Future classics of 2025
AnimeSpoiler
These are shows that I predict will have lasting, material impact on anime as an art form after they are released in the calendar year of 2025. The list is in season and then alphabetical order. It showcases ∼ 13 tv series / season.
A running stack, entries will be added when studios publicize official release dates.
If the date says ??? in the notes, it means the season & year of release has not been declared.
Expand each entry to see more information about the anime and why it's going to be important.
A running stack, entries will be added when studios publicize official release dates.
If the date says ??? in the notes, it means the season & year of release has not been declared.
Expand each entry to see more information about the anime and why it's going to be important.
TV, 2025,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:-
Winter 2025
This show about a female House who diagnoses and treats rare diseases originates from a mostly-unknown manga/novel dual source, so it's a risk to list it here, but there are too many great things going for it, like the lead Sakura (who is legendary in the community), to ignore it as a pick...
Not only is the concept of Ameku brought to anime form a worthy one, as it's worked for serials elsewhere, from what I can tell the animation and designs are going to be top-tier. Produced by Aniplex and with project no. 9 as the studio, we largely know what to expect. But I believe this will exceed Hige Hiro and Otonari no Tenshi-sama in terms of engagement and intellectualism.
Sakura Ayane is a genius in her work, and you may know her as having been in Tokyo Ghoul, MHA, Beyond the Boundary, AoT, Hokkaido Girls, and many others. Some of my favorites include her roles as Natsumi, Yotsuba, Iroha, Tomoe, and more recently annoying-but-she-grows-on-you pink-haired girl in Dandadan. She's also Saki Saki, if you're into that kind of thing. I think she'll do great portraying this "House" type character, given that we need someone with versatility to handle the humor and also dramatic moments, with the anime leaning into high stakes.
Ono and Iwami, who are Fruits Basket graduates, round out some of the cast, so that you know the producers aren't fucking around.
It visually and audibly seems crisp and will work on most levels. The director previously worked on some episodes of Your Lie in April and Zankyou no Terror, two very respected anime. The mangaka has input on the direction of the anime, and the script is by Kakihara Yuuko, who brought us Mashita (Welcome to School, Iruma-kun) and several episodes of – holy shit – Apothecary Diaries.
Sound completed by Hamano (Somali to Mori no Kamisama) and art direction by Lee, with character designs in part by Miyazawa, who's been around forever (YYH, Bleach, etc.), and it makes sense why this looks and sounds so good.
With the massive talent going on here, the crew and actors should be able to balance the lighter and odd moments of this anime with the broader nefarious machinations by the antagonist(s) underpinning its narrative seamlessly.
This show about a female House who diagnoses and treats rare diseases originates from a mostly-unknown manga/novel dual source, so it's a risk to list it here, but there are too many great things going for it, like the lead Sakura (who is legendary in the community), to ignore it as a pick...
Not only is the concept of Ameku brought to anime form a worthy one, as it's worked for serials elsewhere, from what I can tell the animation and designs are going to be top-tier. Produced by Aniplex and with project no. 9 as the studio, we largely know what to expect. But I believe this will exceed Hige Hiro and Otonari no Tenshi-sama in terms of engagement and intellectualism.
Sakura Ayane is a genius in her work, and you may know her as having been in Tokyo Ghoul, MHA, Beyond the Boundary, AoT, Hokkaido Girls, and many others. Some of my favorites include her roles as Natsumi, Yotsuba, Iroha, Tomoe, and more recently annoying-but-she-grows-on-you pink-haired girl in Dandadan. She's also Saki Saki, if you're into that kind of thing. I think she'll do great portraying this "House" type character, given that we need someone with versatility to handle the humor and also dramatic moments, with the anime leaning into high stakes.
Ono and Iwami, who are Fruits Basket graduates, round out some of the cast, so that you know the producers aren't fucking around.
It visually and audibly seems crisp and will work on most levels. The director previously worked on some episodes of Your Lie in April and Zankyou no Terror, two very respected anime. The mangaka has input on the direction of the anime, and the script is by Kakihara Yuuko, who brought us Mashita (Welcome to School, Iruma-kun) and several episodes of – holy shit – Apothecary Diaries.
