Cat’s Eye (2025)

Short Synopsis: Three moonlighting art thieves repeatedly steal priceless treasures out from under the nose of a clueless cop.

Wooper: I’ve seen the first few episodes of the original Cat’s Eye adaptation, and I have to say, this one suffers by comparison. The animation is better here (especially during the opening paraglider scene), but for character and color design, and even storyboarding, you’re going to want the 80s version. I was surprised by the remake’s poor performance in that last category, but perform poorly it did, botching an early “dodge the motion-detecting lasers” scene and occasionally placing the Cat’s Eye girls way too close to the cops for them to plausibly elude detection. Not that plausibility should be a major factor when deciding whether to watch this show, since it features the dumbest detective in animanga history, Toshio Utsumi. This poor schmuck somehow can’t make the connection between the three sisters running his favorite cafe (Cat’s Eye) and the identically named trio of art thieves responsible for his professional humiliation. On the plus side, modern touches like Toshio and Hitomi going on a rock climbing date or Ai’s use of her smartphone fit neatly within the context of the episode; if anything, the premise of Cat’s Eye makes more sense in our internet-enabled future than it ever did four decades ago.
Potential: 20%

Yano-kun’s Ordinary Days

Short Synopsis: A girl who loves to take care of people meets a boy who is accident-prone.

Mario: While this slice-of-life romcom overall offers a pleasant enough time, in the long run I am unsure if this show has enough legs to expand on this simple premise. In fact, this premiere feels longer than it actually is, as it pads out Yano’s situation and Yoshida’s feelings for him too thin. The animation is a bit of a mixed bag too given it can be expressive at one moment but totally lacking at others. I do enjoy how it mixes its usual art with a cartoonish style to signal how Yoshida is thinking of Yano. Other than that, the episode goes where you expect it would go, and the lack of slapstick moments makes it less snappy and much more conventional than other anime in the genre. If you have a thing for romance shows, this one fits the bill. Others will find it watchable but boring.
Potential: 20%

This Monster Wants to Eat Me

Short Synopsis: A depressed teenage orphan pins her hopes for death on her class’s mermaid transfer student.

Wooper: What’s an author to do when the market for vampire fiction is fully saturated, yet they can’t help but throw their hat into the ring anyway? Why, write a vampire and call it a mermaid, of course! This Monster Wants to Eat Me (Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi) traffics in many of the tropes you’d expect from such a swap, including a sad girl protagonist and her mermaid protector who vows to eat her only once she’s reached maximum ripeness. Unlike the absurd Baban Baban Ban Vampire from earlier this year, This Monster plays its supernatural grooming aspect totally straight, which doesn’t offend me so much as it makes me doubt its story could offer anything novel. That’s fine, though, because based on the direction of this premiere, it’s going for atmosphere over plot. There are a couple long stretches of silence near the start to help us acclimate to the main character’s despondent aura, and the episode has a habit of transforming school scenes into underwater ones without cutting, showing fish swimming past previously sunny windows to represent Hinako’s mood. Those are just two facets of a consistent approach that I think will please audiences looking for a moodier-than-average supernatural anime (even if I’m not among them).
Potential: 35%

City the Animation

Short Synopsis: Silly people do silly things in a silly town (while looking amazing).

Amun: I have never seen Nichijou, nor do I really know anything about it, so I came into City blind. As Lenlo says below, this looks absolutely fantastic. Like wow, that opening shot through the rain is some of the nicest animation I’ve seen this season (and we have some seasonal heavy hitters with Tensei and Dandadan). The short form sketches work pretty well, with some common characters and themes being developed. I must say some humor is lost on me, but occasionally the slapstick (especially the slow mo of getting hit in the face with a cork) did make me belly laugh, so mission accomplished! This is definitely a “vibes” show, so as long as it stays lighthearted with a joke landing here and there, I’ll probably stick with it.
Potential: 65%

Lenlo: The most visually impressive thing this season probably, it looks incredible, but I actively detest both its and Nichijou’s style of comedy. There’s nothing funny in here for me. But if you enjoyed Nichijou, this will probably be an Anime of the Season contender for you. It looks that good.

