I have a couple working theories with anime (well, more than a couple). I think you can pretty much peg an anime season about four months before it starts. I think you can guess what kind of a year it’s going to be by about October of the previous year – and by January do so with about 95% accuracy. Once you understand production cycles, it’s pretty self-evident. I also think anime has been on a general downward trend quality-wise for over a decade, with only rare exceptions (or blips). 2023 is the most notable (but I have a theory about that too – the production backlog from the pandemic led directly to a wealth of good series finally being produced, and timing meant 2023 was the main beneficiary).
Winter 2025 has looked crappy for a good while – and so has 2025 in general for that matter. It’s not as though even someone as experienced at this (or jaded, depending on your point of view) as I am can’t be surprised. I can. But it’s individual shows that surprise you (in either direction), rarely whole seasons or years. I’ve had some surprises this season but on the whole it looks just about as I expected – below-average both in depth and quality at the top.
Looking at Winter 2025 I just want more. More quality generally, more good shows in genres that I like. The two sequels one might have expected to be really good are just that. But none of the non-sequel contenders has really wowed me, and in some cases they’re underperformed my expectations. There’s one non-sequel on the schedule that I really like, and one wild card that’s really impressed me almost but not quite out of nowhere. After that, it’s pretty grim. Spring will likely be better (as it usually is compared to winter) but the bar isn’t set terribly high. Still, let’s spin it positively – it’s not the worst season I’ve covered.
Onward, then, to Winter 2025:
The Elite
None
Outstanding
Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun 2
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: A-
Comments: There was never really any doubt that Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun would once again be special. I mean it has a new director but honestly, I was never worried. As it was the first time it’s the clear standout on a weak schedule. And it opens its second season, interestingly, by adapting one of the arcs (“Three O’clock Keepers”) that were skipped in the first season. I have some notion of why this one might have been moved, but I’ll be interested in seeing if the rest of the bypassed arcs (or at least some) are included in S2. And there are a couple of great ones, too.
Very Good
Kusuriya no Hitorogoto Season 2
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B+
Comments: The season’s other big (for me) sequel is likewise delivering the mail as expected. No Lakan and a bit too much moe pandering in the first few episodes but overall, normal service continues on this line. The Apothecary Diaries is never life-changing but the base level is impressively good.
Shiguang Dailiren: Yingdu Pian (Link Click: Bridon Arc)
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: B
Comments: To be honest I had more or less given up on Shiguang Dailiren after Season 2, which I found to be a major disappointment. But “Bridon Arc” (apparently there’s some sort of rule in China against actually calling it London) is an impressive rebound. We’re not all the way back to S1 levels (a very high bar indeed) here, but close enough for me to be fully re-engaged.
Kono Kaisha ni Suki na Hito ga Imasu
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: B
Comments: This series was the only obvious sleeper going into the winter, and it hasn’t disappointed. I Have a Crush at Work has taken a refreshingly low-key look at office romance and the challenges inherent in keeping one a secret. Anyone with enough work experience will probably see how authentically the issue is being portrayed here. I like both the main couple and the supporting cast.
Sousei no Aquarion: Myth of Emotions
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B
Comments: Sousei no Aquarion: Myth of Emotions has definitely been the surprise of the season for me. Nothing in the franchise ever made much of an impression on me but MOE is very well-written. The premise is interesting and the cast is nicely fleshed out. Predictably the character designs and visual style have prompted much derision, but I think they’re very distinct and generally pleasing. If any series were proof that there aren’t enough grains of salt in the world for aggregator scores, this is it.
Worthwhile
Sakamoto Days
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: B-
Comments: There were two shows this season widely predicted to be production disasters. And while I have some issues with both, neither has been. Sakamoto Days the anime is playing about like the early chapters of the manga did for me – it’s a perfectly fine battle shounen with a bit of wit to it but not in any way exceptional. But the visuals are fine, if not spectacular (and I do get why fans would have liked spectacular with this series specifically).
Okinawa de Suki ni Natta Ko ga Hougen Sugite Tsurasugiru
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: B-
Comments: Okitsura is oft compared to Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable but the show it puts me in mind of is the short anime Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki, which explored the peculiarities of Nagoya life (with a special emphasis on its lack of respect as a destination, even among Japanese). But this show is full-length and thus can do a lot more as a character story. It certainly is a fun introduction to life in Okinawa but it has a nice romance triangle too. A cute series with a lot of heart.
Babanbabanban Vampire
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B-
Comments: I didn’t go so far as to call Babanbanbanban Vampire a sleeper, but I had a slight inkling it might be pretty funny. And indeed it is, a consistently amusing absurdity about a vampire working at a Tokyo sento trying to keep the 15 year-old son of the owner a virgin until he’s ripe (it only makes sense for Namikawa Daisuke to play the vamp) to be devoured at 18. Pretty smart comedy on the whole.
Still Watching
Tasokare Hotel
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: C+
Comments: Some have compared this game adaptation to Death Parade. While the comparison makes itself, the final product isn’t even a shadow of that masterpiece. Nevertheless Tasokare Hotel is decent enough for what it is. It’s the story of a sort of Limbo hotel, where souls undecided over whether they’re alive or dead go to figure their shit out.
Medalist
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: C
Comments: It’s very early for a “Highest Expectations” series from the preview to be in the drop zone. But unless Episode 5 really surprises me that’s what we’re looking at with Medalist. The visuals, against prediction (as with Sakamoto Days), are actually fine. But the writing in my view leaves a lot to be desired. Too much emotional manipulation and a cast of characters who are either annoying or two-dimensional.
Hana wa Saku, Shura no Gotoku
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: C
Comments: About the only thing I really like about this show are the scenes with the full broadcasting club (and the advisor). Well, that and the Miyazawa Kenji link. Apart from that it’s everything I feared it would be going in (CGDCT and “healing”) and mostly a snooze.
Honey Lemon Soda
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: C
Comments: Honey Lemon Soda is another one that started out pretty high on my expectations list and wound up being what I feared it might. In this case an extremely formulaic shoujo romance (competently executed) with very little distinctive about the story or characters.
Dropped:
Ameku Takao no Suiri Karte, Übel Blatt, Zenshu
Here, then, is this season’s blogging prospectus:
Monday:
Definitely Blogging: Kono Kaisha ni Suki na Hito ga Imasu
Tuesday:
None
Wednesday:
None
Thursday:
Definitely Blogging: Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan – Kyoto Douran
Probably Blogging: Sousei no Aquarion Myth of Emotion
Friday:
Definitely Blogging: Ao no Hako, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 2nd Season
Saturday:
Definitely Blogging: Chi.: Chikyuu no Undou ni Tsuite
On the Bubble: Sakamoto Days
On the Respirator: Medalist
Sunday:
Definitely Blogging: Jibaku Shounen Hananko-kun 2
Manga: Otoyomegatari, Hunter X Hunter
Watching For Now: Trillion Game, Shiguang Dailiren: Yingdu Pian, Tasokare Hotel, Hana wa Saku, Shura no Gotoku, Honey Lemon Soda, Babanbabanban Vampire, Okinawa de Suki ni Natta Ko ga Hougen Sugite Tsurasugiru
Patron Pick Ballot: Trillion Game (that’s a first), Babanbanbanban Vampire, Okitsura, Sakamoto Days
One more thing before I wrap. A special thanks to everyone who supports LiA financially – you’re the reason the site is still going. The “LiA Bespoke” commissions program is officially open and has proved to be a great addition to LiA, so please check it out.
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