Doctorkev’s Spring 2026 Anime Postmortem — Best of the Season
Wow, that was an insanely packed season, wasn’t it? This time I really struggled to cram in all of the new anime that looked interesting. I…
Doctorkev’s Spring 2026 Anime Postmortem — Best of the Season
Wow, that was an insanely packed season, wasn’t it? This time I really struggled to cram in all of the new anime that looked interesting. I did my best, but even somehow finding the time in my busy life to watch 25 weekly shows wasn’t enough. I was recommended opera school drama A Hundred Scenes of AWAJIMA by several people, but unfortunately it’ll have to go onto the burgeoning backlog, along with My Ribdiculous Reincarnation, which AniTAY podcast host Requiem swears is great. Hmmm. Rumiko Takahashi’s latest series MAO still doesn’t have a UK distributor, which seems like such a bizarre oversight.
Anyway, below you’ll find twelve recommendations for some of the most impressive, entertaining anime of the past season. Enjoy!
New shows:
Witch Hat Atelier — Crunchyroll — 13 episodes
What is there left to say about the season’s number one (deserved) hype show? Bug Films’ spectacularly successful adaptation of Kamome Shirahama’s gorgeous manga could not have been better. It’s not hard to believe this anime took seven years through both pre-production and production (with Bug starting on the animation 3.5 years ago). Every episode looks meticulously hand-crafted and intricate, with excellent character animation bringing young witch apprentice Coco, her teacher Quifrey, and her fellow students to vivid life. Their world is beautiful, mysterious, and terrifying, with the only negative point being the fact it ends on a cruel cliffhanger.
I’m certain there’s much more of this to come from the studio, but we need to give them time to let this incredible fantasy show cook. Season two has just been officially announced. If you’ve not given the show a chance yet, drop everything you’re doing and go watch it now. Also, consider reading the manga too. The recently-published hardback Grimoire Edition is an omnibus of the first three volumes (the anime series has adapted the first four volumes so far), and you can read my review of it for Anime News Network below.
Gals Can’t Be Kind to Otaku!? — Crunchyroll — 12 episodes
Another manga I reviewed for ANN within the past year, I really enjoyed this adaptation of what’s a very sweet story of friendship between a shy, nerdy guy and two of the popular girls in his class. Although it’s clear that they may all share romantic feelings for one another, they don’t let that get in the way of their growing friendship. Male protagonist Takuya (or Otaku-kun as the girls call him) has extremely low self esteem, and sometimes this threatens to sabotage his relationships with others. Thankfully the girls understand him enough to keep him buoyant.
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It’s a cute, attractive show with delightful main characters and a vibrant, colourful look. I particularly like the opening sequence, especially the dance between Amane and Ijichi, the chalk-and-cheese female protagonists. I’d love to see another season of this. With thirteen manga volumes to pull from, there’s plenty of source material.
Kirio Fan Club — HIDIVE — 12 episodes
Despite a superficial similarity in premise, Kirio Fan Club is tonally about as far from the feel-good hijinks of Gals Can’t Be Kind to Otaku!? as it’s possible to get while remaining somewhere in the same genre. Hidden away on HIDIVE, Kirio Fan Club was this season’s under-watched dark horse. Kirio is a shy, quiet teenage boy who is obsessed over by two weird female classmates, who discuss such things as how they would hoard his toenails, or what they might do if he farted next to them. It’s an unrepentantly strange show that nonetheless absolutely nails the eccentricity of teenagers and the way they relate to one another when adults aren’t watching.
In addition to its incredibly uncomfortable dark humour, it’s a show about grief, disconnection, and emotional paralysis. We never even see Kirio’s eyes, he’s portrayed like a background character, yet his pain is visceral. In main female protagonists Aimi and Nami’s friendship he sees only what he’s lost and feels he can never have again. Their attention brings him only bemusement and the searing pain of loss.
Primarily, the show is about the two girls and their relationship to one another, and how that is facilitated by their shared crush on Kirio. Though we find out fairly quickly that Nami only pretends to crush on Kirio so that she can spend time having fun with her real crush, the completely oblivious Aimi. Add in a small cast of endearing oddballs and a truly hilarious and inappropriate musical climax, it’s one of my favourite shows of the entire year, not just the season. An acquired taste yes, but a taste worth acquiring.
