Instead of the usual pink cloud Utage’s head was exploding in fireworks, because it’s a festival episode. I love how fun and refreshing the gags in this show are.
Despite the festive atmosphere I found this episode rather sad. Seems like our Miss Kinoshita has a low self-esteem and considers herself unlovable, just like Gloomyhara.
Also, back off, Ouri. Your chances are below zero. Shoo. Shoo!
Checked out more of this season’s premieres.
Champignon Witch - it has a fairy tale feel. I somehow expected it to be cute and episodic, but it turned out to be a drama with an actual plot and thought-out lore.
The Darwin Incident - the story raises interesting philosophical questions, but so far lacks in execution. The writing feels rather bland.
The Holy Grail of Eris - managed to interest me in the conspiracy behind Scarlett’s death.
The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife - pairing up a blind woman with an invisible guy, who happens to be a gentleman in a suit, is a genius move. It’s sweet and wholesome, but, since they are both adults, I expect to see more spicy moments as their romance develops.
Isekai Office Worker: The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter - the premise sure was premising at the start of the second episode. It was premising so hard I remembered my fujoshi days and screamed all the way. A BL isekai with an adult cast was unseen in anime form before this one, I believe. It’s fun seeing Aresh get frustrated with Seiichirou’s corporate slave mindset. That long “Haaaaaaaaaaaah?” when Seiichirou ran off to work right after waking up was hilarious. May a hot man heal that unrepentant workaholic and change his unhealthy lifestyle.
A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation - an isekai about a noble transported from one fantasy world to another and being extremely chill about it. I’m a bit confused about the title, because the guy decides to become an adventurer of all things. I don’t see BL in genres tags, but the vibe is there. It looks and feels like isekai targeted at female audience. Fascinating we got two of them in one season all of a sudden. I don’t know what to make of it so far, but I’ll keep watching for now; I quite enjoy hearing Souma Saitou’s calm noble voice.
Love Through A Prism - haven’t finished it yet, but one thing I appreciate about it is how the story’s progress gives the drama time to develop so that it doesn’t feel forced or like coming from nowhere and characters’ grievances feel believable. Having 20 episodes certainly helps.
Kaya-chan Isn’t Scary and Scum of the Brave - I would give both more episodes in a slightly less busy season, but with Love Through A Prism batch release and Fushigi Yuugi and Dear Brother, which I started when the current season wasn’t in full swing yet, something had to be sacrificed, and nothing about these two particularly stood out to me.
Fall 2025 leftovers
To Your Eternity Season 3 - Fushi has finally realized that his friends have got to live their own lives and there is nothing he can do to prevent them from struggling and facing new challenges. Heartbreaking. This story is at its best when it focuses on Fushi and his friends instead of nokkers.
Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider - Still fun. I’ve seen people being disappointed with ramen-loving idol episodes, but I thoroughly enjoyed them. I mean, Sena just went and domesticated a powerful Shocker, isn’t it hilarious? I wonder if it would be relevant to the plot later. Maybe Kumota would feel a tinge of sympathy for humans or something.
Makio was so used to her sister’s judgmental attitude, expecting to hear only criticism her whole life, it’s no wonder Nana’s words made her tear up and consider life worth living. Nana may have forgotten writing that letter, but Makio will cherish the memory forever. I think she understands how much meaning simple words can carry in people’s lives better than anyone, and that’s why she shared the story with Asa. It made Asa think of Emiri and realize that their friendship is also precious like that, which gave her a necessary push to pick up the phone and call Emiri. Simply beautiful. Just thinking about it makes my eyes watery again. What a powerful episode.
I dig the flowers gag.
She even pukes flowers, adorbs.
@rikka@ani.social
Kohaku probably just wanted to tease Yoi by asking her out and present it as a joke once she refuses. Nice to see her not letting him get away with it.
I hope it wasn’t too dark and scary in that bush.
Fern seems to enjoy doing Frieren’s hair. She likes taking care of Frieren, doesn’t she?
It was nice seeing two “old” men, even if one of them appeared only for two seconds as a ghost.
The fact that people still find and enjoy Hanasaku Iroha warms my heart. It was the first anime that made me enamoured with SOL as a genre. Need to rewatch it at some point.
Toxic romance with a male yandere as the main character is all I could ask for. Extremely excited to see Shinpei animated.
