My Anime Year in Review: 2025
It's been a good year since I first posted here, looking for suggestions after I finished Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso.
Now, I'm mostly reading (Light) Novels/Manga mostly, but would like to thank y'all for introducing me to a whole new world out there.
So, I would like to share some of the ones I watched in no particular order, since I don't have any preference (don't know if this is the best place to share, so forgive me if I have made any mistake).
MASTERPIECE (Absolute best, would rewatch anytime):
- VINLAND SAGA
- Sonny Boy
- Chi. Chikyuu no Undou ni Tsuite
- Koe no Katachi
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Hotaru no Haka
- Takopii no Genzai
GREAT (Respect the shows a lot):
- Shingeki no Kyojin
- Death Parade
- Love, Chunnibyou, and Other Delusions
- 5 Centimeters per Second
- Re:ZERO- Starting Life in Another World (second favourite isekai)
- Steins;Gate 0
- Into the Forest of Firefly Lights
- Oshi No Ko (SEASON 1 only guys, had to mention this coz it's so relatable in the music industry)
- Spirited Away
GOOD (Very enjoyable, good shows to relax to):
- Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!
- Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (favourite isekai btw, reading light novel)
- Bocchi the Rock!
- Chainsaw Man (currently reading manga)
- There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless... (very funny hehehe)
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
- Whisper of the Heart
- Weathering With You
- Suzume
- Your Lie in April
- Reincarnated as a Vending Machine (i forgot the title)
MID (Enjoyable to a certain extent, but found the story flawed):
- Darling in the FranXX
- Clockwork Planet
- SPYxFAMILY
- Steins;Gate
- Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings In Russian.
- Your Name.
- Fireworks
ABSOLUTE TRASH (honestly a waste of time):
- Horimiya
- My Sister, My Writer
- Redo of Healer (yikes!)
NEVER WILL WATCH BC OVERRRATED OR UNAPPEALING, UNLESS I FIND SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT IT:
- My Hero Academia
- Demon Slayer
- Jujutsu Kaisen
- Sousou no Frieren
- Tokyo Revengers
- Naruto Shippuden
- Dandadan
- Tbate
SHOWS I HAVEN'T WATCHED YET, BUT LOOKING FORWARD TO WATCHING IT
- Cowboy Bebop
- Fullmetal Alchemist (and Brotherhood as well, why not :fernsmile:)
- GANGELION
- Code Geass
- Dr.STONE
- HUNTERxHUNTER (1999 and 2011)
- Kono Suba
- Mahou Shoujo Site
- Berserk (reading manga atm)
- Ex-ARM (Will skip CGI arc :btr_bocchi_panic:)
- Uma Musume
- Violet Evergarden
- Hibike! Euphorium
- Ghost in the Shell
- JoJo
- Sayonara no Asa ni Yakusoku no Hana wo Kazarou (forgot English title. I read the manga, and i was absolutely hooked on. Sadly, the manga ended halfway through the story.)
- and many more i seem to have forgotten.
all in all, I had one of the best first years, in my humble opinion. Any more suggestions you could throw in?
NOTABLE MENTION: I want The Summer You Were There anime!
I definitely second watching Hibike Euphonium. It means so much to me. The way the characters act and interact is what makes the show. Don't forget Liz and the Blue Bird!
Despite Frieren being in your "havent watched cuz unappealing/overrated" list, I'd still recommend it. It's very unlike the others in that list.
The big hero story is done, the big evil is no longer an existential threat. This anime takes place after your typical hero-demon king story from the perspective of a very long lived elf. The journey you go on with Frieren as she undertakes a nearly the same journey from 80 something years ago, while discovering what that meant/means to her and the world, is quite special. Seeing how an elf perceives things compared to short lived races like humans is a perspective I've never quite seen like this. It's quite introspective, while mostly staying really relaxing. The world it builds is the most expansive fantasy world I've seen in anime in a long time.
Aside from that, the music by Evan Call (same composer as Violet Evergarden) and the animation are just incredible.
Some other recommendations: