Here is the quick look at all of the new and returning anime that are on the watch list for the Summer of 2025!
Sparks of Tomorrow
Four years after his brother left for war, Kihachi still holds out hope for the vision of electrifying Japan at the turn of the century, moving away from team power. The key to that effort, the 20th Century Electricity Catalog, has been missing since his brother left. Through a chance encounter with a clumsy girl, that catalog has suddenly returned to him. Unfortunately the heir to a powerful steam zaibatsu is after it as well.
This is KyoAni's latest series and they have pulled out all of the stops. Immense color palette, fluid animation and larger than life characters. This steam age comedy action story has a lot of potential. Regardless of its quality, I have to keep watching it since it was Davids pick for this season of the Podcast!
Daemon's of the Shadow Realm cour 2
After a week break we dive right back into the world of twin daemons and their wielders. The story picks up right were cour 1 ended with another attack on Higashi Village. The stakes are rising as Yuru and Asa struggle to learn the fate of their parents.
I ended season 1 disappointing. The pacing was terrible and the world building not good enough for the type of story it wanted to tell. We decided to stick with it for the next season of the podcast in hopes that it would redeem its self. The first episode of the new cour was good...but so was the first episode of cour 1. Time will tell if this will end up being worth the time.
The series is being simulcast on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
Please Excuse My Younger Brothers
Ito's mother has married a new man and the two of them are moving in with him. She is excited to have a complete family and the new life that awaits her. What she didn't anticipate, given her mom should have told her before hand...the new marriage brings four younger brothers with it. She goes from a largely solitary existence to a house full of differing personalities and a whole new set of challenges ahead of her.
It's hard to say at this point how much this story will lean into a romance angle, cus step siblings, but reverse harems aren't entirely a bad thing. A weak point is how by the book the story and characters seem so far and I am not sure if this one will really be able to tell something new enough to keep my interest.
The series is being simulcast on Crunchyroll.
Draw This, Then Die
Ai has always struggled to interact with her peers. The socially awkward girl eventually finds solace in the world of manga. After years of reading as much manga she could, she would always return to the first one she read, a single volume of an unpopular series that was cancelled quickly. When she learns that making manga is something anyone can do and the author of her favorite one is one her teachers, a whole new world opens up to her.
The biggest take away is that Ai probably needs some mental health support. If you approach the series from a realistic perception, she absolutely needs to be on some sort of medication to work on her chemical imbalance in her brain. The hallucinations alone are concerning! But, instead this is a cute slice of life about an awkward girl who is falling in love with the world of imagination and self expression...even if her incredibly strict teacher/secret failed manga creator tries (at first) to push her away from the medium. So far this one is going to stick around. Its predictable but fun at the same time.
The series is being simulcast on Crunchyroll.
Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky
Kakeru is a university student who doesn't like engaging with those around him and has spent most of his life being unobtrusive. After being forced to attend a mixer he becomes entangled with a fellow student, Koharu, who is visually impaired. Another co-ed, who is a member of the service committee, coerces Kakeru to look out for Koharu and help her in the classes they attend together. Kakeru is reluctant, due to his personality and due to not wanting to be in a situation where his kindness for the young woman comes from a place of pity.
I won't lie, the major draw for this is due to Hayami Kaori voicing Kakeru. With this roll she has now done two special needs characters that I am aware of...the other being Shoko from A Silent Voice. This series is a slow burning low energy drama so far. I see potential but there is so far too much emphasis on Kakeru's internal dialogue, a realm that is filled with self pity and discontent with his surroundings. SO far Kakeru is presented as an eternally optimistic character, but I suspect there will be a point where the mask falls and real drama kicks in.
The series is being simulcast on Crunchyroll.
Oh Boy, Was I Wrong About Her
Hayato has transferred to Tokyo from the country side for high school. During his childhood, due to the scarcity of kids his age, he only had one friend, Haruki. Their bond of friendship was incredibly strong and he has missed him ever since he moved away. At the first day of class he learns that a girl shares his best friends name. Quickly...he learns that they are one and the same, he has just assumed the tom boyish girl that spent all of her time with him was a boy. Both are more then excited to be in each others company again, even if things are a little different.
