing that there is little in the way of love between her and Wataru.

     Akari has been involved in situations like this before and has little desire to do so again, but something about the timid school teacher stirs deep emotions in her.  She had left her previous job as a stylist due to a woman she was madly in love with leaving her for a man she ended up marrying and having a child with.  She has been in situations where someone is cheating on their spouse with her as well and has always received the short end of the stick.  She just wants to find someone she can be with long term and not have to play childish emotional games.  Ayano struggles with her feelings and quickly reveals to her husband what happened, causing panic.  She feels trapped suddenly, in part due to her mother-in-law pressuring them to get serious about having children.  The revelation leads to Wataru and Akari meeting in a tense situation and his mother finding out about the infidelity.  His mother brushes it off, as it was little more than an innocent kiss between two women, ignoring any possibility of the intense emotional waves emanating from both parties.  She also forces the couple to move into the family home, using Wataru's father hospitalization as a catalyst.  

    The possibility of the two women finding comfort in each others arms seems to be evaporating as quickly as it began.  Ayano, through being open and honest with her husband, has been backed into a situation that seems like forced domestication.  She has expressed her desire for a divorce but Wataru is refusing to agree to it.  Life within her in-laws house finds her always under the watchful eye of her mother-in-law.  She has resigned herself to her fate, but the feelings for Akari persist and grow.  Akari struggles with distancing herself from the problem that is Ayano's domestic situation.  To limit continued contact with anyone related to her, she leaves her job at the restaurant, returning to the hair salon she previously worked at.  The change leads her to move as well but this puts her closer in contact with Ayano and the Okubo family than she ever would have anticipated.  The two women, drawn to each other stronger with the passage of time, struggle to navigate the complicated and delicate situation that they both find themselves in.  No one wants to move forward while leaving a wake of misery and hatred in their path.

    I have been a massive fan of Shimura Takako's work since I read her beautiful manga Wandering Son.  When I learned of this newer series of hers and that it was about an adult relationship I was more than happy to dive into it and dive I did!  This manga and Skip & Loafer kicked off my significant increase in manga purchasing in 2023, seeing me hitting book stores every week to pick up new volumes...if not the following day.  I digress though.  I have consumed a lot of romance in the past twenty years, but largely in anime form and have a massive void when it comes to manga, as there is so much more that exists.  On top of that, there are few romance stories I have gone over that deal with adults, as most accessible titles and anime are stories revolving around high school aged children.  When it comes to a yuri romance based around adults...well that comes down to one, this one.  Even Though We're Adults is my introduction to the world of adult yuri and I don't know if it is a benchmark of the genre, an outlier or a boring and repetitive one.  Take this severe lack of exposure into consideration in regards to my thoughts and critiques of this manga as a whole.  I am coming at it from the ground floor.

    Its inevitable that you come across reviews or opinions on a story that can influence your feelings on it.  I did that after reading the first volume out of curiosity and its made me wonder about the reality of the critiques when compared to the rest of the genre that I am not yet as deeply familiar with.  The main critique is that this is a story that focuses on a toxic hetero normative complication in what should be a blossoming lesbian partnership.  Akari herself, through out the story, continues to remind herself that shes not the bad guy in the situation.  She didn't seek out a married woman to seduce over to her side.  Yet she has to face off with a growing list of passive agitators while she tries to navigate her own emotions.  She is a victim of circumstance and falsehoods, lies she was not responsible for but was party to against her own desires.  Or that was the way it was in the beginning.  As time goes on, and Ayano continues to appear in her life and reaffirm mutual feelings, Akari resist the urge to expose her continued distraction to her family.   Ayano is incredibly passive, more than willing to play along with the demands placed on her by the husband she no longer wants to be with and his mother.  Her inability to make drastic changes in her life causing nothing but strife for herself and Akari.

    The story focuses largely on the struggles of its characters as they move through the evolving situations they find themselves in.  They are all adults and try to make themselves understood as much as they can.  There is no room for agonized internal dialogue, forever fretting over fictional scenarios of doubt and regret.  There is a lot of doubt and regret though, but its less about inability to communicate and more about hesitation due to expectations based on experiences in the past.  Akari has had a terrible romantic live, always getting the short end of the stick in every relationship, unable to find someone she can keep for her self.  These past pains drive much of her hesitation regarding Ayano, even after Ayano has left her husband.  She struggles to quell her emotions for the other woman and finds herself lost every time they run into each other.  As the story progresses more people in their orbit become enmeshed in the central drama, struggling with their own issues that exist on the periphery, unintentionally instigated by a chance encounter at a bar one evening.  This is a fantastic story that has me wanting more.  I have long respected Shimura sensei's work.  Another fantastic series by her is the equally complicated adult romance Koi Iji.  Both are well worth the time...if only either of them would get an anime adaptation.

The manga was released in English by Seven Sea's, with the final volume being published in February of 2025.  A live action adaptation is slatted to premier in April of 2025 on Hulu.