The Fall Anime 2025 Preview Guide - My Awkward Senpai

Kannawa-senpai is considered many things, but smooth is definitely not one of them. Then she meets Kamegawa, her new kouhai. He's cute, a little nerdy, and easy to get along with. Now this awkward senpai must figure out how to handle these new feelings.

My Awkward Senpai is based on the manga series by Makoto Kudo. The anime series is streaming on Crunchyroll on Thursdays.

Who is ready for another awkward office romance? I'm not sure why it took me a while to realize that this has become a growing genre lately. While I appreciate the change in pace from the typical high school misunderstanding setup, let's be honest, this is essentially the same thing with a slightly different coat of paint. I'll admit, it was initially a bit challenging to get into this episode due to its bland appearance. I wasn't a fan of the washed-out colors, and everything looks relatively flat. But some fun scenes left a mildly entertaining impact.

Honestly, my favorite thing about the show thus far is the mindset of Azusa Kannawa. She is someone who's naturally introverted and doesn't understand the difference between how she wants to appear and how she actually comes across. I did think it was funny that there are times when she thinks she's being rude, but she comes off as very professional. However, there are also times when Azusa thinks she's being extroverted, only to come off as being very rude. That can be fun, and I love the scene at the beginning where the music fades out and we slowly get a glimpse of her actual mindset. The little sequence was the most creative thing in the entire episode.

The problem is that the setup is very predictable and, so far, hasn't offered anything new. We have the new coworker Yuu Kamegawa, who will be able to see through our lead or, at the very least, be a lot more understanding of her communication styles, and a romance will blossom between these two. I need to see more from Yuu to actually buy into the duo's romantic tension, because at the end of the first episode, it just didn't really feel earned when he stands up for her. I don't know what he's seeing when he says he gets to see a different side of her. Maybe some more episodes from his perspective could help balance things out, but for now, I'll just put My Awkward Senpai in the 'OK' pile.

I enjoyed this second episode more than the premiere because it felt more focused. Trying to lay a lot of social and emotional groundwork in the premiere ended up working against the intention of establishing a simple, enjoyable romance. This episode narrows things down to one objective: invite the junior out to lunch. While there were some dull moments, this focus allowed the audience to get the most out of Azusa and Yuu's interactions. The episode's pacing was much tighter, and the emotional moments landed.

The whole idea of going out to lunch was used as a framing device not only to strengthen the bond between our two leads but also to provide some context for other background information. Azusa uses the lunch date to reflect on her experiences with her previous superior, who first showed her the ropes. Her trying to mimic that and getting opposite results helped establish her as her own character. Azusa and her junior are working on a specific assignment now that gives us context into her interest in video games, and we finally get to see things through Yu's perspective —how he sees her. It's ironic that he seems to look up to her and thinks that she does everything with a specific purpose in mind, even though, in reality, she is flailing a lot.

The presentation is still somewhat boring, but we at least got a few more comedic expressions from Azusa. I'm still not a fan of the bland direction, but at least the music does a good job of helping the scenes feel lively. I wouldn't call it office music; instead, I would say the soundtrack itself sounds just as awkward as our main character, but I think that's the point. It's still just OK at best, but at least this episode establishes a stronger sense of what it's trying to accomplish.

Annoying! Tiny! Awkward! Once they were separate, but with the trio complete, they are the Boring Senpai Squad!

I wasn't really expecting My Awkward Senpai to get licensed after I Have a Crush at Work got skipped over a few seasons back. Up until Crunchyroll's eleventh-hour licensing announcement, I suspected that American companies had fallen out of love with anodyne office romances. It's not exactly something that appeals to your average anime fan, and those of us closer to the target demographic that could potentially find it relatable don't usually care for single-joke sitcoms. Time to get this over with…

Oh shit, is that an angela OP? Hell yeah!

"Bukiyō na I love you" is a bop and a half, but sadly, it's all downhill from that point. Azusa Kannagawa comes across as cold and hypercompetent, but she's actually super awkward. Now she has to train the new guy at work, adding a new social dimension to her awkwardness! And… that's it. That's the episode. That's the whole damn show. The joke was maybe mildly funny and relatable the first couple of times, like when she messes up tapping her transit card, and when she drops her business cards all over the floor. After that, however, the whole episode became so repetitive that I barely remember anything other than her stressing about what counts as being friendly and what counts as sexual harassment. That bit is so dependent on being entrenched in shifting cultural mores around work and socialization that while I understood it intellectually, it didn't hit me as humor.

