It's time to talk about the great anime I watched last year and give my top ten along with a few bonus recs!
If you get tired of clicking on the links to the reviews, just check out my anime overview collection for all of them here.
You can also check out my favorite books of 2025 here and my favorite manga and comics in 2025 here!
(Note that there's still 2025 anime I want to watch but haven't yet, like A Mangaka's Weirdly Wonderful Workplace. But we've got a good selection here.)
The Summer Hikaru Died
Yoshiki is a closeted gay teenager. One day, he realizes that his best friend and crush Hikaru has died and been replaced by a strange monstrous being who is imitating him. Missing his loved one and desperate to cling to any piece of him, Yoshiki decides to keep on having a relationship with this mysterious entity.
Lovers of queer monsters ate good last year! TSHD is a sublime horror anime focused on the intimate connection between a monster and a boy who feels like a monster. Both Yoshiki and Hikaru have to hide who they really are. Yoshiki has a deep bond with Hikaru, yet at the same time Hikaru is unknowable and terrifying to him (you know, like any first crush! But with more potential murder). This show is visceral and gorgeous in it’s creepiness- especially its body horror. The animation and artistry is top notch, the unsettling, oppressive summer atmosphere is impeccable, and the characterization is wonderful. It’s an exploration of grief, relationships, otherness, and sexuality that hits just right.
Read my full review here.
This Monster Wants to Eat Me
Premise: Hinako is an extremely depressed girl who’s been searching for death. She runs into Shiori, a mermaid who wants to eat her, and is happy to be her meal. But Shiori is a gourmet who wants her dinner to be as delicious as possible. So she declares she’s going to help Hinako be happy before she eats her, since happiness apparently enhances a human’s deliciousness.
Talk about a delectable story. It’s a top tier yuri horror, but it’s also so much more than that. The show is full of ongoing mysteries and endless twists. I was on board the second a monster girl covered in the blood of her enemies seductively told the protagonist she wants to tear out her intestines and devour her, but the story just got better with each big reveal and compelling backstory. The juicy conflict and gay yearning is perfect, and the exploration of Hinako's depression is heartbreaking. I adore good drama, I adore actually scary monster girls, and I adore messy queer relationships between deeply unwell women-- and this series is masterful at all of that.
This was one of the best anime of the year and I recommend it to absolutely everyone. Unhinged sapphic romance like this is a true delicacy.
Read my full review here.
Apocalypse Hotel
A disaster has forced humanity to abandon the earth and try to find refuge in space. Though there are no humans left, the robot staff of the Gingarou hotel take pride in keeping the place going, with the “acting acting” hotel manager Yachiyo eagerly awaiting humanity’s return. But their first guest since the apocalypse isn’t exactly a human…
Apocalypse Hotel is a gorgeous anime full of both philosophical melancholy and whip-smart humor. It has a vibrant cast of characters, from lovable robots to tanuki aliens. It’s truly unpredictable from episode to episode—will we see a child attempt to fight a monster with a chainsaw? Will we see the main characters try to cover up a murder? Anything can happen. But the themes are consistent throughout-- this anime explores what it means to be left behind, and what it means to adapt, and if it’s possible to move on in the ruins of grief and loss.
One of the most memorable episodes is when Yachiyo explores the city around the hotel for the first time—we go on a journey with her and admire the haunting beauty of the remnants of civilization now reclaimed by nature. It’s breath-taking, and that really just sums up the whole show.
CITY THE ANIMATION
This anime is based on a manga by the creator of Nichijou, and it has the same gut-busting absurdist humor and incredible animation that anime was famous for. Following a quirky cast of characters in a certain city, we see them get up to all kinds of zany adventures, from kidnappings to discovering new species. There’s even a musical episode. It has strong ensemble writing and I especially enjoyed the trio of 20-something disaster gals, one of whom had a locket plotline that was... Revolutionary Girl Utena-esque. If you know you know. A couple warnings: the first episode involves a gag where a boy is laughed at and feels humiliated when he’s talked into wearing a skirt, and a minor running gag implies a cop (and possibly some other guys) has a crush on a girl who is still in high school. ACAB representation, I guess.
Anne Shirley
An absolutely delightful adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. Many of you already know the story– after a mix up, an imaginative orphan named Anne is adopted by the Cuthberts and her adventures begin. The anime is truly charming. It does a great job representing Anne in in all her dramatic precocious literature nerd glory. The animation is adorable and gorgeous, perfectly capturing the cheerful and pastoral vibe, the voice acting is on point, and both the happy and sad emotions hit hard. The relatively fast pace also means we get to later books in the series that a lot of adaptations don’t cover, and it’s great all the way through.
Read my full review here.
ZENSHU
Natsuko Hirose is an animator and director lauded as a genius, but she’s struggling with her newest movie. Then she’s transported to the world of the flop anime movie that inspired her career. Natsuko finds she has the power to literally draw and animate beings that will then fight the monsters attacking them—can she use her power to save the day and avoid the movie’s tragic ending?
Zenshu is a love letter to animation, artistic inspiration, and stories in general. I’ve been waiting for an isekai anime that uses the “transported into the world of my favorite piece of media” in a creative and meaningful way, and Zenshu finally delivers. And Natsuko is such a refreshing main character, a nerdy, acerbic adult woman in a baggy sweatshirt with cousin It hair. The show explores the pressures of being a creator, the impact stories can have on fans, and what makes fiction inspiring. It features a ton of lovable characters to root for, killer animation, and even some light-hearted subversion of misogynist narratives. It’s a can’t-miss anime for any fan.