There isn't anything bad I can say about this. It flows rather nicely and the secret of Haruhi's gender is not a concept that becomes the focus point. Hayato quickly accepts the reality, understanding how things can be misunderstood when a young child. They have kept their past hidden from their peers for now, but eventually that will come out and its only a matter of time for the romantic emotions to develop. Unless it gives me a reason to stop watching it I will keep going, but I don't anticipate anything mind blowing with the story.
The series is being simulcast on Crunchyroll.
Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia
Sitar is a young girl how has been forced into slavery in 13th century Persia. In a stroke of luck she becomes part of a scholarly household and is given an education. Ten years later, after the young master of the house has been touring the land to become as great a scholar as his father, the town is attacked by Mongol invaders. The city if destroyed and most inhabitants are murdered, Sitar finds herself alone and in a strange new life, unsure if she has the will to continue.
I have been waiting for this one since it was announced. I am a huge simp for Science Saru and stories that break from the norm are rare gems in the landscape of TV anime. As I was watching it, I felt some similarity in tone and theme with Orb: On the Movements of the Earth. I can't wait to watch more of this beautiful tale. I fear however this will go largely unnoticed by the anime community, due to the subject matter and the unique artwork.
The series is being simulcast on Crunchyroll.
You and I are Polar Opposites season 2
We return to the fluffy love life of gyaru Miyu and silently bookish Yusuke...and their close circle of friends. We jump back in with their lives as they approach the most romantic time of the year, Christmas Eve, and the couplings work are solidifying.
We are so lucky to have the second half of the fantastic and loving romance so quickly after the first season. The story hasn't lost its charm or its footing as we continue to get more amusement and sweetness. Sadly, when this run is over that will be the end of the story!!!!
The series is being simulcast on Crunchyroll.
Let's Go Kaikigumi
A sturdy high school student, who hates scary stories and the concept of ghosts, ends up convincing himself to assist a weird, possibly ghost, girl named Mechako to rebuild her family business, the Kaikigumi. The business is responsible to setting up and maintaining haunting in the neighborhood and has fallen off since she inherited it from her late father. Due to his sense of responsibility over powering his sheer terror, the boy agrees to help out the strange girl and now has to live his life interacting with all manner of ridiculous apparitions.
The plot set, the main characters introduced, now all that's left is to introduce as many odd ghost ideas as possible. This is a rather amusing series with very Japanese humor. I am not sure if I can categories this as a gag anime but its close enough. This could be fun if the jokes stay strong and fresh.
The series is being simulcast on Crunchyroll.
Grow Up Show
Mizuka, who grew up in an intense family circus environment, has been estranged from her father due to her refusal to carry on the familly business. At the end of her rope and desperate, she finds herself as a small circus troupe, via trickery from her father. The troupe is run by a petite woman named Maria and is staffed by orphans girls and women. Mizuka want's nothing to do with it but eventually is encouraged to join when Maria reveals that Mizuka is responsible for a sizable debt incurred by her father. Maria hopes that the reluctant prodigy will add the talent needed to shape up her troupe.
A new twist in the standard cute girl iyashiki, this time its a 1950's traveling circus of moe types. Not sure how long I will watch it. I am not particularly enamored by the theme and everything else feels very familiar and boring.
The series is being simulcast on Crunchyroll.
One Piece Heroines
Based on the light novel series of the same name, this series focuses on the women of One Piece and tells stand alone stories of their exploits.
What first drew me in was the artwork and character design. The biggest problem I have with One Piece is the objectification of its female characters in regards to their design and clothing. Heroines instead turns their figures and fashion into empowerment and grace. The first episode was a story of Nami getting revenge on a shoddy fashion shoe maker who contracts pirates to steal jewels for him to use. I absolutely loved this new portrayal of both Nami and Robin and can't wait for more!!
The series is being simulcast on Crunchyroll.
100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You season 3
We kick off the season with Rintaro still working towards his goal of finding the 100 women/girls who are his true loves. But before we do that we have to back track on the few that were snuck in, in-between the season.
If you have ever doubted the legitimacy of this series to exist, just remember it is equal parts satire/comedy and fan service. It is creatively schizophrenic. The opening sequence sets the tone and does it in a solid manner well established at this point. Some of the best parts of this story are the flagrant 4th wall breaks. How many more tropes can he add to his harem?!?!
