Seasonal Anime Wrap-Up: Winter 2026

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Ach ja, after the… let’s just say not so great end to 2025, the new year is starting off incredibly strong. Seriously, this was easily one of the best seasons since I have properly started watching seasonal anime. So without further ado, these are all the anime I watched.

The ones that didn’t make it

You know what? Despite not having to drop nearly as many anime as last season, I think I will keep this format of giving each anime its proper space regardless… and I am definitely not just saying this, because I am to lazy to look for other screenshots for the combined thumbnail. Also, for the record, I enjoyed both the anime here more than any of the dropped anime from last season… yeah, it was that rough.

The Holy Grail of Eris

I think it is worth to differentiate between anime I drop because they are bad, not to my taste or I actively don’t want to continue for some reason or another and anime for which I simply lost interest in watching them over time. Call it a downside of watching anime seasonally. There is a lot of good to be said about The Holy Grail of Eris and I don’t even have to doubt that a specific kind a person will find great enjoyment in this series. For what it is worth, it does have a very tight narrative focus and once Connie started to come into her own, her relationship with Scarlett was easily my favorite aspect of it all. And yeah, I did clap and cheer every time Scarlett posessed Connie and pulled a Columbo. I’m not lying nor tryna deny it. However, there came a point where I simply stopped bothering to fully engage with all the new characters and details introduced, to the point I essentially didn’t think about the mystery anymore on my own and just waited for another character to explain it for me. The anime puts effort into giving you all the clues, but when you arrived at the same point as I was, what would be the point anymore? In part, this is very much a me problem in the same vein how I might just not be well-read enough for all the literary allusions to other mystery stories and characters. Sure, you could criticize the adaptation for its rather unimpressive presentation and potentially even for simply being a weak adaptation of its source material, but I doubt this is actually the deal breaker for me. From where I stand, it might just be a severe lack of enthusiasm that keeps me from finishing the anime, despite actually being quite intrigued as to where the story will go.

Final Verdict: Dropped after 6 episodes.

Tune In to the Midnight Heart

There is an art to harem anime. Something to differentiate the abyss from the peak, the indulgent from the accomplishing and the bland from the properly seasoned. We do not even for a second have to pretend I am above criticizing a harem for what it is and that my interests normally tend to lie elsewhere, but this won’t stop me from having certain standards I want my trash to uphold. Tune In to the Midnight Heart, unfortunately, does not. I will have to give it credit for making the main character, if not compelling, at least an active participant with a clear personality, as much as I personally find him grating more often than not. As for the actual harem members themselves, this is where it all goes down for me. The girls are nothing and played about as safe as their narrative involvement with Yamabuki “realistically” allows them to be, resulting in pretty by-the-numbers RomCom shenanigans that moved me about as much as the pacing in this series. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it completely sauceless, but judging from the aftertaste in my mouth, it do be rather dry. Also, how the tsundere turned out to be my least indifferent character is beyond me. Nisekoi at least had the decency to look visually appealing.

Final Verdict: Dropped after 8 episodes.

Second Season Sequel Stockpile

Oops! All Sequels. I remember ten years ago, when I only just started watching anime, how rare continuations tended to be and now it seems like every season has its fair share of sequels at the top of the chart, to the point that even I get to enjoy some of the them. Or in this case, they make up more than a third of what I have seen this winter.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2

Frieren is so good. There is not much more I could add to that statement. While I don’t think it consistently reaches the heights of its first season, there is no doubt in my mind that only few other stories are able to do what Frieren so easily excels at. There is a worldly beauty in the small silhouettes of stories we get a glimpse into by following this party on their journey. Sometimes, it informs where they come from and where to go, other times it is how the experiences of seemingly strangers can make you understand a part of yourself. From the Hero of the South to Gehen just building a bridge for centuries. As Himmel inscribed in his memoirs, there is allure in the mundane and everyday. Additionally, there is also some nice character bits sprinkled throughout, but since the main cast already got its spotlight in the first season, this mostly concerns some side and one-off characters, before we get back into some more meatier territory for the next arc.

Also, not sure if something changed in me, but compared to the first season, I had no difficulties to just watch the anime this time.

Final Verdict: 8/10 – Can’t wait to weiterschauen.