Sound completed by Hamano (Somali to Mori no Kamisama) and art direction by Lee, with character designs in part by Miyazawa, who's been around forever (YYH, Bleach, etc.), and it makes sense why this looks and sounds so good.
With the massive talent going on here, the crew and actors should be able to balance the lighter and odd moments of this anime with the broader nefarious machinations by the antagonist(s) underpinning its narrative seamlessly.
TV, 2025,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:-
Winter 2025
This is an obvious pick. The series is massively successful and has output consistently high-fidelity adaptations of the source material. People love the characters, the balance between action and comedy. There are relevant stakes and the narrative moves without wasted time. Production quality is tight with good music, sound design, and voice acting.
This is an obvious pick. The series is massively successful and has output consistently high-fidelity adaptations of the source material. People love the characters, the balance between action and comedy. There are relevant stakes and the narrative moves without wasted time. Production quality is tight with good music, sound design, and voice acting.
TV, 2025,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:-
Winter 2025
This has a unique feel to it in terms of very nice looking character design, composition fidelity, and color. The animation director is Komine, known for their contributions to Dance Dance, Mushouko, Tonikawa, and recent successes such as Tengoku and Losing Heroines. I knew that it seemed familiar, and then I realized the similarities to Make, with its sharp edge contrasts between the characters and background.
Beyond this, the show is a high school club drama that will be about a niche thing (radio broadcasting) that most people would normally not care about, yet once again, inexplicably, anime draws us into the world of a main character's passion for that specific thing regardless. We had Radio Seiyuu a few seasons back, and that had a totally different feel, with the two leads sharing a running hate boner relationship, and that doesn't seem to be the case with this one. It's more grounded in the expansion of a club, and the main character's induction into it and her various experiences working with and getting to know the members of the club.
It's not the most exciting release of the season, though it has potential to be great.
This has a unique feel to it in terms of very nice looking character design, composition fidelity, and color. The animation director is Komine, known for their contributions to Dance Dance, Mushouko, Tonikawa, and recent successes such as Tengoku and Losing Heroines. I knew that it seemed familiar, and then I realized the similarities to Make, with its sharp edge contrasts between the characters and background.
Beyond this, the show is a high school club drama that will be about a niche thing (radio broadcasting) that most people would normally not care about, yet once again, inexplicably, anime draws us into the world of a main character's passion for that specific thing regardless. We had Radio Seiyuu a few seasons back, and that had a totally different feel, with the two leads sharing a running hate boner relationship, and that doesn't seem to be the case with this one. It's more grounded in the expansion of a club, and the main character's induction into it and her various experiences working with and getting to know the members of the club.
It's not the most exciting release of the season, though it has potential to be great.
TV, 2025,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:8
winter 2025
TV, 2025,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:-
Winter 2025
This is a weird one because it is representing a taboo workplace entanglement (yes, /that/ kind of entanglement). While there's nothing wrong with dating coworkers NOT in your upline, the trailers hint at intimate or inappropriate interactions occurring at work, such that the romantic life and professional life blur or infringe.
Based on a manga with a nonnegligible readership who supports the work predominant, the storyboarder and director simply need to bring it to the new medium faithfully with decent production quality in order for this to be a hit. It's already hitting buttons that are contentious and sensational, which will draw crowds if the animation and voice direction is on point.
The manga series is done, but they have 15 vol to work with for adaption, so if the first season goes well, there's no reason to believe that there won't be more.
Main characters are portrayed by Yume, who was Raeliana recently, and Seiichirou, who is known for the latest instantiaHoriyama
This is a weird one because it is representing a taboo workplace entanglement (yes, /that/ kind of entanglement). While there's nothing wrong with dating coworkers NOT in your upline, the trailers hint at intimate or inappropriate interactions occurring at work, such that the romantic life and professional life blur or infringe.
Based on a manga with a nonnegligible readership who supports the work predominant, the storyboarder and director simply need to bring it to the new medium faithfully with decent production quality in order for this to be a hit. It's already hitting buttons that are contentious and sensational, which will draw crowds if the animation and voice direction is on point.
The manga series is done, but they have 15 vol to work with for adaption, so if the first season goes well, there's no reason to believe that there won't be more.
Main characters are portrayed by Yume, who was Raeliana recently, and Seiichirou, who is known for the latest instantiaHoriyama
TV, 2025,
24 eps
Me:-
Author:10
Winter 2025
It's a big season for Ootsuka Takeo.