The series is being simulcast on Crunchyroll.
Chainsmoker Cat
Yaniko is a young adult who also happens to be a cat-girl, in a world were some people are animal hybrids. Yaniko lives in a dilapidated apartment in barren squalor, spending all of her meager earnings on cigarettes and beer. Her addiction to nicotine is debilitating, leading her to extremes to get her fix.
I wasn't sure if this would be worth the time, fearing it would be a weird exploitative off color series. It still is! But its also way too real for what it is. It reminds me way too much of some aspects of my young adult life spent in poverty. While I haven't gone as far as saving cigarettes from fresh poop...I have done some less than savory things for nicotine. I also lived in a run down, shitty apartment because the rent was cheap and work didn't pay well. On top of everything, this has some of the best artwork so far of any other series this season! I think I'm going to enjoy this more than anticipated.
The series is being simulcast on Crunchyroll and OceanVeil.
Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc season 2
Without skipping a beat, the story picks up after the fall out from the arc at the end of season 1. The boss man of Magilumiere wants to implement the new low magic system they are developing to fight the Kaii infestation. Other more powerful organizations are opposed to this, desiring greater unleashing of magical powers and fattening their bottom end in the process.
I was a little lost at first, given how long its been since season one ended, but by about the halfway point of the episode I remembered the things that mattered with this world. Its great to have a fresh take on the magical girl genre and this season looks to be cracking heavily into the business intrigue side of things!
The series is being simulcast on Amazon Prime.
Ghost in the Shell
If you have never seen Ghost in the Shell in any of its prior incarnations then this is a brand new fresh and unadulterated start. It is a story of a public security force that specializes in counter terrorism in a future marked by advanced technologies. Section 9 is a really a small paramilitary force that has a theoretically unlimited budget to do what is usually necessary to maintain the governments best interest, even if that doesn't fit any sort of social interest.
It is at this point I regret never really diving into the original GITS manga. Like anyone my age I have pretty much watched everything that has been made before. I knew going into this brand new take at it by Science Saru that we were in for a different type of story, one closer to the manga. A weird and confusing espionage tale that has a very healthy amount of comedy and weirdness to it. Forget most of what you know about this world if you have only ever watched the other anime adaptations...its a whole new ball game and I am here for this.
The series is being simulcast on Amazon Prime.
Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You
Sasaki is a middle aged, single office worker, who frequents a local super market to take in the beaming friendliness of a cashier named Yamada as his only source of happiness. One night, while his object of affection isn't on the clock, another employee invites him to join her for a cigarette in the back of the building. The woman names Tayama presses him about his noticeable obsession with Yamada. She seems satisfied with his innocent confession of her putting a ray of happiness on his otherwise dreary daily life.
Tayama is Yamada...shes good at putting on the customer service act and changes her appearance enough to convince at least Sasaki...for now. She appears to have an affection for the solemn Sasaki and for now is playing with him for her own amusement. Its a matter of how long until she comes clean or he figures it out then the story can move onto more honest conversations with these two that seem to be destined for each other. The first episode didn't offer a lot outside of the initial premise. Hopefully over time more meat becomes available because I am not sure how long I can handle these two having awkward conversations sitting on crates.
The series is being simulcast on Crunchyroll.
Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life
Narukami is a listless NEET, wasting his days watching TV and playing video games. His pathetic but uneventful life comes to an abrupt halt when a crazed girl names Hanaori burst into his room to challenge him. Narukami is the reincarnation of an evil demon lord. Hanaori was the hero who defeated him. Even though they live in the relative peace of the real world, she still has a strong desire to defeat him. To make her victory meaningful she convinces him to do something with his life. He decides to begin working as a teacher and ironically finds himself teaching Hanaori's class. The new age of adventure has begun!
The entire premise on its own was quite amusing to me...then I looked into who made the original manga. Hikawaa Hekiru, the author of Pani Poni. I was already entertained enough by the hectic pacing of the first episode but given its by the man genius behind Pani Poni Dash...I am in the the long run!
The series is being simulcast on Crunchyroll.
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