Medalist Season 2

Part of me wants to extend the praise I gave the first season to the second one. What the fundamental building blocks are concerned, it is still as competent when it comes to the development of its main cast and making me care about all the sliding and jumping on ice with style. However, while there are some incredible highs, especially when it comes to the routines in the first half, I can’t help but feel that it doesn’t hit as hard as the first one. In part, this is because the supporting cast is way too big, barely gets any attention outside some specific exceptions and is, quite simply, not memorable, to the point where I can’t even tell you what role most of the girls fulfilled. Considering I still remember everyone from the first season, this isn’t a good sign. My second problem is the seeming lack of progress in this stretch of the story. Sure, we get to see one competition play out in almost its entirety, but the rest is this endless build-up of training and Tsukasa’s struggle as both a trainer and a former ice dancer. And worst of all, this season just… ends. There will be a movie, which will continue adapting the manga and I want to believe that after all that preparation, it will probably be worth it, but I am still going out of this season slightly disappointed.

Final Verdict: 7/10 – I miss Mittens and Ema.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2

Similar to Medalist, I would say that I enjoyed Vigilantes quite a bit, but I also can’t deny that this season was just generally worse than its previous one. Koichi and Pop are still a delight with their own form of vigilantism, Makoto and her brother have some really good stuff, Kani and the main series' Fat Gum are a welcome new addition and I adore the Hopper Brothers and the fact that Aizawa was just chilling with them every other scene. The cast is fun and when they are allowed to do something, regardless of how important any of it is for the plot to progress, I tend to have a good time all around.

However, what the actual story is concerned about, there are just too many rough edges, questionable decisions and just plain misses for me to ignore. This season’s main antagonist does nothing for me, barely interacts with our main cast and even the link to Knuckleduster feels more shoehorned in than thematically relevant. Concerning the multi-episode flashback about Eraserhead’s past, I went from indifferent to bored real fast and even questioning why it was included in the first place. And lastly, my problematic GOAT and charming fail-loser, Captain Celebrity, was effectively retconned from a bit of a prick being able to do good as long as he gets adequate attention to a misunderstood but well-meaning hero, as if the disconnect to what one might consider to be a “proper hero” is not his entire appeal. All this turned an otherwise decent stretch into something I always had to complain about in some capacity. If there will be another season, I really hope we go back to the more small-scale and personal conflicts, because this is what this series does consistently best.

Final Verdict: 7/10 – We just not gonna talk about the questionable ethics of Midnight bringing Pop to the mixer?

‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess Season 2

There is honestly nothing that I would write here that doesn’t already apply to the first season. ‘Tis just more “Torture”.

Final Verdict: 7/10 – Maomao-chan still the cutest being in the universe.

One Piece Live Action Season 2

Just like the first season, the One Piece adaptation continues to be a delight, both as a genuinely fun television series, as well as a fascinating translation from manga to live action. Costume and prop design, as well as those little visual flourishes, are still on fucking point, the casting and acting goes even further (David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3?), music is full of bangers and time and time again, it is made so clear that everyone responsible truly comprehends what makes One Piece not just so special, but also what needs to go into it to make this series work. In the same way, I feel pretty similar-ish to the way this adaptation differs from its source material. Again, we have some pretty good slimming down and restructuring of plot points, using its unfortunately way too small episode count to its utmost efficiency, as well as making use of over 20 years of hindsight. My only complaint in this regard might be how much of Baroque Works was already revealed, potentially dampening some of its future impact. Lastly, character dynamics are still charming in its new way and just like season one, as embarrassing as it is to admit, I did indeed had to cry again.

On the other hand, most of my criticism from season one also stays the same. I am not quite sure how much I like the direction some characters go, especially Zoro being way too stoic, and the overall tone shift of making some scenes more into a standard and at times rather serious drama kinda clashes with the otherwise fun and fantastical vibe the series should exude. I mean, Luffy does get genuinely angry and emotional at times, just not like… this. Also not sure about the swearing… except Chopper saying “shit”. That was peak. And while I can only commend the production for what they have done, I can’t help but feel that this series is still held back, and one time being actively dragged down, by, understandably, not being able to go all out and have creative freedom to a limitless degree. Ending the first season after Arlong Park works pretty well narratively, but it comes with the challenge of having to start the second season, after an over two year long wait nonetheless, with Loguetown, making the appearance of Buggy, Alvida, Smoker and Dragon kinda weird. It appears they still haven’t quite figured out how to portray a good chunk of the devil fruit powers and as much as I adore this version of Drum Island, it does not reach the same sense of scale as the first season did with its climax and I can’t help but feel we were robbed of one of the best panels in the entire series due to being limited to a certain amount of sets.

If there is one live action adaptation of anime or manga I want to recommend, it is hard to imagine another one being able to top this series and I personally can’t wait to rewatch this season with friends in the near future.

Final Verdict: 8/10 – I still love the Den Den Mushi.