Tougen Anki

Short Synopsis: A boy with oni blood seeks revenge for the Agency that killed his father.

Mario: And at the final run, we have one of the most action-packed anime (alongside Gachiakuta) of this season. That fact, along with the fact that it airs on Netflix, means that it could reach a mass audience out there and become a modest hit. But what about the actual show’s quality? Well, based on the first episode, it’s a narrow road. Tougen Anki aims to be another shounen with violence and an “edgy” protagonist, but the big issue is that the MC himself isn’t just edgy – he’s unlikable from start to finish. He gets expelled from school the first time we meet him, where he’s in the process of insulting everyone around him, his (non-blood related) father included. What happens afterward is just a poor excuse for him having a “goal” for himself and knowing who he really is. We can see the fate of his father coming from miles away, and everything else the show has done so far has been done before more effectively in other shounen series. For example, it doesn’t surprise me one bit that in the end he gets knocked out by a fellow oni and will be put into a group of oni teenagers his age. I’d take the randomness of City the Animation anytime over this predictable plot.
Potential: 20%

Solo Camping for Two

Short Synopsis: An aspiring camper harasses a more experienced outdoorsman until he agrees to accompany her on her next camping trip.

Wooper: I’m afraid we’re ending First Impressions season on a bit of a fart with Solo Camping for Two (Futari Solo Camp), but at least the stench won’t linger, since it’s a show about the outdoors. You’ll have to forgive the dad joke – I figured it was somewhat appropriate, given that the protagonist here is an adult man (Gen), which was the main reason I wanted to check out this show to begin with. Turns out his relative maturity was wasted on this premiere, since all he did was get nagged repeatedly by its only other character, an accident-prone young woman (Shizuku) with a knack for shedding her skirt. I didn’t exactly enjoy the way the episode opened, with Gen internally monologuing about his love for camping alone, but soon after Shizuku showed up and started begging to join his party of one, I began to long for those halcyon opening minutes. The visuals aren’t anything to write home about, either, which isn’t a good look for an anime meant to celebrate the great outdoors. Instead, the only celebration happening here is mine, at never having to write about this sub-middling show ever again.
Potential: 10%

Dr. Stone: Science Future Part 2

Short Synopsis: Second cour of Dr. STONE Season 4, you know what this is about by now.

Lenlo: Look, we’re 4 seasons in at this point, I really don’t know what I can tell you that you haven’t already heard before. You know by now whether or not you like Dr.STONE, and this second cour is more of the same. Do you enjoy science based shounen shenanigans? Do you enjoy Humanity Fuck Yeah stories? Do you enjoy some of the stupid situations they find themselves in as the ridiculous science escalates further and further? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you will continue to enjoy Dr. STONE. And for those of you that have been waiting/wanting for it to get a bit more serious about addressing its many mysteries, well this season will be even better for you, because we’re in the endgame now. I legitimately only see one more cour after this one and then the whole thing is over. So if you want to be there for the end, jump on in.
Potential: 60%

The Fragrant Flower
Blooms with Dignity

Short Synopsis: A menacing-looking teenage boy forms a connection with a girl who frequents his family’s cake shop.

Wooper: Of all the anime genres out there, the one that makes me most conscious of the new fan experience is romance. How would a teenager – or even someone a little older, but without the burden of a hundred animated love stories under their belt – feel about a first episode like Fragrant Flower’s? I can’t presume to speak for that demographic, but my intuition tells me they’d like it a lot. It’s packed with tropes that even a newcomer would recognize as such: boy and girl from different social strata, boy looks scary but has a heart of gold, boy sustains injury while protecting girl from hooligans after dark, etc.. The visuals are top shelf, though, so the characters’ words and actions could easily spark the imagination of someone new to romance anime. Expressions of disgust, boredom, and fascination are expertly drawn, making the divide between Rintaro and Kaoruko’s worlds – as well as his internalization of his bad reputation – potent weapons in the show’s arsenal. Shots of their neighboring school buildings, their detailed classrooms, and especially Kaoruko’s covert position in her favorite cake shop create confidence in the show’s overall direction. Chubby-cheeked chibi versions of various characters lend a bit of humor to a setup that might otherwise feel too serious, and they’re spaced out enough that they might charm someone who hasn’t already had their fill of the technique. To put it simply, Fragrant Flower has a lot going for it, so even though I found its first outing disappointingly familiar, I have to respect its game.
Potential: 55%

Dekin no Mogura

Short Synopsis: A dead hermit was banned from the afterlife and now collects spirits in an attempt to buy his way in.

