At this point in time, the Summer seasonal shows have mostly wrapped up and the Fall shows are getting started. So, I wanted to hear your thoughts on shows you watched this season. Shows you liked, disliked, were surprised by, disappointed by? Let those opinions rip!
Please feel free to use this thread as a normal weekly discussion thread as well! Anything that would normally be in the weekly discussion thread any other week is welcome here.
As always, remember to be mindful of spoilers. If you want to know more about how to handle spoilers in this community, check the guide here (also linked in the sidebar).
This has been a banger of a season. It’s not quite as stacked as Winter 2026, but I’m on track to complete 10 series this season!
New Anime
Good
BanG Dream! YUME∞MITA
This anime had a very strong start, but started faltering halfway through the season. I am not sure how to put it. Maybe the drama can be better written? To be fair, I don’t think the writing of Ave Mujia (which I enjoyed more) is much better. The thing is, Ave Mujica has quite a few entertaining plot threads and twists. Yume Mita on the other hand has only one big central drama and if that doesn’t deliver, 🤷
Don’t get me wrong - even though it failed to live up to my initial expectations, I still enjoyed it. The girls are cute, the comedic bits can hit at times and the drama is sufficiently engaging IMO. If you are looking for more cute-girls-doing-cute-things (CGDCT) to watch, I’d say this is a decent choice.
Great
Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia
Just like Yume Mita, I find that this anime had a strong hook, but was not as engaging the rest of the season. The story is an extremely slow burn - which is probably a plus point when it comes to making it “realistic”, but that just makes it more boring.
Still, the writing / execution is great, and there aren’t enough historical drama anime. If this subgenre is your cup of tea, definitely check it out.
Though I Am an Inept Villainess
This anime is the opposite of Jaadugar in certain ways. The story is deep like in Jaadugar, but the entertaining factor is up there. The realism factor is completely thrown out of the window with the existence of magic and whatnot, though the most egregious part has to be the timeline. If I understood it right, everything in this anime happened in approximately 2 weeks. 2 weeks! I think fellow watchers know how crazy this is. The characters are also very tropey, and a few of them are just one-dimensional.
But! It was such an entertaining watch. Reirin is such an adorable protagonist. Her antics, though predictable, made things fun.
I got to say, I am surprised that there is a sequel. Now that this part of the story has wrapped up, would the title still apply?
Goodbye, Lara
This is such a beautiful anime. When it comes to fairy tales, I’d usually expect Disney’s works, so seeing one in anime makes it stood out right away. And to make it more interesting, they are showing what happens after.
Honestly, the story and characters are kinda basic. However, the execution is so good. I think this anime has one of the best build-ups towards the climax this season. Glimpses of the big-bad kept me on the edge of my seat, while snippets of drama and backstories kept each episode fresh.
As for the climax: it’s best if you see it for yourself 😉
I am aware that there are controversies surrounding its ending, and though it is not the most satisfying ending ever, I can see the vision. This anime has a a certain direction and I’d say the ending aligns with that. It reminds me of 100 Meters in a way.
Top-Tier
The Cat and the Dragon
This is anime is one of the two biggest surprises for me this season. It’s just about a dragon and some cats, how good can it be?
The episodes in this anime are only loosely connected. We follow the lives of various cats and their interactions with each other, or with their human partners. You’d think with its episodic nature, not as much story-telling can be done, but some of these episodes hit hard. There are genuinely some very emotional moments.
That is not to take away from the cute and wholesome moments. This anime is about cats after all. If you are looking for a healing anime this season, this is it.
Btw, my favourite cat is Mama Nyan. Which is yours?
Peak
Draw This, Then Die!
If I must pick a new anime to be my anime of the season, this is it. It is yet another CGDCT anime, but by god is the story peak.
The protagonist’s journey of learning to create manga is so heartwarming. Even though it is not a sports anime, it is basically an underdog story. With zero experience in creating manga, and no strength in the field but her passion, Yasumi is quite the underdog protagonist.
But like all the other underdog protagonists, she is able to surround herself with great people, great friends whom she worked together with to reach greater heights. It is no wonder with such a lovable personality.
And she is not even the one carrying the show.
The true carry has got to be the deuteragonist, Teshima sensei. Life is not easy and sensei’s story reflects that. Her backstory is something that I think many people can connect with on a deep, personal level. I know cause I am one of them.
Without spoiling too much, I’d say the story can get pretty emotional at times.
On the technical and educational front, it also does a pretty good job IMO. I am a noob and I learnt a thing or two about the manga creation process from this anime. In a way, it is like Shirobako.
In a nutshell, peak characters, story, story-telling and everything else all around. 10 / 10, highly recommend.
Sequels
Saga of Tanya the Evil - Season 2
This season of Tanya clearly has a different focus from the previous season. Like pretty much all the other great war anime, it started off focusing more heavily on the war itself before switching to politics - i.e. what’s motivating the war.
As such, there are fewer cool aerial fight scenes, but it still managed to deliver when it mattered.
Story and writing-wise, though it is not bad, I think it could have been more impactful. We know this story is based on Europe’s theater in the great wars, so more IRL reference could have dialed things up a notch.
For example, we see the mood of the populace becoming more negative as the war drags on. Imagine if they show some citizens opposing / protesting against the war, and the Gestapo rounding them up.
Another issue I’m glad they touched on is the resources required to sustain a war. What if in order to acquire more wealth and resources to continue war, they decide a sacrifice a portion of their populace 👀
In fact, this is moving beyond politics and into the economics of war, but IMO the economic aspect deserves more exploration in this kind of anime. Side note, not anime but I found Money & Macro’s Youtube video on the economics of Nazi Germany amazing in this regard.
To be fair, including all these would be quite ambitious and requires quite the writing chops to pull off. Plus, it would have deviated from the main plotline: that this all just a petty fight between Tanya and God.
But I’m still glad that they touch on a bit of the politics regardless. Still a great watch like before.
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You - Season 3
Unlike other anime airing this season, I am familiar with the source manga, so I judged it less on the story and more on how good I felt the adaptation was.
And I’d say Bibury Studio pulled it off once again.
The team working on this anime are clearly passionate about this project, and could possibly even be fans of the manga. Episodes like the idol arc are proof of how much effort and passion went into producing such quality (pun intended).
But IMO the best aspect is the direction of the anime. The director manages to balance the cute, wholesome, funny, unhinged and serious moments, all jampacked into 12 short episodes that fly by.
It’s too bad there isn’t a sequel announcement immediately, but I’m not surprised given its low popularity. It is what it is 😔
On the bright side, there are still manga chapters to look forward to. In fact, the 38th girlfriend should be coming soon. What do you think her quirk / twist would be? There are still a couple of tropes not implemented yet and they would be the obvious candidates. Off the top of my head: transfer / exchange student, or someone from the student council. Then again, Nakamura the writer, the madman, is impossible to predict.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation - Season 3
TODO: catch up on last two episodes
You and I Are Polar Opposites - Season 2
Gotta finish this series but it’s not done airing. Shall share my thoughts in next week’s thread.