I really need to get into the habit of writing a blog post per season. Let’s start off by talking about some of my favorite shows from spring 2025.

Apocalypse Hotel

Transience has always been a popular theme in Japanese fiction. Apocalypse Hotel marries it with widescreen baroque storytelling, eccentric comedy reminiscent of Zombie Land Saga, and a little bit of hope for the (far) future. The early parts of this show didn’t quite click for me; I had only picked it up due to its status as an anime original from Cygames Pictures, rather than any resonance with its subject matter or investment in its staff, and the early episodes didn’t do much to win me over. I could appreciate the gorgeous visuals of a post-human Earth, but Yachiyo felt impenetrable as a focal character and it was hard to predict where the overarching plot was headed. Just as Gingaro Hotel slowly filled with laughter and intelligence, though, Apocalypse Hotel carved out a place in my heart bit by bit. Its insistence that all sentient life is valid and valuable, as expressed through the parallel growth of Yachiyo and the hotel, echoes sentiments found in Tanaka Romeo’s writing, so really, this series was always bound to win me over. Episode 11 is a particular standout, depicting Yachiyo—an inorganic being—as part of the grand network of life, one of countless nodes bridging past and future. This episode inspired me to venture out into the summer heat and commune with nature myself, smelling the flowers and listening to the insects. The thesis of Apocalypse Hotel is subsequently given its concluding statement by episode 12, wherein humans become but one intelligent species among many, no more weight afforded to them than is their due. I hope our own successor is as welcoming to guests as Yachiyo is.

NinKoro

To paraphrase an acquaintance on Discord, Satoko and Konoha are like Shamiko and Momo if they were fucked up and unhinged. So again, this series had my number from the start. It doesn’t hurt that this is one of the most inventive comedies I’ve seen in years; absurd gag humor is a dime a dozen, but it takes a special mind to make robot clones and age regression part of a true continuity, narrative elements with lasting consequences. Sprinkle on casual ultraviolence in liberal quantities, and boom, delicious food for Moogy. NinKoro has taught me that I am truly a sucker for stories where a very silly girl opens the heart of a very saturnine girl, be they demon and magical girl or ninja and assassin. If I don’t find more of these, I might have to write my own.

I finished a number of shows other than these, but I don’t have much to say about them, so let’s move on to what I have my eye on for next season. (I suppose it already qualifies as this season as of the time of this writing.)

Summer 2025 Candidates

In order of airing.

Takopii no Genzai – Truth be told, this isn’t much of a “candidate,” as the first episode has already released and I enjoyed it quite a bit. A lavish production capable of affording heavy topics the appropriate gravitas. I don’t know much about the source—I kept telling myself I would get around to reading the manga, only for an anime to get announced—so I’m looking forward to seeing where this one goes.

Kamitsubaki-shi Kensetsuchuu. – I’m not sure if I should have faith in the director or not, but I played the rhythm game (written and directed by Hayashi Fuyuki of Cry-series “fame”), so why the hell not, I guess. Absolutely zero idea what to expect from this, which is probably a good position to be in for original anime.

Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu – Because I should probably consume some BL every now and then. The PV for this caught my eye, and a friend told me I’d probably appreciate the horror elements, so count me in. CyPic hasn’t let me down yet, after all.

Bad Girl – Kirara yuri. After the excellent Kirara adaptation that was mono, the pendulum will likely swing back in the opposite direction for this one. I should really just read the manga instead. But Kirara 4koma take a lot of effort to read, you see, and so I will compromise my ideals and watch the anime instead. This is my Heaven’s Feel.

Ruri no Houseki – Holy sakuga. I loved Onimai, and while I don’t expect this to be similar at all in terms of content, I have faith the team will bring the same artistry to the production. Achiwa pulled Yanagawa onboard with him, so this time around the BGM will be even more Atelier, somehow.

CITY – Holy sakuga part two. The PVs do not inspire confidence that the humor in this series will be my thing, but I have to at least see an episode of this, because… come on. Kyo-Ani, you officially have permission to knock my socks off.

WataNare – Ajisai-san maji tenshi. Mikami Teren can do no wrong, and I’m glad she’s finally getting an anime adaptation of one of her novels. Hopefully this can avenge Sasakoi and help to further establish yuri romcoms as an Actual Thing. I sense the potential here, just as so many did with Jerid. Wait, am I portending ill with that one?

Turkey! – I wasn’t going to watch this, because fuck sports and especially fuck bowling, but they put Nyochio in it (alongside a girl with the same seiyuu as Hayate, no less), so now I have to. On that note, I think you should play D4DJ, dear reader. It has the best charting this side of IIDX; it has songs from kamige such as Aiyoku no Eustia, Tokyo 7th Sisters, and Rockman 2; it has actual, honest-to-god yuri; and it has actual, honest-to-god Nyochio. If you download it right now, you can start playing just in time for the upcoming Kanokari collab! Where are you going, come back. (I’m actually listening to A Bad Cynic Doggo songs as I write this post. Check them out if you like, uh, bishoujo hiphop?)

Nukitashi – What. I loved the game, but seriously, what???

Utagoe ha Mille-Feuille – This is part of some media mix I have never interacted with; I’m interested in it solely because the anime is written by Yamanaka Takuya, the creator of the Caligula series. (Somehow there are two anime airing this season with connections to Furyu creators). It has yet to announce actual airing dates, so for now it is only ostensibly part of summer season… given that the production studio is Jumondou, this probably doesn’t bode well.

That about sums it up, I think. Now that Murasaki-iro no Qualia is getting a reprint (fortunately I managed to snag a preorder for a signed copy during the brief window they were available), I think it’s high time it finally gets an anime adaptation, don’t you agree? If Omae Gotoki (ry can get an anime, anything can—as long as we’re mining the veins of kino yuri, how about SeaBed, too? Don’t ask me how a SeaBed anime is supposed to work, you’re the hypothetical anime producer who exists solely in my imagination here, not me.