Lenlo: I can’t quite put my finger on it, but Dekin no Mogura reminds me of something… Is it Gintama, with its mediocre physical/screaming comedy and ugly designs? I’m really not sure, but suffice to say, Dekin was not good. None of the jokes landed, the whole thing was ugly to look at, and I felt like it took me 2 hours to get through a 20 minute episode. It was so uninteresting, I can’t even write a moderate length blurb telling you not to watch it. I just want to move on and find something better.
Potential: 0%

Panty & Stocking S2

Short Synopsis: Season 2 of Panty and Stocking. Just go watch the original, it’s hard to explain, you won’t regret it.

Lenlo: I was really nervous about the Panty & Stocking revival because it had been almost a decade and a half since the original aired and I wasn’t sure they would be able to capture the same magic. And in some ways, that fear came to pass. It isn’t the same show it was 15 years ago, or I’m not the same person, at the very least the English dub has a completely different voice cast, and that’s how I prefer to watch the show. But after watching it twice, both once subbed and once dubbed, I can say with certainty that if you enjoyed the original show, you’ll still love the revival. Yes, it has a bunch of sexual innuendos, yes it’s a very horny show, yes it’s irreverent in the extreme. But it‘s also like nothing else being made right now, looks fantastic, has an incredible OST, and is really just… As weird as it is to say, it’s still a love letter to American animation and comedy, and it’s so much fun. Like Mario says below though, it’s not going to be for everyone.
Potential: 90%

Mario: The original Panty & Stocking was a sensory overload, with irreverent jokes and innuendos thrown at you every 3 seconds, and the visuals brimmed with dynamic animation and too much color. It also ended with a WTF twist that didn’t really beg for a sequel. But here’s that sequel after 15 long years, and I would say that the show still has the energy and the essence of the original. Everything is turned up to 11 as before, and it even finds a whimsical way to explain the 15-year-old twist. I would go so far to say that I find this episode’s humor stronger than the first season’s, mainly because it doesn’t entirely revolve around sexual innuendos. This show is still not for everyone – I bet many would feel overwhelmed or exhausted after this episode – but for those who yearn for the old magic this works like a charm.
Potential: 60%

Leviathan

Short Synopsis: In this alternative WW1 universe, the Prince of Austria runs away after his parents get assassinated and he’s about to meet an English common girl.

Mario: Studio Orange is one rare CG anime studio that I keep an eye out for. They are responsible for many of my recent favorites such as Houseki no Kuni and Beastars. Now there’s an entire season of their new show available on Netflix and I feel that it’s one of the reasons why this first episode is kind of uneventful. It isn’t really meant to capture your attention right away to hook you in for the next episode like a weekly airing show; it instead splits its time between two protagonists in different settings who I’m sure will cross paths in the future. As such, I found the girl’s story much more interesting than the Prince’s portion. She has a more vibrant personality, and her encounter with one of Leviathan’s “beasts” opens up the sci-fi world-building, where somehow our version of sea serpents have taken to the skies (and it’s great to look at). For the boy’s part, we have a dryer (and duller) implication of politics, mecha and explosions. I’m sensing things will escalate quickly in the next few episodes and by then, we will know more about the show’s core quality. As far as this first episode goes, it isn’t something that blows me away, but I feel it has the potential to grow from here.
Potential: 45%

Lord of Mysteries

Short Synopsis: After waking up in another world in the body of a suicide victim, a man’s life is consumed by the supernatural.

