Now that the Winter season is fully over and all of the series I’ve been following are either ending or going on hiatus, it’s time to look at how the series I followed finished out.
Per usual, the series I’ve been covering in episode reviews (Oshi no Ko and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End s2) will not be covered here, but the former would definitely be in my Top 5 for the season and the latter would be just outside of that range. I will also not be covering a few series I finished here because my rating hasn’t changed since the Mid-Season-Report and I don’t have anything meaning to add to what I said there. These include Champignon Witch, Dark Moon: Blood Altar, Noble Reincarnation, and The Villainess is Adored by the Prince of a Neighboring Kingdom. Please see the Mid-Season Report for details on them.
Overall, my view at mid-season that this is one of the strongest and deepest anime seasons ever hasn’t changed. Multiple series that might be runner-up picks in other seasons aren’t even cracking the Top 5 here, and that’s without figuring in the commonly-praised You and I Are Polar Opposites, which I never got around to finishing. Of the 18 titles I did watch to completion, here’s how they shake out.
BEST OF SEASON – Journal With Witch
Rating: A+
Again, merely calling this “best of season” feels inadequate; this is the series to beat for best of year, and I have to seriously consider it for my all-time Top 10 list. (And since I’ve been an active anime fan for 35+ years now, I’m not saying that lightly.) While it may not be the flashiest series this season visually, it still provides strong production merits highlighted by plenty of impactful visual moments (especially one 20-second sequence in the final episode that had to be an animator’s nightmare!) and is a stellar achievement on writing, characterizations, pacing, and especially musical support. Major kudos to the writing and production for making these characters feel like people rather than just anime archetypes, and for the way it juggles the complex emotions of all its major cast members. It is a series of devastating lows, simple but poignant triumphs, and learning to cope and grow, and not just for teenage Asa. The series is too far beyond the anime mainstream to ever get hugely popular, but it will be remembered as an all-time classic by many who have seen it.
RUNNER-UP: SHIBOYUGI
Overall Rating: A
Competition for the #2 spot this season was fiercer than in any season I can remember, with probably half a dozen series worthy of this spot. Ultimately I decided to give the award to the season’s greatest stylistic triumph – something I never thought I’d be saying about a death game series. The story presents its arcs out of order, but even that works to help viewers understand where Yuki is coming from, how she got where she is in the time of her chronologically-latest arc, and the way these death games have worn on her over time (both physically and mentally) while at the same time being a sort of comfort. The writing also sprinkles all sots of tantalizing mysteries about how, exactly, things work in this setting and why, but never providing a full explanation actually works to the series’ advantage. Major supporting characters in each arc are interesting as well, with few named characters being completely disposable (even if they do eventually die), and there’s a big surprise concerning one in the final scene, too.
But it’s the visual style and sparse but extremely effective use of music which sell this series the most. It lends the whole series an almost dreamlike quality and emphasizes the delicate nature of the girls even as they (in some cases) fight fiercely, and the use of plushie-style stuffing to replace blood and viscera might seem to tamp down the graphic impact at first, but in some ways it’s all the more horrifying in the long run. Kudos also for an English dub which remains exceptionally strong to the end. I’ll be surprised if this one doesn’t make a lot of Top 10 (or even Top 5!) lists at the end of the year.
TOP 5: Sentenced to Be a Hero
Series Rating: A
Whether this one or Fate/strange Fake more deserves to be in the #4 position for the season (with Oshi no Ko being #3) largely depends on which one I’ve watched more recently, but I’m giving this one the slight edge because of its absolutely searing, twist-filled final episode. It delivers plenty of (sometimes very gross) action spectacle throughout while featuring some of the season’s best visuals, animation, and fight designs, but it also shows itself quite capable of delivering on intrigue and darkly personal stories, too, and a Xylo/Teoritta team that’s in sync is an absolute delight to watch. A second season has just been announced (though with no definite time frame yet), and it will almost certainly be one of the most-anticipated titles of whatever season it returns in.
TOP 5: Fate/strange Fake
Series Rating: A
This is the second of the top-tier action series for the series and rivals Sentenced to Be a Hero stride-for-stride for its action extravaganzas and quality animation effort. This series is a vastly more chaotic affair, though, one which throws in characters and twists from all kinds of angles and doesn’t seem to care much if its audience fully keeps up, and I love it for that. On top of that, Saber/Richard the Lionheart makes for one of the most engaging Heroic Spirits seen in any of the Fate franchise titles, and the season’s final episode – where he’s shown an images of Saber from Fate/Zero – only bolsters his appeal further. (And kudos to Ben Balmaceda for a stand-out English dub performance as Saber.) The season finale also features one shocking big twist and additional guest appearances from the deep lore of the Fate franchise. This series continues to be an especially fun ride, and it’s not over; that the story couldn’t be contained within a mere 13 episodes + starting special was clear from early on, and a “to be continued” notice attached to a bonus video seems to indicate that part 2 will eventually come. Its sequel will also be among the most-anticipated of its season
THE REST
Chained Soldier s2
Series Rating: B-
I’m giving this one a slight bump on rating because its second half does finally coalesce actual plot developments as the Thunder Gods start to make major moves, including big hooks at its end for potential future seasons. And it does this without ever stepping away from its staple of requisite nudity in every episode. Couple it with some respectable power displays and action scenes and it makes for passable lowbrow entertainment.
