Forum - View topicThe Best Anime of Spring 2026
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tintor2
 Posts: 2712 |
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I'm surprised that Re:Zero didn't make it considering how the internet exploded over it especially with Subaru's mental state that led to an insane internet meme, calls out to the Shining, and how Emilia treats him.
Same with Dr. Stone and Irumakun that also have a tendency to make every season feel unique with the former making a rocket and the latter focusing on a musical, |
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champeagle3
Posts: 67 |
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Great to see Kamiina Botan make the list. The anime has significantly elevated the source material. You can see and feel the joy of the rotating episode staffers throughout, as well as those who supported them along the way. It helps when the mangaka is long time friends with the studio founders in charge of bringing the series to life. I imagine it was a blast to work on.
Shocked that 100 Scenes from Awajima didn't make the cut. Easily my second favorite show this season behind Botan. Similar in how its animated, the story is incredibly compelling albeit a bit confusing with multiple generations featured. And yet, they managed to use that to their favor for episode 3, one of the best episodes of the year to this point, focusing on the impact of multi-generational trauma. |
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killjoy_the
 Posts: 2566 |
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Marriage Toxin had been my favorite of the season by a significant amount by the start and halfway points, but this last arc has been a real disappointment and pushed it down to the last place of the season for me. Not that I've watched much, just Witch Hat Atelier, Dorohedoro and Ribdiculous Reincarnation, in that order from least to most liked
Ribdiculous Reincarnation scratched the same itch Pop Team Epic did for me - just an absolute smorgasbord of creativity in the weirdest possible way at many points. It didn't always mesh well or sometimes the style for a particular segment wasn't anything that impressive, plus the overall narrative - while not really the point - was pretty weak. I'm particularly glad I watched it because I almost missed it and got convinced by the PV |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 19142 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Disappointed but not in the slightest surprised that Ribdiculous Reincarnation didn't make the list. It's the season's most visually inventive title (even over Needy Girl) and a masterpiece of absurdity, but it doesn't really fit into any conventional qualitative measurements. I am surprised that Re:Zero isn't on the list, which probably means that not enough people on staff were current on it for it to make the cut.
I am pleased that Needy Girl Overdose made the cut, as it's at worst my #2 title for the season. (There's still one episode left to go as I write this.) Whereas WHA is the season's "conventionally good" masterpiece (excellent artistry, technical merits, and world-building), NGO grabbed me harder with its compelling social commentary and characters and inventive use of symbolism and disparate literary, musical, and cultural references. Among other titles on the list, I'm most surprised to see Daemon both on the list and that high; it's had a surprisingly good run, but I wouldn't put it among the season's top three. |
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FilthyCasual
Posts: 2722 |
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Pleasantly surprised to see Second Cutest here after it got snubbed for weekly reviews.
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Gem-Bug
 Posts: 1515 Location: Nova Scotia, Canada |
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I have to catch up on Dorohedoro and Kirio Fan Club because I just kind of fell off of everything this season.
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James02
Posts: 378 |
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Much like others on this forum, I am surprised the staff didn't choose Re:Zero. But, I am also surprised not to see Agents of the Four Seasons and Dr. Stone on this list. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime didn't show up either... so another surprise. Nor MAO.
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bassgs435
 Posts: 466 |
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As much as I like Agents of the Four Seasons myself, I'm not surprised it's not here given the episode reviews. From those, I can deduce it will show up in the worst list |
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Glordit
 Posts: 1192 |
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Had a lot of good shows this season:
LIAR GAME Nippon Sangoku Yomi no Tsugai Dr. Stone Megami "Isekai Tensei Nani ni Naritai Desu ka" Ore "Yuusha no Rokkotsu de" Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e S4 Kill Ao Diamond no Ace act II: Second Season Kami no Niwatsuki Kusunoki-tei Shunkashuutou Daikousha: Haru no Mai Kirio Fanclub Dorohedoro Season 2 Dandelion Tongari Boushi no Atelier Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken S4 Replica Datte, Koi wo Suru. Otaku ni Yasashii Gal wa Inai!? Honzuki no Gekokujou: Ryoushu no Youjo Awajima Hyakkei Kami no Shizuku I have mixed feelings on Mixed feelings on TBATE S2 & Needy Girl Overdose. The former started off badly and got more interesting as they got out of the dungeon and actually did some world building and the latter while good, felt like it was disjointed a little too much at times. |
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Bern73
 Posts: 64 |
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Yeah unfortunately I think maybe like 1 writer on the staff has actually been keeping up with Re:Zero S4, and that's the one reviewing it lmfao. Otherwise I'm fairly certain it would've been on the list, although maybe not super high up since it's only half over.