This season
Fate/strange Fake - I am but a casual Fate watcher, who has seen only Fate/stay night and Fate/Zero and did or did not find it too pretentious to my liking, why am I enjoying it this much? The cast is fun, the priest is somehow annoying but in a hot way, and the blond girl with her knight duo’s dynamic looks interesting. Fun.
In the Clear Moonlit Dusk - I was so afraid the guy would remind me of Itsuomi and I would have to either suffer or drop it, but, luckily, it wasn’t the case (I’m staying optimistically cautious though). I’m pretty sure manga is more gorgeous, but I’ll keep watching for now, since it’s from the author of Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet and Hirunaka no Ryuusei, and I enjoyed both.
You and I Are Polar Opposites – hand-holding in the very first episode? Modern romances know no shame. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this premiere. I liked how supportive Suzuki’s friends were of her. Also, OP reminded me of Shoshimin’s Kaseijin, so I looked into the director. Kyouhei Ishiguro, got to remember this name.
The Daily Life of a Part-time Torturer - watching the cast going on with their daily lives is almost satisfying, though I mostly ignore the torture bits. The boys are cute. The banter is good.
Dark Moon - looks like your standard supernatural reverse harem slop. I’m gonna watch it unironically. For now, that is.
Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You Season 2 - the production is still bad, but at least there is emotion in voices. I’m kinda addicted to this friends circle drama. Maybe I should switch to manga.
Makio noticed that Asa is good at singing, and now I expect her to sing or hum a melody every upcoming episode. Otherwise I’ll be teeny tiny bit disappointed.
Both Nana and Shingo are a great addition to the cast. I hope to hear more of Nana’s laugh.
The way Asa always reacts to adults doing or saying something that is not very grown-up in her opinion is quite fascinating. I wonder if it’s just a child’s idea of an adult thing or her mother’s influence.
I both loved and hated the ending. From a philosophical perspective, it was excellent, but from a narrative perspective it was a bit underwhelming.
I wish it ended on episode 23. I may have liked the ending if it got more episodes to get used to, but the shift from the story to the philosophy lesson was too abrupt for my liking. It somewhat ruined my overall enjoyment of the show.
However, leading into the conclusion, I definitely felt my lack of knowledge impacted my enjoyment.
I think one needs to be a true Gundam fan to enjoy GQuuuuuuX. I watched first Gundam, but still felt confused at times. My biggest problem with the show, though, was the main trio and how underdeveloped those characters were. At least the animation and cinematography looked cool.
Finished Hana yori Dango. It was delightfully messy and super fun to watch. I really liked the female characters. Tsukushi is an amazingly strong main heroine, Tsubaki is a great sister and adult, and Shigeru’s personality makes her a good friend. Also, it’s truly pretty aesthetic-wise. I’m all about seasonals, but I get where the nostalgia for old art-styles is coming from.
This Season
I read the synopsis, I saw the trailer, I had a feeling it would be good, but everything about the premiere exceeded my expectations. I love Makio and Asa already.
2025 Wrap-Up
Honorable mentions: Orb: On the Movements of the Earth, Medalist, Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc and Blue Exorcist: The Blue Night Saga (both had one of their best arcs)
Score
Voice Acting Performance
OP
ED
Best Episode
Best Character
Best Boy
Best Girl
My heart wasn’t prepared for all the cuteness. I was smiling the whole time.
The invisible guy sure is good at reading Shizuka’s expressions, but then, again, the thought of “Operation Share a Cup of Tea Take 2” was written all over her face.
I liked that they showed Shizuka turning on the light in her house for Akira.
The “handkerchief” moment was so funny. The detective skills used to the fullest indeed.
Man, you can’t say her first name twice with different intonation all of a sudden. Even my heart was melting. Japanese voice actors doing god’s work, as always.
Shizuka was the first to notice Akira’s good mood based on voice alone. It was not only a great demonstration of how she relies on hearing, but also how she can’t participate in discussions that require vision, like the suit’s colour and how good it looks on Akira.
We got a side couple! Shizuka and Luna are not the only ones who want to know what happened in the mountains.
The cold made Shizuka so greedy she completely forgot about her mother. I don’t blame her in the slightest.
I’m sorry you can’t see this, girl. But don’t worry, you’ll find out sooner or later.
The way he exclaimed “Mother?!” sent me. Ah, such a fun episode.