There’s no glossing over it – this is a bad anime season. Not the worst (Winter 2013 comes to mind, as one where I only finished a single non-sequel), but bad nonetheless. There’s no area in which I would call it average, much less better. It’s not totally barren, as even crap seasons have a few good shows (at least up to now). But it’s the worst I’ve seen in at least a couple of years for sure.
Where to begin? One in “Outstanding” at least – and I didn’t need to stretch to put it there – and Kusuriya didn’t miss by much. But only two “Very Good” (and I was pretty generous there TBH) and four “worthwhile”. If nothing else the numbers would tell the story on their own. I love to talk about hourglass-shaped and gourd-shaped anime seasons, but this one basically goes all pear-shaped.
I would feel better if I thought this was a blip. But given that the volume of interesting (from my perspective) anime announcements and leaks has been a trickle for all of 2026, I have to think it’s more a question of whether this is the low point or not. There are a couple particularly good prospects for Winter so I suspect on that basis alone it will be a step up. And a smattering of big-time leaks, but those shows won’t drop for a year at least. I think it’s going to be a long time before we see a season with a high volume of good series.
At least the one real sleeper I called out – Ojisan ha Kawaii Mono ga Osuki. – has delivered. I’ll take any kernel of positivity I can find in a season so starved of it. But it gives you an idea of how rough things are that for the first time, I can’t realistically do a Patron Pick vote – not in the normal fashion anyway. I’m just going to make it a “write-in” campaign and see if anyone can suggest something interesting.
Onward, then, to Fall 2026:
The Elite
None
Outstanding
Ao Ashi Season 2
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: A
Comments: Another grain of good news. Ao Ashi is fine – better than fine in fact. It’s still pretty great, despite the shift from Production I.G. to TMS (which was a legit cause for concern). This is just a platinum sports series in every facet, one of the best in decades when it comes to its depiction of the chosen sport. It may just be the best sports series of the decade in fact – it’s certainly in the conversation. It would be nice to know that this season is two cours – split or otherwise – like the first. But the lack of information suggests we might be looking at a single cour.
Very Good
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 3rd Season
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: B+
Comments: Kusuriya is pretty reliable on the whole – never the best show airing, but almost always solidly in this category. Season 2 was a moderate step down from the first, though, and the first four episodes of S3 have been very good indeed. It’s fair to say it didn’t miss the “Outstanding” category by much, in fact. I like what the addition of Chou-u has done for Maomao’s character and the narrative as a whole, and The Apothecary Diaries has so far avoided the trip-wires that tend to limit its upside.
Ojisan ha Kawaii Mono ga Osuki.
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: B
Comments: The sleeper, the “that niche” resident, the show that checks a lot of boxes – Ojisan ha Kawaii has stepped up when it was desperately needed. It’s not a masterpiece but really good – smart, funny in a dry and understated way, incredibly easy to enjoy. All the things series like it usually are, and thank goodness they still find their way onto anime schedules once in a while.
Worthwhile
Ao no Hako Season 2
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: B
Comments: I really wanted to rank this one level up – it often does get there. But honestly compels me to place it here. This whole Yumeka subplot is very indifferent Blue Box for me, the sort of time-wasting on irritating side characters the series is addicted to. It is what it is – I certainly have no illusions about what this series is and what it isn’t at this point.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2
Episodes Watched: 5
Grade: B
Comments: I actually like the second season of Cyperpunk Edgerunners much better than the first, so it was pretty much a given that it would be less well-received. Roman as the protagonist gives the series a grounded feel S1 never had – he’s basically a likable and sensible person who reacts to things the way a sensible person does. There’s much of less of the poser mentality that permeated the first season, the relentless need to be cool and show it off. I could cover it of course, but with the show having been Netflix dumped already I think it makes more sense just to do a Series Review post when I finish it.
Marronnier Oukoku no Shichinin no Kishi
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: B-
Comments: The Seven Knights of the Marronnier Kingdom has an easy charm to it, though it’s fair to say it hasn’t closed the sale with me yet. It’s cheap (this is J.C. Staff after all) but by no means unwatchable – the music is very good and the art pleasingly whimsical. It’s also running for 20 episodes, which is a plus, though it’s hard to see it getting through all seven journey arcs in that time. Now that the plot has kicked in we’ll see how the show holds up but in this sort of season, my retention threshold is pretty low.
Ranma ½ (2026)
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: B-
Comments: Ranma is Ranma. So far it’s been really lightweight material this season but overall there’s no real change in quality. If you don’t know what to expect from this series by now I suppose you never will.
Still Watching
Hotaru no Yomeiri
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: C+
Comments: I wish I liked Firefly Wedding more than I do. It looks nice – enough to make me rethink my current assessment of David Production. But I find the story pretty silly and hopelessly tangled in bad shoujo tropes. There’s no judgement of even assessment of the characters or situations here – it’s just cliche porn, really. But I don’t have to repeat the reason why it’s still in the running.
Kanata Kara
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: C
Comments: Another show I’d love to like but is doing very little for me. It’s a much-loved shoujo fantasy chestnut but the production is resolutely nondescript. I like the two main characters and it’s certainly a step up from Red River, but in almost any other season I’d already have dropped this one.
Horror Collector
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: C
Comments: Horror Collector starts out amusingly, with a character gushing over how good NHK (the producer) weather forecasts are. It’s a decidedly mixed bag after that but if you’re a fan of Japanese horror, this show has some appeal. It’s based on a series of YA horror novels and has a somewhat distinctive narrative style as a result. Also, listen for all the big-name seiyuu cameos (thanks, NHK).
Vertex Force
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: C
Comments: I like this show the better of the two mecha originals airing this season, though that bar is pretty low. The CGI isn’t as bad as I expected and the premise is fairly interesting, but this is miles away from being anything memorable. Lots of tropes and characters being whacked with the stupid stick but there are worse ways to spend 22 minutes.
Dropped:
Psyren, Juuou Mujin Dandivine, Seitokai ni mo Ana wa Aru! (you know it’s a bad season when I couldn’t even find many shows interesting enough to watch and drop).
Here, then, is this season’s blogging prospectus:
Monday:
Definitely Blogging:: None
Tuesday:
Definitely Blogging:: None
Wednesday:
Definitely Blogging:: None
Thursday:
Definitely Blogging: None
Friday:
Definitely Blogging: Uchi no Otouto-domo ga Sumimasen, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 3rd Season
On the Bubble: Hotaru no Yomeiri
Saturday:
Definitely Blogging: Ao Ashi Season 2, Ao no Hako Season 2
Probably Blogging: Marronnier Oukoku no Shichinin no Kishi, Ranma ½ (2026)
Sunday:
Definitely Blogging: Ojisan ha Kawaii Mono ga Osuki.
Watching For Now: Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2, Kanata Kara, Horror Collector, Vertex Force
Patron Pick Ballot: You tell me. I can’t even do one, realistically – only Hotaru no Yomeiri would even be on it.
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