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malvarez1
Posts: 3017 |
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Liar Game has actually been one of my favorite shows to follow this season, but I’m speaking as a manga fan. I can see how the low production values and the initial naiveté of the protagonist could turn off people.
I agree with Daemons of the Shadow Realm and Witch Hat Atelier, both very good shows for very different reasons - and specifically in Atelier’s case, the best stuff is still yet to come. The cliffhanger was annoying though. Akane-Banashi was probably my favorite series this season, what a well done story. |
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Saeryen
 Posts: 1168 |
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My favorite this season was Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring. It reminds me of Fruits Basket with the emotional beats, and I love the mythology ties, and Hinagiku is such a strong character with a great arc.
I also enjoyed Always a Catch! and An Observation Log of My Fiancée who Calls Herself a Villainess. Both heartwarming shoujo romances, though IMO Always a Catch was a bit better and Mimi is now one of my favorite characters. And of course, Star Detective Pretty Cure continues to impress. And Magical Sisters Lulutto Lily and Onegai AiPri are excellent. I also wanted to watch Witch Hat Atelier and Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 3, but I didn’t want to overdo it with seasonals since I’m also watching already finished PreCures and Inuyasha too.[/b] |
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pi8you
 Posts: 283 Location: Minneapolis |
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Picking a top 5 (or even their order) is an impossible task for me this season, between the excellent adaptations of Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Witch Hat Atelier, and Akane-banashi, the absolute surprises of Kirio Fan Club and Nippon Sangoku, and my ongoing love of Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun (which had some of its best moments to date this season), I could draw them out of a hat and be satisfied with any order
After that though, 7-10 is a much easier decision: 100 Scenes from Awajima, MAO, Ascendance of a Bookworm, and Botan Kamina Fully Blossoms When Drunk. Dorohedoro is an amazing manga and would definitely be in the fight at the top, but I cannot get on board with how they decided to animate it so that's been a skip for me. My Ribdiculous Reincarnation was really fun too, and might have cracked the top 10 but for the genAI segment, so the best I can give it is an honorable mention. Beyond just Kirio, this was also a really solid season for the teen rom/dram/com options, with 2nd Prettiest Girl, Gals Can't be Kind to Otaku, Ramparts of Ice, and Even a Replica can Fall in Love all holding their own. I also continue to wish Scum of the Brave had gotten a better production, as it hangs some really cool world building around a solid core of characters |
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ICO44
 Posts: 111 |
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Kamiina Botan was one of my favourite show this season and I even go to say I like it as much as I liked Witch Hat Atelier.
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IronWish
 Posts: 240 Location: Ukraine |
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Unexpectedly top-heavy season. Not sure when was the last time a single season had 4 legitimate AOTY contenders for me. Between prestige adaptation muscles of Witch Hat Atelier, sublime personal drama of A Hundred Scenes of Awajima, arthouse insanity of Needy Girl Overdose, and mind blowing experimental production of Botan Kamiina, have we ever eaten this good?
All this greatness is balanced out by surprisingly little amount of good-to-great shows. Dorohedoro is still excellent, and in a pleasant surprise Kirio fan club is somehow both funniest and saddest anime of the year so far (also Seira is a front runner for the best side character of the year). Other than those The Ramparts of Ice is a nice and somewhat fresh take on a teenage melodrama. Arakawa still got the juice in Daemons, but it is clearly in chessboard setting stage of the story yet. On a rom-com side of things I had a fun time with Gals Can't Be Kind to Otaku!? and especially The Klutzy Class Monitor and the Girl with the Short Skirt, but objectively speaking these two are nothing to write home about. A bit disappointed in Akane-banashi and its overly safe adaptation choices. Instead of shifting ficus to performances themselves, we are presented mostly with onlookers yapping about performances. Hard to put a finger on what specifically is wrong with MARRIAGETOXIN but it kinda just lacks the sauce. Always a Catch! and The Warrior Princess and the Barbaric King were mostly just OK, the former was hard-carried by Mimi being the most loveable goober in existence. Now, while shonen-ish stuff was a bit underwhelming, in a magical girls land things are much better. Magical Sisters Lulutto Lily is truly wonderful, and Meitantei Precure! is still there, still excellent, we have officially entered Cure Eclair Countdown. Folks, some day your children will ask you "Where were you when Cure Eclair identity was revealed?", hop on the precure train now, or you'll embarrass yourself in front of them. Due to lack of season's depth I ended up watching way too many stinkers up to their dull conclusions, so I'll see you all in the other thread, whenever it goes up. |
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