A quick list of Anime I watched during the Spring 2025 Season and some quick thoughts on each of them.
- Anne Shirley:
- This was probably my number one or number two anime of the season. The art style was decidedly “inspired” by Ghibli, but it worked well and the overall story was well adapted and charming. Nice, cozy slice of life.
- Catch Me At The Ballpark:
- Along with Anne Shirley, this was definitely my contender for Show of the Season (Anime of the Season?). Every episode was episodic and tended to be divided into little segments that all showcased various employees and fans at a single ballpark. It was cute, and sweet, and lighthearted and I really enjoyed it. Its the rare slice of life show that I’d be happy to see a second season of.
- To Be Hero X:
- Really impressive 3d art (if a touch too “inspired” by Arcane for my tastes) and some super cool 2d art. Sadly the story is kind of a mess, and the show’s shift from one protagonist to another every few episodes (with the previous characters kind of completely forgotten about) definitely weaken it. Still, it’s an enjoyable enough watch.
- Apothecary Diaries:
- Potential hot take: I think this show is Just Fine. I didn’t mind watching it every week, but wasn’t looking forward to it the way a lot of other people seemed to be.
- One Piece:
- I think I’m in sunk cost land with this show. I love One Piece and think it’s the greatest shonen series of all time, but Wano left a really sour taste in my mouth and while Egghead Island is more “classic” OP it’s not really doing it for me. It kind of feels like its the show’s time to end.
- Yaiba: Samurai Legend:
- This one was really disappointing for me. The first episode was a blast, filled with that old 90s anime style charm that I’ve really been missing. It seemed bright and fun, but then the pacing got really janky and the story is uneven. I love the work of the original creator (Case Closed/Magic Kid Kaito), but Yaiba just didn’t do it for me. I think this is one where 13 episodes really wasn’t enough time to properly do the story.
- Teogonia:
- Super fascinating world/power system (a little bit of like cultivation mixed with some other cool ideas) but the main character was kind of obnoxious and the rest of the show wasn’t great. I’d watch a season 2, but I’m not really eagerly waiting for it.
- Classic Stars:
- Okay, I *know* this is trash, but there were flickers of genius. The setting for the world (there’s a machine that can convert emotional power into hallucinogenic shows) is really cool, but all of the interesting things about it are buried beneath an incredibly bland and poorly executed boy band story. I think there was a diamond here, but it never even got close to getting polished.