Been a while since I talk about my watchlists, so here they are (because why not?) If you believe the biggest glaze last season came from Frieren or Jujutsu Kaisen, it is not! Instead, people are hyping a lot for Journal with Witch, a niche drama anime adapted from a josei manga. The story is about a not-so-famous novelist aunt who took care of her niece following the death of her parents. It is animationless, but an intentional one, as it heavily leans toward the story more. I wouldn't want to spill the story further, and rather suggest you to experience yourself. Apparently, it's available on AppleTV so you don't have to subscribe to a greedy company called Crunchyroll. Unfortunately, it doesn't have any dub yet, but I think original Japanese would build a better experience. Also being discussed a lot right now is Witch Hat Atelier, another popular magic-related series which received an anime adaptation announcement 7 YEARS AGO! The weebs are putting this show as one of the modern fantasy "Big 3" alongside Frieren and Delicious in Dungeon. I'm certainly loving this show so far—after all, it's my current signature—it is so good that somehow it gained attractions from the fake-friendly UN which often criticizes anime in general. Either way, I like Coco's character development so much. And let's not forget about Sentenced to Be a Hero, too, where its first episode absolutely broke the internet on January. Some notable authors/mangaka also had their new works adapted into anime. Agents of the Four Seasons is a unique romance concept of four seasons, written by the Violet Evergarden author Kana Akatsuki. The Fullmetal Alchemist author Hiromu Arakawa has a new adapted-to-anime manga called Daemons of the Shadow Realm, roughly about a fused world between yokai and ayakashi, between traditional and modern weaponries. Beastars author Paru Itagaki's other work Sanda was about a dormitory boy who turned out to be a half santa claus. K1ll Blue is about a 39-year-old hitman that suddenly became a 13-year-old boy, by the Kuroko's Basketball author Tadatoshi Fujimaki. They surprisingly also brought aespa to perform the anime's opening theme! Mao is considered the "true successor" of Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha rather than Yashahime itself. What about isekai? Of course also bangers. Re:ZERO is currently having their fourth season now, WOW! It adapts the fan-favorite Arc 6 of the light novel. Meanwhile from last October, there was A Wild Last Boss Appeared!, a series adapted from a 2016 light novel which I thought would flopped hard. Surprisingly it has an exciting world building, interesting concepts of both twelve zodiacs and eight planets, and also fluid animation! Surely no one thinks I'm saintlike; I also watched degenerated harem and ecchi anime. Mistress Kanan is Devilishly Easy is a new niche that leans toward satire. I don't know how to describe it here, but it's extremely naughty and outdated, and I love it. If anyone remembers Akame ga Kill 12 years ago, its author Takahiro's later and naughtier work Chained Soldier also received anime adaptations. Was quite disappointed with the first season, but season two was insane. Meanwhile, my current favorite harem manga Tune In to the Midnight Heart had a disappointing anime adaptation, so better just read the manga. If you can't get Alysa Liu out of your head, you probably love Yuri!!! on Ice's newer generation Medalist. It is about a 5th-grade girl who wants to be an Olympic-winning medalist despite being too late to start figure skating. The newest Shonen Jump's "battle shounen" is actually a rakugo-themed anime called Akane-banashi. I instantly love the series so far—Akane's the one being my pfp now x—though the rakugo approach is arguably not as deep as Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju. Speaking of battle shounen, try this "legit trash" show called Gachiakuta. Its author Kei Urana, previously being Atsushi Ookubo's assistant for Fire Force, an "official prequel" to Soul Eater, is quite active on X and currently to fight for the global accessibility of niche manga that aren't available for sale globally. Koucha Agasawa is probably the most talked romance mangaka at the moment. Both of her two works You and I Are Polar Opposites and The Ramparts of Ice received (potentially) complete anime adaptations. Polar Opposites might be one of the funniest and the most straightforward romance series out there, while the Netflix-produced show depicts the awkwardness due to bullying of a girl pretty well. Agasawa might also be the luckiest author as both of her only works received such good anime adaptations. After catching up with Bleach for next July, I put Black Clover and Yona of the Dawn as my "classic priorities" because they're the only ones confirmed getting sequels. I failed to get a ticket for Ghost in the Shell last December, and both the movie and the 2002 TV aren't licensed here, so I'm heading to where most weebs are watching anime. Yeah I think it's better to have a prior knowledge to Mamoru Oshii's version before starting the 2026 remake that is considered "more faithful and more erotic." Also giving two Madhouse classics, Monster and Cardcaptor Sakura, a try, at least one episode per week. Not sure if I have enough time to start Assassination Classroom, but I'm such a FOMO kid and I want to watch their new movie next month x Probably that's all my blabbering lol. Spring 2026 is brutal, Summer 2026 is way even more brutal for sequels. I don't think any small and obscure anime have any chance to outperform big franchises like Mushoku Tensei, Saga of Tanya the Evil, and Grand Blue Dreaming.
The new opening theme for the yuri (Girls Love) anime Botan Kamiina has been getting positive reception recently among the seasonal anime watchers. It's only a matter of time until yonige gets sent to the forum's song contest x