Fate/strange Fake

Considering it all started as an april fool’s joke, this sure turned into one hell of an engaging story. Then again, I guess you shouldn’t expect anything else from the Baccano! and Durarara!! author and his ability to write a tight and dense narrative encapsulating half a million characters and at least ten concurrent plot threads. In one word, Strange Fake is plain fun and a never-ending ride, doubly so if you are not constantly blind-sided by references and allusions to other Type-Moon works, some of them even I am none the wiser. But don’t worry, being mildly confused is half the experience, because finding out is very satisfying. It might be a bit rushed in places, but I absolutely prefer it to getting lost in the sauce of the endless rabbit hole, which is making sense of the Nasuverse.

What really makes it all work for me is its insane scale and characters with bombastic capital P personalities. Known faces like Gilgamesh, Waver and Flat are a given, but also new ones like Saber, Jester and Orlando quickly grew on me… also Faldeus, Hansa, especially Francesca and whatever is going on with this version of Ishtar… and Caster and Jack and Tine and I don’t think there is a single character I don’t like in here. Strange Fake might not always have the tight thematic grip of the original stay night or Zero, but it can absolutely stand proud with its own ruminations on heroism, how we relate to these epic tales of the past and how they continuously influence humanity as a whole going forward. Package it all into one of the most impressive productions of the entire franchise and this would be one of the easiest recommendations this season, if it wouldn’t be for the fact that recommending Fate always comes with a few asterisks attached to it. But beyond that, this was just pure delight one week after another. Let’s just hope the continuation isn’t plagued by the same release schedule.

Final Verdict: 8/10 – I should really finish Hollow Ataraxia.

Journal with Witch

Oh boy, where do I even begin? I think a truly great drama is able to be emotionally resonant, despite the topic at hand not necessarily being relatable or close to the viewer’s heart. It should be able to speak to the innermost aspects that make one human, like an abstraction of life itself and pinpoint its message with a clinical precision that makes it impossible to ignore, to not think about, to be indifferent towards it. Make it a hill to die upon. This is the level of intensity it should have and convince you it isn’t an exaggeration or hyperbole. If it doesn’t change you, it should make you more steadfast. If it doesn’t hurt you, it should make you stronger. It should obliterate the very fine line between despair and inspiration. Maybe it does it all at the same time.

The story of Journal with Witch is not relatable to me. I am fortunate enough to have never lost someone dear or close to me. I don’t carry any familial trauma, nor do I have to think about what it was like to be perceived in school. I am not a woman, depressed or crushed by social expectations. And most of all, I am not so lonely as to wander aimlessly in a barren desert. But I do know what it feels like to be sad, how being frustrated is even more frustrating than the actual frustration and how confusion and uncertainty renders oneself completely useless, down to even the most basic functions. I too get scared and overwhelmed by complete non-issues, shut down without reason and wish I could literally scream my worries away. I am aware of the hurt it causes to not understand or be understood. So every time this anime opened one of its wounds, it was like a mirror straight into the deepest parts of my soul. Not because those are like mine, but because it is so very easy to imagine them to be. When Asa cries and shouts in anger and fear at a person long gone in search for answers she will never feel satisfied hearing, I want to feel and sympathize with her. When Makio casually drops otherworldly wisdom, I am compelled to sit down and listen, as if it were gospel. Understanding another is hard, at times probably even impossible. And yet, I want to believe it is important and worthwhile to attempt it anyway. At the very least so I, too, can become the person I want to be.

The story of Journal with Witch is not relatable to me. But Journal with Witch absolutely is. And there will come a time in my life, where I will be ever so grateful, that I know those experiences have been put into words and images and sounds that I can look back upon and be confident that life can become better again.

… What is it with peak media that brings out the sentimentalist in me? Anyway, even if one can’t connect with Journal with Witch as much as I did, it still brings a lot to the table. While Asa and Makio are clearly the focus of the narrative, the cast is full of great characters and each and every single one enriches the themes in their own way, whether they are basically constants like Emiri and Kasamachi, or literally just show up in one scene. It is hard for me to pick out a definitive Top 3 of side characters in this anime. Also, while clearly not a sakuga fest in the common sense, this anime looks gorgeous. Clearly directed with an eye for the little details, the use of environments and spaces is impeccable and visual motifs and metaphors hit their mark. On the more technical side, the lineart on the characters is so attractive in a really underappreciated way. And for the score, Kensuke Ushio once again proves that he is a master of capturing the moment. All in all, while we still have three other seasons of anime in front of us, the bar for anime of the year contenders has been set incredibly high already.

Final Verdict: 9/10 – Write with the intent to kill.