Wooper: A couple of folks recommended this donghua in our comments section, so even though I’m no great fan of Chinese animation, I thought I’d try it out, sight unseen. Having now waded my way through its 30 minute premiere, I realize that I never stood a chance. Lord of Mysteries shifts between dreams and dimensions without the slightest care for the comprehension of the uninitiated, starting in a gothic city on the verge of the apocalypse before traveling two months back in time, where our protagonist awakens in another man’s body, having transmigrated from Earth. Things don’t get any clearer from there, as his attempt to return to our world transports him to an astral plane awash in gray fog, where he forms an alliance with two Beyonders (people who obtain superpowers by drinking potions) from other realms before his consciousness is yanked back to his new body. Then he’s taken into custody by a pair of cops, one of whom is also a Beyonder, and was apparently controlling the main character’s dream for the majority of the episode… I think? I could forgive all this ambiguity if there were an emotional core to the proceedings, but there isn’t. The protagonist never appears to lament what he left behind on Earth, and the scene where he speaks with his host body’s sister does nothing to make either of them feel human. All the intricate 3DCG art direction in the world couldn’t make me stick around for twelve more episodes of this show.
Potential: Not for me

Introduction to Mineralogy

Short Synopsis: A bratty teenage girl goes gem hunting with a grad student.

Wooper: It would seem that the preferred localization of Ruri no Houseki is “Ruri Rocks,” but despite being closer to the Japanese title, as a phrase it’s a bit too punny for me. So, I’m going with “Introduction to Mineralogy” – and the show is going straight on my watchlist, as this premiere was better than I dared to hope. Coming from Studio Bind’s A team, I knew it would be well-animated, but what I didn’t expect was that the characters would have the personalities to match. Ruri is pushy, and even whiny when at home with her mom, but around her mineralogical senpai she dials it back out of respect. As for Nagi (the senpai in question), she’s reluctant to help the younger girl at first, but she clearly enjoys having someone to teach, and will even take a firm hand with her when necessary. They’ve got a great dynamic after just 20 minutes, giving me confidence that the secondary characters we glimpsed in the OP and ED will also receive smooth introductions. Speaking of the OP, one presentational aspect I liked about this episode was the choice to delay its opening credits until the midway point. It wasn’t until Ruri and Nagi had finished their first mission that we were given glimpses of their future expeditions, as though the first part of this premiere were a prologue meant to segue us into the rest of their adventures. I can’t exactly call this show a diamond in the rough (its production values are too high for that), but it’s certainly a gem.
Potential: 75%

Bad Girl

Short Synopsis: Notice me senpai, CGDCT edition.

Mario: After an entire episode, I still don’t really get the main premise of this show. We have the lead girl who wants to be a delinquent to get herself noticed by her senpai crush, but that is hardly the show’s main focus. The whole plot, so far, is just an excuse for four Bad Girls to act cute together with many, as expected, exaggerated reactions. Even the character designs, while charming, are the same faces you would see in other cute girls anime. This one is strictly for CGDCT fans. If you prefer simple characters’ chemistry (this episode has plenty) and are amused by the yuri bait, then this one could sit comfortably on your watchlist. Others won’t find much to enjoy here.
Potential: 10%

Hotel Inhumans

Short Synopsis: Two concierges at a hotel for hitmen assist a guest in reuniting with his estranged sister.

Wooper: This marks the third season in a row where an anime with “Hotel” in its title has aired, following winter’s “Tasokare” and spring’s “Apocalypse.” I don’t know about the former (which I plan to sample before year’s end), but “Inhumans” certainly doesn’t stack up to the latter. It’s an action-adjacent show with underwhelming action scenes – not just on a technical level, but from a believability standpoint. I can think of three moments from this episode where the villains of a week had an opportunity to shoot their targets at point blank range, and opted to spend that time talking instead. Hotel Inhumans isn’t the first series to have that issue, but since its structure seems to indicate that its concierges will serve a new guest every week, I can see that problem cropping up on a regular basis. As for its first guest, the premiere began by focusing on him in isolation, only revealing the hotel as its central location after a while. Despite the show’s middling looks, I was initially interested in the story of how he became an assassin, but eventually his fight for survival and the search for his sister (held hostage by the crime family he was forced to serve) were settled by the actual protagonists: the concierges. Perhaps their problem solving will feel less magical in future episodes, but this one didn’t give me a clear reason for optimism.
Potential: 10%