Do I need to say anything about why this is going to be massive? The first season blew everything away, including my expectations, so who knows how impressive this is going to be. Even if it just equals the value of its predecessor, that would be enough for me. We all want to see a continuation to the series, including both the unraveling of these plots shrouded in mystery and the development of Maomao's relationship with Jinshi-sama
It's a big season for Ootsuka Takeo.
Do I need to say anything about why this is going to be massive? The first season blew everything away, including my expectations, so who knows how impressive this is going to be. Even if it just equals the value of its predecessor, that would be enough for me. We all want to see a continuation to the series, including both the unraveling of these plots shrouded in mystery and the development of Maomao's relationship with Jinshi-sama
TV, 2025,
13 eps
Me:-
Author:9
Winter 2025
How can I even begin to describe this? I believe it will be anime of the year, or at least the best of season, and I hold immense respect for the mangaka's creativity and artistic vision. If you haven't read Medalist or learned how the mangaka was inspired to write it and how this came into existence, you need to find out what it's like to experience this level of depth and admiration of the sport firsthand. Alternatively you can at least watch a short youtube video essay about it.
In the meantime, to let you know, Medalist is one of the most beautifully drawn manga in the modern period of Japanese craft. It is not only penciled and inked with lavish detail in gorgeously depicted chapters, but the story is also achingly touching with resonating moments about lost and future potential, centered around the relationship between a retired dancer and his solo skating pupil. If you don't cry (at least on the inside), you basically don't have a soul.
My only reservation is the director, who hasn't put out the best shows ever. He also storyboarded it, but he has little repertoire. Still, he might do a great job, and it could become his magnum opus. The script is supported by Steins;Gate writer Hanada, with sound direction by the man, the myth, the legend that brought us Kubo-san and The Wrong Way to Use Magic. Rounding out the behind-the-scenes is Hayashi, who provided music for... well, there're too many to list, but works include My Hero Acad, Haikyuu, and Death Parade. The guy's a genius. So we have some really talented people working on this.
And if you're wondering about the seiyuus, don't worry. The coach is acted by none other than Oshi no Ko omega himself; and Inori's VA is no one to tsk either.
This doesn't have as many people lining up to watch it as Zenshuu, Honey, or Sakamoto; however, it's going to be a sleeper hit and dark horse.
How can I even begin to describe this? I believe it will be anime of the year, or at least the best of season, and I hold immense respect for the mangaka's creativity and artistic vision. If you haven't read Medalist or learned how the mangaka was inspired to write it and how this came into existence, you need to find out what it's like to experience this level of depth and admiration of the sport firsthand. Alternatively you can at least watch a short youtube video essay about it.
In the meantime, to let you know, Medalist is one of the most beautifully drawn manga in the modern period of Japanese craft. It is not only penciled and inked with lavish detail in gorgeously depicted chapters, but the story is also achingly touching with resonating moments about lost and future potential, centered around the relationship between a retired dancer and his solo skating pupil. If you don't cry (at least on the inside), you basically don't have a soul.
My only reservation is the director, who hasn't put out the best shows ever. He also storyboarded it, but he has little repertoire. Still, he might do a great job, and it could become his magnum opus. The script is supported by Steins;Gate writer Hanada, with sound direction by the man, the myth, the legend that brought us Kubo-san and The Wrong Way to Use Magic. Rounding out the behind-the-scenes is Hayashi, who provided music for... well, there're too many to list, but works include My Hero Acad, Haikyuu, and Death Parade. The guy's a genius. So we have some really talented people working on this.
And if you're wondering about the seiyuus, don't worry. The coach is acted by none other than Oshi no Ko omega himself; and Inori's VA is no one to tsk either.
This doesn't have as many people lining up to watch it as Zenshuu, Honey, or Sakamoto; however, it's going to be a sleeper hit and dark horse.
TV, 2025,
11 eps
Me:-
Author:8
Winter 2025
Remember that one time that Dandadan came out? Yeah...
The release of Sakamoto Days will mark another massive milestone for new-age manga adaptions. Many of these ongoing shounen serials are characterized by this absurdist nature, lampooning the ludicrous story elements and battle tropes in the manga that came before them. Though the writers tackle different themes and create wildly different crazy characters, the shared feeling is there.