Anyway, I don't have much left to say about this episode, so I want to take a second to say this about Crunchyroll's new subtitling system: it sucks. Crunchyroll's subs were once the best in the industry in terms of stylization and readability. Their ability to put text anywhere on screen, with different sizes and colors, puts them head and shoulders above the industry. Now, not only are they restricted to the top and bottom of the screen, but the white lettering with thin black outlines is an absolute nightmare for low-vision viewers, far worse than any other streaming service. I understand there are technical reasons for this, but surely they could have done it in a way that doesn't force my husband to sit on the floor only a couple of feet from the TV?

Anyway. Watch the first few minutes to hear that opening, but otherwise skip. In the words of the band Stars, no one falls in love under fluorescent lights.

By the time the end credits of My Awkward Senpai rolled, I felt like I had thrown 20 minutes into a black hole. I can recall the bop of an opening theme song, but then my memories get hazy. As I write this, I'm fighting my way out of a daze…

Here is what I remember: a game/cafe collaboration. Kannawa and Kamegawa are playing the game using mobile controls. Kannawa opened her fridge to find it empty except for two eggs. Kamegawa pulls out some cup ramen, finally giving Kannawa her excuse to invite him to lunch under the guise of making sure he gets proper nutrition. Kamegawa confesses at a family restaurant that he's broke because he spends too much money on Gunpla. These memories are fragmented, slipping away and coming back like the details of a dream.

I think I also remember something about making dinner for friends despite being busy with work? Oh, wait, that was my actual dream last night. Silly me! The memories feel the same, and they're equally interesting to talk about. I'm sure you understand the mistake.

I put part of the blame on the names of the main characters. Kannawa and Kamegawa. Who in the world thought it would be a good idea to have them start AND end with the same syllable? I noticed I accidentally called Kannawa “Kanagawa” in my review of the first episode, because their names blur together so much. Also, I really, really am having a hard time caring. By this time next week, I will have forgotten their names completely.

I do feel the need to follow up on what I talked about last week: Crunchyroll's subtitles. Now, I don't actually believe their statement that they haven't switched subtitling software. However, they've adjusted the font to be closer to its original state, with a chunkier line weight and thick black outlines that make it more readable from a distance and against light-colored backgrounds. My vision-impaired family members thank you, Crunchyroll, for finally doing one thing right since the latest merger.

Azusa is a superstar at her job. She's a no-nonsense hard worker who wins awards and looks good doing it. So it's no surprise when the boss pairs her up with a newbie—expecting her as the best member on staff to teach him the ropes. Of course, there's just one problem: she's actually a socially awkward mess.

Rather than being goal-oriented and focused on the job, she's just trying to be direct so she can speak to other people as little as possible. Moreover, she doesn't see that, while other people recognize her accomplishments, they also fear her—not to mention find her unapproachable.

Luckily, Yu, the new hire, can see a glimpse of her inner personality rather quickly. He can tell that there is an emotional person underneath the cool, blunt exterior. And so begins their friendship, with her trying to serve as a good mentor while learning how to open up a bit socially in the process.

While all the moving parts fit together fine, this is an anime that succeeds or fails based on two questions: 1) Do you find it funny? 2) Do you find it relatable? In my case, the answer is sadly “no” to both. I don't find the “gap moe” between her inner thoughts and her outer actions particularly laugh-inducing or endearing. Honestly, I would have found it far more interesting if she weren't a panicky mess on the inside. She could still be socially awkward and be an overly-blunt, goal-oriented woman, after all.

So, in the end, there's nothing incompetent about the storytelling or the animation. It's just a show that simply isn't for me.

Boring. This episode is just plain boring. I've racked my brains trying to find a reason—any reason—to care about Azusa or Yu and I've come up with nothing. Azusa continues her bit from the first episode of being super strict and blunt on the outside while panicking constantly at simple social situations on the inside. Meanwhile, Yu continues to go above and beyond at both learning the ropes of his new job and effortlessly reading the intent behind Azusa's words.

Everything is just so predictable. We know that Azusa is going to overthink something in regards to her role as a mentor, struggle with it, and eventually succeed thanks to her own willpower and Yu's inherent kindness.

Perhaps if the characters weren't so bland, the repeated setup and punchline pattern might not be so much of an issue. However, Azusa's personality is basically just that of a your standard socially inept gamer. She works hard, then goes home and plays games. That's her entire life. Yu is even worse. He's got as much personality as a loaf of bread. He's just kind and socially skilled—and apparently likes making model kits. There's not much there to empathize with and attach to.

If there is any hope for this series, it will have to come from the supporting cast. A glance at the key visuals (not to mention the ending theme song) shows that there will be at least two more main characters showing up (a black-haired guy and a blue-haired girl). Who are they? What's their deal? I have no idea. And frankly, I'll never find out. I'm sure there are people that just love these low-key office romance shows like My Awkward Senpai. But outside of Wotakoi none have hooked me—including this one.