Shiboyugi: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table

Souta Ueno has already proven with Days with My Stepsister that he is able to elevate a seemingly and otherwise unimpressive story into captivating television and Shiboyugi plays even more into his style and while this is by far not the most impressive production this season, it is certainly the one that is the most confident and bold in its look and feel. I want to state this at the beginning, because I am simply unable to separate the aesthetic sensibilities of the anime adaptation from its “actual” story, because, for me, these two are so tightly intertwined with each other. I am still unsure about reading the original light novel, because while I am curious about how these two differ, I am also pretty certain I wouldn’t enjoy it as much and definitely not in the same way as the anime.

Anyway, now for the big surprise, I don’t think Shiboyugi’s story, that is both the moment-to-moment execution and over-arching narrative bits, as well as the majority of the characters themselves, are particularly well written, but the approach to its presentation really lends itself to dwell on these little moments of introspection, that makes for a fascinating and captivating watch. Foregoing the actual death games and their respective spectacle almost completely was definitely the right call and frees up enough time to dismantle the psychology of the most important participants and their short-lived circumstances they find themselves in. Seeing Yuki turn from this nonchalant and pragmatic professional into a spiralling and pathetic mess of uncertain self-doubt and frustration really nails home the point that, even when winning the death games, she is nothing more than a survivor that can’t find any fulfillment, catharsis or even just purpose for herself in continuing her pursuit of those 99 games. On the other hand, whatever was going on between her and Mishiro clearly poisoned my brain in just the right way and even the really-hard-to-put-into-words-but-also-very-potent-and-meaningful relationship between Kyara and Moegi informs how broken people deal with being unable to live a normal life.

This puts me in kind of a weird spot, where recommending Shiboyugi is somehow both an absolute no-brainer, but also makes rating it in a meaningful way next to impossible. I certainly enjoyed myself immensely and I sure as well had a plethora to talk about every week, but I also don’t think it is mechanically that impressive, nor is its commentary as a death game that unique or deep. The least I can say is that the anime is very much aware of what it is, but refuses to limit itself to be only that, which very much gives it meaning.

Final Verdict: 32/43 – This is a story about a deranged world.

You and I Are Polar Opposites

Not sure I can accurately explain it, but this anime strikes me as the kind of story specifically made for people that love a very specific subset of the RomCom Experience™, but want to forego, I guess you could call it “filler”, or rather specifically “non-development”. You and I Are Polar Opposites is the, well, opposite of “Will They or Won’t They?”. In fact, a good chunk of the characters themselves actively put in the work so we can skip the shenanigans and either go right into the actual relationships or make progress fast. I tend to not mind either way, but this sure was a breath of fresh air with how earnest the anime approaches the topic of crushes and first love.

Anyway, you know the drill. It’s cute, funny and overall a pleasant experience week for week. Tani and Suzuki make for a great main couple, Nishi and Yamada are also very sweet and Azuma and Taira are on their way to have the most interesting relationship of all of them. The only ones left from the original group are Watanabe and Satou, so you can be sure my himedanshi ass is seated for the next season. The slice of life bits are also fun, mostly going over specific kinds of anxiety and awkward social interactions, as well as the cast just hanging out and being friends. I may not personally be able to relate to a lot of the more romantic stuff, but everything else feels very true to life. In short, if this is your kind of thing, you will probably enjoy it immensely. Also, the opening is a banger.

Final Verdict: 7/10 – Just because Azuma is evil, doesn’t make her a bad character.

Sentenced to Be a Hero

Well, turns out even one of those things can hit its marks when not being preoccupied all the time (one exception may apply) by indulging in all the little tropes and clichés that actively turn me off and instead serve me some decent characters, world building and narrative stakes. What seems like the utmost minimum is truly not a given with most of these light novel adaptations for me. Alas, I was finally allowed to just enjoy myself.

In retrospect, the first half doesn’t really do it justice, with how much more than just plain fun this anime can be. Sure, it starts with this bombastic and stupidly well animated opening episode, showing what this whole hero business is supposedly all about, before slowing down and introducing the extended cast one after another. But once it settles down and finds its pace, it does a phenomenal job in developing its setting and builds up the different factions vying for power in the background, that I found genuinely intriguing in a way that somehow reminds me of Re:Zero of all things. And beyond that, I just really vibe with its fantasy elements: The Fairies look grotesque but not silly, antagonists and antagonistic characters feel grounded, I am always a sucker for a more technological approach to magic and it do be nice to not see a single status screen or have any other direct allusions to video game logic in this world… yes, the bar is buried six feet underground, how could you tell?