Hell’s Paradise s2
Season Rating: B
The second half of this series gets bogged down in the assorted fights against the Tensen, though the action design, animation, and spectacle of the fights largely carries the series through this run. Only in the last episode does the second expeditionary force become a major player, but their arrival on the scene turns what had been a fairly ordered series of battles into a completely chaotic affair, and that’s not necessarily bad. It doesn’t even end on a stopping point, so almost certainly another season will be coming eventually (though nothing has been announced as of this writing).
Kunon the Sorcerer Can See
Series Rating: B-
I almost rated this one even lower, as the series’ second half took pretty much everything that was interesting about the first half and de-prioritized it in favor of far less interesting (or even outright obnoxious) elements. Hence consider this grade an average of its first and second halves. Hardly anything additional is done with exploring why Kunon sees the things he does with his artificial eye, while his womanizing flattery is played up to the max; the one mildly interesting element there is how he reacts to a trans character. The “magic school” elements also feel very rote, and the the young saint is nowhere near a good replacement for the princess Kunon is betrothed to (who still makes a few token appearances) as a character. Basically, the series has devolved from something potentially special to something just ordinary, and is thus the far inferior of the two series this season featuring blind characters.
Reborn as a Dragon Hatchling
Series Rating: B-
Though I do still like this one, it only really merits additional commentary because of a trio of late twists: one which potentially strains Illusia’s relationship with Myria (Illusia is the name given to the dragon by her), a surprise on who the mastermind in the forest is, and a final scene which indicates that any sequel (one hasn’t been announced as of this writing) is going to happen in a dramatically different setting. I have very mixed feelings about that ending but I’m still curious to see where the story might go next, so I’ll watch a sequel if one is made. The recently-started English dub (featuring Adam Gibb, the voice of Cid/Shadow from The Eminence in Shadow) also seems solid.
Roll Over and Die
Series Rating: B-
As dearly as I love this series, I still have to acknowledge how rough the adaptation is and how limited it is at times on the animation front. Still, in finishing its adaptation through the end of the second source novel (and just a little into novel 3), the series lays out the foundational truths of the world which make this setting a bit different from most other game mechanics-grounded fantasy setting. It also reinforces the yuri nature of its central relationship and the growing “found family” aspects, and watch for the closer to update visually to correspond to plot developments. Flum also continues to be a worthy heroine, though she doesn’t look right in a girly dress she wears for part of the epilogue. I have doubts that this one proved popular enough to warrant a second season being made, but I will be back if it does happen.
Tamon’s B-Side
Series Rating: B++
If SHIBOYUGI turning out to be a top-tier stylistic effort is the season’s biggest surprise then this series turning out to be as good as it is qualifies as the second-biggest surprise; its mention in best-of-season lists is warranted, though its competition is simply too strong for me to put it in my top 5. Even so, it continues to deliver up to the end as Utage interacts with more members of F/ACE and struggles to find a balance between idolizing and respecting Tamon as a fan and honoring her own growing romantic feelings. Some of the side complications involving other F/ACE members (some of which concern Utage, but some of which don’t) are also pretty neat. I give this one a slight edge over The Invisible Man as the season’s premiere romcom.
The Holy Grail of Eris
Rating: B
A case could be argued for raising the grade a notch on this one, as it does deliver on a wonderfully convoluted scheme and at least partially succeeds on turning Constance into a worthy heroine. The one thing holding it back is how rushed some of the developments feels; even as an anime-only viewer, that the writing was condensing or skipping over a lot of content was quite evident. While there might not have been enough content her to warrant stretching the story over two full seasons, even 2-3 additional episodes probably would have at least partly alleviated this problem by allowing certain aspects (especially the crucial politics in Faris) to be elaborated on further. Still, seeing Constance and Randolph hit it off for real was a treat, as was a late twist which finally revealed the truth behind a mystery going back to the prologue scene in episode 1. While I have mixed feelings about the very last scene (which in some ways mirrors the ending of the early 2010s series Dusk Maiden of Amnesia), it’s still fitting for the way the story was presented.
The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-be Wife
Series Rating: B+
This may not be one of the better-looking series of the season (something definitely seemed off about part of the last episode in particular), but it is just too charmingly-sweet to deny. It can at times be really funny while also exploring societal issues unique to the multiracial setting (the “look” at the invisible person village was especially interesting), and I continue to love they way it handles Shizuka’s blindness; the series finds an excellent balance between demonstrating how she can manage on her own and how she reacts differently to certain situations because she’s blind. She and Akira make a neat couple, and there’s a strong supporting cast around them, too. The series has been a delight to watch.
There Was a Cute Girl in the Hero’s Party, So I Tried Confessing to Her
Series Rating: B-
Yeah, this continues to be one of the weakest series of the season on visual and technical merits, and the stakes here certainly aren’t high as isekai fantasy series go, but it remains a fun view through to the end and watching Yoki legitimately win Cecelia over (while still regularly falling prey to his chuuni urges) is quite satisfying. So are the stories concerning the numerous other romances circulating about the main couple; I’m hard-pressed to think of another isekai series which has so many romantic entanglements but only the main one channeling through the protagonist. Not sure where the story can go from its ending point, since the two are officially a couple at the end, but I’ll watch a second season if one is ever made.
And that’s a wrap for this season! Look for the Spring 2026 Preview Guide, which has already begun.
USA Anime 