Here the emphasis is on quality. It doesn't matter if the hype is big or the niche is small.
The biggest anime premieres are typically saved for spring, but 2025 was a bit different. Most of the highly anticipated titles will be released in the second half of the year.
Consequently, when evaluating the spring-summer season's results, it's easy to overlook projects that turned out to be impressive.
1. Medalist, 2025
This is the story of Inori, a girl who dreams of becoming a figure skater but started skating too late. A parallel storyline follows 26-year-old Tsukasa, who also became interested in figure skating too late to find a coach.
This is an amazing duo of a workaholic who dreams of helping talents blossom and a shy girl who has never experienced victory in anything she has done.
2. Kowloon Generic Romance, 2025
In an unusual city, a romance develops between Reiko and Hajime. This is a story in which the characters' personal secrets hide a layer of mysticism. This title is for those tired of teenage embarrassment, school classrooms, and sudden stutters.
With an impressive palette, detailed backgrounds, successful angles, and a narrative aimed at an adult audience, Arvo Animation Studio declares its ambitions for the first time.
3. Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary Season 2, 2024-...
This is the story of Jogoro and Yuki, two children who set an unusual goal for themselves: to become invisible. Those who watched the first season know how difficult that is for characters like them.
The first season started slowly, but ended with an unexpected plot revelation that tied together seemingly unrelated events. The second season starts right away with a big mystery.
4. The Apothecary Diaries Season 2, 2023-...
Having finally settled into the imperial palace courtyard, Maomao continues to solve mysteries and get into trouble despite her sincere desire to avoid both.
Clouds of conspiracy gather over the imperial family, drawing the main character into new acquaintances and old intrigues. Ghosts of the past reappear, and the web of mysticism tightens its grip.
The level of danger increases, but as usual in The Apothecary Diaries, it is balanced by light and everyday episodes.
5. Solo Leveling Season 2, 2024-...
The story of a man who relies only on his willpower to descend into a world of monsters and deadly traps, overcome trials, and become stronger can already be called one of the most popular stories of this decade.
In terms of viewer engagement, Solo Leveling surpassed Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and broke all viewing records on Crunchyroll.
The new season delves deeper into the main character's inner world, and the manhwa adaptation features more diverse and spectacular animation.