It also helps that Xylo and Kivia are actually well written characters with properly defined personalities, motivations and struggles that inform the way the story progresses. Xylo’s hangups about the goddesses and his status as a penal hero get a lot more interesting, once Teoritta kinda gets shafted for the rest of the season and stops begging for head pats every minute and I certainly did not expect an entire character arc for Kivia to come to terms with the people that informed her way of life and her own sense of justice in the face of almost certain doom. The rest of the cast is also just pleasant to have around. I was a bit afraid that the entire party would eventually consist of either misunderstood or framed heroes, but no, we got some grade A bastards and dudes of questionable character in there.

Similar to Shiboyugi, I would mostly recommend Sentenced to Be a Hero on the basis that, while it may not be its best written interpretation of that kind of story, it certainly is a well-made one that absolutely has the potential to turn into a favorite for someone, even if that someone may not necessarily be me.

Final Verdict: 7/10 – That sure was one hell of a cliffhanger.

Roll Over and Die

Almost a year ago, I wrote about my impressions of the original light novel’s first volume and for the most part, I feel pretty similar about its anime adaptation, except that this one is even more slimmed down on ideas and execution. I still fail to understand what other people, that continue to praise the story, see in it, especially in regards to its queer and subversive themes. From where I stand, Roll Over and Die is just the opposite of what I praised Sentenced to Be a Hero for. A bog-standard LitRPG affair filled with tropes I can’t get warm to and an all-around snooze fest of nothing characters. Flum still has no personality, her relationship with Milkit is so lacking in warmth and the extended cast does nothing for me.

One might wonder why I even bothered with the anime adaptation in the first place. After all, I don’t believe in ironic watches and one look at the trailer should have been enough to disregard it immediately. Sure, I am a man of hate and spite, but I also would like to understand what I don’t and engaging with something again from another angle tends to help with that. Also, as I have mentioned in the aforementioned post, I, at least, would like to know what else happens, so I was quite surprised when, after the mid-way point, it turned into an almost pleasant slice of life series for a bit. Still boring and plagued by the eternal curse of threatening to be interesting for a bit before undermining itself, but compared to the genuinely baffling and just straight-up bad ending stretch, this was almost decent for a few weeks.

Final Verdict: 5/10 – Acting nonchalant at the most world-shattering reveal is… a choice.

Cosmic Princess Kaguya!

Oh, so it is basically The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter… *looks inside* HATSUNE MIKU?!

Okay, it is not actually about vocaloids at all (except it totally is), though I have no doubts the idea of virtual idols and specifically VTubers played a huge role in the conception of this movie. Also, they do sing World is Mine. I am not too familiar with the original monogatari and still have to get around to finally see the Ghibli movie, but this seems like an interesting retelling with its own idea of how the story should end. But beyond this, it is mostly a rather simple and straight-forward narrative about love, in this case about the spaces and personas created by and for fans, as well as the people interacting with them. If you want to see another anime about a group of cute girls pursuing their passions, this is a pretty good entry and about as well executed as you could wish for. Though, it did leave me hanging a bit with its characters and kinda undercuts its own drama by never fully committing to the relationship between Iroha and Kaguya where it truly counts. Or maybe this is just because I had to watch the movie in two parts, because the first half genuinely made me feel exhausted (affectionately?) to the point I simply couldn’t continue, because when it finds its flow, it refuses to hit the brakes for even a second.

On the production side of things, this movie looks exquisite. Shingo Yamashita, my beloved. It is good to see his greatness and flair in something a bit more expansive than random openings and those cool Pokémon specials. The characters are simply a joy to watch moving around and the whole virtual world is incredibly realized to feel like a space you actually would like to spend time in, so much so that I wouldn’t question why one would like to play this one in-universe game. And while not quite mine, this movie has a lot of good music, to the point it almost feels like a musical at times. It is a shame I had to focus on the subtitles, because the audio-visual presentation really delivers on its own. Also, Matsuoka voices a bratty twink oni catgirl.

Final Verdict: 7/10 – Girls would rather *spoiler* than go to therapy.

What’s left?

I’m not interested in any other new anime, but as always, there are a couple of sequels that I will have to get to eventually: Oshi no Ko continues its run, before it apparently drives of a cliff, the third season of Jujutsu Kaisen makes me want to check out the anime more than ever and Beastars finally concludes its adaptation for me and a buddy of mine to finish. As for movies, there is the new Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway and the mini series Milky☆Subway got a theatrical release with new scenes. I also can’t wait to see yet another take on All You Need Is Kill with its long overdue anime adaptation. Lastly, there is the new original movie L’etoile de Paris en fleur by Gorou Taniguchi, which I will only ever be able to see by randomly remembering this movie exists in a couple of years.

This year started off on the right foot, so let’s hope for this run to continue into the next season.