Wooper: Pardon me for starting out on a tangent, but I just had a look at the upcoming spring anime chart and discovered nearly 15 shows that I’m looking forward to, which makes this newly initiated season less appealing by comparison. I’ve got high hopes for three or four new series, though, one of which was our pick for Best First Episode and Season Sleeper, and it truly does qualify for both in my opinion. It’s not just my assessment that matters, though – Lenlo and Mario also voted for these categories, and I hope to convince them to pop in for a biweekly column or two this winter, as well. Either way, we’ll all be collaborating on 2025’s Anime of the Year post next month. Until then!
First Episode Awards
Best First Episode (The Death Note Award)
Ikoku Nikki
Spent All Their Efforts on the First Episode (The Kyoukai No Kanata Award)
Shibou Yuugi de Meshi wo Kuu
Best Animation (The Samurai Champloo Award)
Sentenced to Be a Hero
Season Sleeper (The Gargantia Award)
Ikoku Nikki
Worst First Episode (The Bleach Award)
Osananajimi
Exceeded Expectations (The Hyouka Award)
Champignon Witch
Best Continuation (The Natsume Book of Friends Award)
Sousou no Frieren S2
Most Disappointing First Episode (The Berserk Award)
The Darwin Incident
Best Background Art (Made in Abyss Award)
Prism Rondo
Ikoku Nikki is really good. Look forward to where the story goes.