Read my full review here.
Rock is a Lady’s Modesty
Lilisa is a refined lady attending a rich girl’s school, but it’s a carefully created façade. She was once one of the “common people”, and now she’s determined to be a model noble lady to force high society to accept her Mom as one of them. And Lilisa has abandoned rocking out on her guitar…until she finds out that the idol of the school, Otoha, is secretly a super aggressive drummer. Will the two form a band, or butt heads?
If you adore watching girls be unhinged, angry, and aggressively gay with each other, Rock is a Lady’s Modesty has you covered. This show is just a ton of fun. (To be clear, the gay stuff is technically subtext but it’s pretty wild subtext. Sometimes involving dominatrix fantasies.) I love how the girls in Rock Lady are hilarious, foul-mouthed and full of raw passion. It's a joy to watch them dominate by putting up their middle fingers and rocking hard. On top of that, there’s some light exploration of classism and intriguing family drama brewing in the background. It all blends together to make wonderful music.
See my full review here.
The Apothecary Diaries (Season 2)
Everyone’s favorite poison-loving detective has returned! This season really gets deep into the lore of the world of The Apothecary Diaries, and there are a lot of exciting plot developments and reveals. Things get very dark, especially in regards to discussion/backstory involving the previous Emporer’s crimes but the show handles it in a nuanced way that gives food for thought (check the full reviews linked for cws, though). We have a new weirdgirl for Maomao to be friends with and she ends up being the most fascinating character of all. The show just gets more heartbreaking, more intense, and more layered the longer it goes on. It's definitely keeping me hooked!
Read my full reviews here and here.
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun (Seasons 2 and 3)
After a long absence, we finally return to the ghost story full of heart, humor and intrigue. Hanako-kun is a story about a girl who befriends a ghost boy haunting her school. The ghost has to grant wishes to atone for the murder he committed when he was alive. You can read the novel I wrote about how much I loved this anime back when it came out for more.
These seasons adapt some of the best arcs of the manga (The Picture Perfect arc and the Red House arc) and the show maintains the compelling ghost drama and super fun character dynamics. While the art direction of these seasons isn’t as striking as the first season, the bold visual style does remain. These seasons deal in tragic pasts, eldritch abominations, alternate realities and.. actual progress in the romantic relationships? Gasp? The characters psyches are peeled back layer by layer and answers to mysteries bring more questions. There's a ton of character development, crashouts, and plenty of heartbreaking, heartwarming, and hilarious moments.
Read my full reviews here and here.
The Secrets of the Silent Witch
Monica is the fabled Silent Witch, the only one person who has mastered casting spells without chanting. Thing is, the entire reason she invented silent casting is that she has social anxiety and was too nervous to speak in front of the examiners. But now Monica has to go undercover at an elite academy and be the prince’s bodyguard. She’s can overpower any magical threat, but socializing? That might just kill her.
This charming anime shows how a ridiculously powerful character can still struggle—just make her a nervous wreck around people and give her the self-esteem of a sea sponge! It's a joy to watch Monica grow in confidence as she collects awesome lady friends and inadvertently woos the prince with her nerdiness (and it’s always cool when she switches into badass mode during danger!) While there’s some anime magic school cliches in this show, the sweetness and fun of the story makes those familiar beats feel comforting rather than stale.
Add in some jaw dropping animation of the magic spells, a very fun talking cat companion, and a sarcastic bird maid who wants to princess-carry Monica, and you’ve got the recipe for an enjoyable show I’d like to see more of.
Bonus Recs:
SANDA
In a dystopian future, Santa Claus has been forgotten by society…that is, until fourteen-year-old Kuzushige Sanda discovers he can transform into Santa, a ripped old man with tons of fantastical powers. His classmate Shiori Fuyumura awakened his Santa side sp he could help her find her missing friend Ono.
Sanda explores societal fear of aging and fetishization of youth in absurd and unhinged ways, sending the message that growing up is natural. With eye-popping animation and endless bizarre developments, it’s impossible to look away from.
Also Fuyumura is a fantastic little menace and deserves the world.
This nearly made the top ten, but the ending of the season was abrupt and an aspect of it really disappointed me, so I was petty and couldn't bring myself to put it there. However, that my complaint is subjective, so you might not share it.
Read my full review here.
May I Ask for One Final Thing?
When her jerk prince fiancé betrays her, Scarlet does what any proper lady would do: she beats the hell out of the prince, his new girlfriend, and all the nobles who’ve been scheming against her. Scarlet’s fists crave more blood, and thus begins Scarlet’s mission to hunt down corrupt nobles, slavers, and any asshole who deserves a beating. Sometimes you just want to see an awesome woman beat the shit out of horrible rich people, and this anime will give you that in spades. Scarlet is an utter delight, proper and formal, but absolutely bloodthirsty and joyous in using her prodigious skill to correct injustice. Sometimes violence IS the answer.
Read my full review here.
The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess
Konaha gets isekai’d into the cringe-ass story she wrote when she was a young teenager, but she’s the villainess instead of her self-insert heroine. Now she has to struggle to avoid her fated death. This is an extremely fun anime that pokes affectionate fun at the a teenage girl writing her original-character-do-not-steal and throwing every trope and romantic fantasy at the wall, only to look back on it as an adult and die of embarrassment. If you wrote bad fanfic as a teen, you might find it relatable. Find out more here.
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