Remember that one time that Dandadan came out? Yeah...
The release of Sakamoto Days will mark another massive milestone for new-age manga adaptions. Many of these ongoing shounen serials are characterized by this absurdist nature, lampooning the ludicrous story elements and battle tropes in the manga that came before them. Though the writers tackle different themes and create wildly different crazy characters, the shared feeling is there.
TV, 2025,
12 eps
Me:-
Author:7
Winter 2025
Originals are always inherently riskier. Beyond that, it discusses a hotly debated topic: the overwork of mangakas and other creatives in Japan, who experience blitzing and unbroken work hours that hurt their sanity and drive them to isolation and exhausted burnout. There's also pressure to make something even if they're experiencing a creative crash.
Somehow, though, it manages to blend the realism of this topic with the escapist trends we see with fantasy shows, namely isekais. Isekai anime enable people to imagine an alternative reality where magic and evil things exist, and they can self-insert as the mc to defeat the baddies, like in a video game. Here, the in-universe mangaka themselves get to engage in an isekai experience intradiegetically – she is transported into the world of her favorite show as a child, as a portal to unlock her creativity when she struggles to write a romance script due to...inexperience. It might mirror and betray how creators in the industry use their work and this principle of detachment as a form of escapism as well. Taking it even another level, it might betray another thing – if her foray into a fantastical world is tied to her struggles wrestling with ideation of her romantic comedy, this might represent the manner in which industry professionals sometimes lean into and rely on familiar tropes (like isekai shenanigans) in order to output something on a timely basis to placate demand. I'm hoping that the isekai trends and tropes that we see are, if anything, satirized to death. It might make the case that this laziness is actually partly a method of desperation by mangakas and production studios rather than strictly cynical force-feeding.
The lead, Nagase, already has experience as an Isekai Suicide Sq member, but she was also in JK and her main claim to fame is as Ushio in Summertime Render. And well, she also depicted Mahoro in Bucchigiri. Not her fault. That character is a dud to begin with, and she did the best she could with what she had to work with. Seasoned actresses and actors like Akio Suyama and Rie Kugimiya complement the cast, along with Ura, who portrays Yoichi, a noteworthy figure in sports new shounen.
It's funny that MAPPA is producing this, given their history, though note that Shirobako already released. Meta-commentary that feels hypocritical isn't uncommon there.
Originals are always inherently riskier. Beyond that, it discusses a hotly debated topic: the overwork of mangakas and other creatives in Japan, who experience blitzing and unbroken work hours that hurt their sanity and drive them to isolation and exhausted burnout. There's also pressure to make something even if they're experiencing a creative crash.
Somehow, though, it manages to blend the realism of this topic with the escapist trends we see with fantasy shows, namely isekais. Isekai anime enable people to imagine an alternative reality where magic and evil things exist, and they can self-insert as the mc to defeat the baddies, like in a video game. Here, the in-universe mangaka themselves get to engage in an isekai experience intradiegetically – she is transported into the world of her favorite show as a child, as a portal to unlock her creativity when she struggles to write a romance script due to...inexperience. It might mirror and betray how creators in the industry use their work and this principle of detachment as a form of escapism as well. Taking it even another level, it might betray another thing – if her foray into a fantastical world is tied to her struggles wrestling with ideation of her romantic comedy, this might represent the manner in which industry professionals sometimes lean into and rely on familiar tropes (like isekai shenanigans) in order to output something on a timely basis to placate demand. I'm hoping that the isekai trends and tropes that we see are, if anything, satirized to death. It might make the case that this laziness is actually partly a method of desperation by mangakas and production studios rather than strictly cynical force-feeding.
The lead, Nagase, already has experience as an Isekai Suicide Sq member, but she was also in JK and her main claim to fame is as Ushio in Summertime Render. And well, she also depicted Mahoro in Bucchigiri. Not her fault. That character is a dud to begin with, and she did the best she could with what she had to work with. Seasoned actresses and actors like Akio Suyama and Rie Kugimiya complement the cast, along with Ura, who portrays Yoichi, a noteworthy figure in sports new shounen.
It's funny that MAPPA is producing this, given their history, though note that Shirobako already released. Meta-commentary that feels hypocritical isn't uncommon there.