An Observation Log of My Fiancée Who Calls Herself a Villainess — Crunchyroll — 12 episodes
I thought I was pretty much done with villainess stories, a relatively recent subgenre now oversaturated with multiple overly similar entries. Clearly I was wrong, because Observation Log is excellent. It’s really funny, heartfelt, and creative, with an adorable lead couple. Along with I’m in Love With the Villainess and From Bureaucrat to Villainess, I’d rank it up at the top of all the (many) reincarnated-as-a-villainess shows I’ve watched. Although it has a definitive ending, the light novel series it’s based on continues for several more volumes after this point, so maybe we’ll get a sequel. That wouldn’t be so bad, though I’m happy to leave things where are. I’ve written a full review of the show for ANN that should hopefully be published soon.
Kill Blue — Crunchyroll — 12 episodes
At the time of writing, this loopy assassin/school comedy show has just been renewed for a second season, which is great news. 39-year-old hitman Juzo Ogami is stung by a genetically-engineered wasp, and finds himself reverted to a 13-year-old body. Ordered to attend middle school, he’s instructed to guard classmate Noren Mitsuka, heiress of the pharmaceutical company who created the wasp. Now his only chance of undoing his unfortunate predicament may be to become engaged to Noren… while fighting off all of the other assassins who desire the same outcome for themselves!
It’s a daft premise, but it’s played for laughs. Thankfully Ogami has no romantic interest in Noren, who is 26 years his junior, though the show makes life as difficult as it can for him, at one point making her (temporarily) brainwashed into thinking she’s in love with him. Aesthetically, it’s nothing special, but the show is a lot of fun, especially as it starts introducing some extremely eccentric supporting characters. I’ll definitely watch the second season.
MARRIAGETOXIN — Crunchyroll — watched 12 of 13 episodes
Another show mixing assassins and romance elements, MARRIAGETOXIN is several levels of absurdity elevated above Kill Blue. Poison Master Hikaru Gero needs to find a wife in order to provide his family with an heir, so that they back off on forcing his sister into an unwanted pregnancy. Unfortunately, although Gero is fantastically efficient as dispatching enemies with his bespoke poisons, he’s not so hot at relating to other human beings, or even speaking to people…
Enter Mei Kinosaki, a “marriage swindler” who looks like an incredibly attractive blonde bombshell of a woman, but is, in fact, a guy. In exchange for Gero saving his life, Kinosaki agrees to help find a wife for him. As dating apps and social events prove to be a bust, they decide on having Gero use his skills for good, rescuing or guarding eligible ladies who they hope will fall for his awkward charms. This leads to a series of story arcs each centred round specific female characters, some of whom start off as antagonists, with Gero facing off against increasingly ridiculous enemies. It’s bright, breezy, ridiculous fun, and I like it a lot, especially the excellent opening song.
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The Ramparts of Ice — Netflix — watched 13 of 14 episodes
It has definitely been mangaka Agasawa Tea’s year, what with Winter 2026’s adaptation of You and I Are Polar Opposites (which returns for a second season in Summer) and now also this version of earlier story The Ramparts of Ice. It’s a much more serious, dramatic story that explores the emotions of a group of complex high school students. Main protagonist Koyuki Hikawa is a shy, awkward girl who struggles to relate to others, and constantly worries about how she is perceived. She’s friends with the seemingly confident and cool girl Miki, and together they make acquaintances with the friendly boy duo Minato and Yota.
The show follows Koyuki as she gradually grows up and begins to understand the way her feelings change and evolve over time. I particularly appreciate the nuanced examination of all of these characters, their imperfections, and how they sometimes don’t even know themselves. It’s extremely relatable. For some reason it’s a fourteen-episode season, which means it spills into July for its final episode. I’d definitely watch more of this, I can’t imagine they will have been able to adapt all fourteen manga volumes.
Akane-banashi — Netflix — watched 8 of 12 episodes
For reasons I don’t fully understand, Netflix is streaming this show on a month’s delay in the UK, which means that although viewers in the US have already watched the whole thing, us second-class British citizens have a further four weeks to wait for the end of the first season. That’s a shame, this is a really fun Shonen Jump adaptation. Now, I admit I haven’t the first clue about Japanese traditional storytelling technique Rakugo, but it doesn’t matter. One of the best things about both anime and manga are the ways that they can interest the reader in almost any subject, no matter how obscure, as long as they are written well. That’s very much the case here, in this story of a high school girl determined to make it in the world of Rakugo, ostensibly to avenge her father’s aborted Rakugo career.
Protagonist Akane is a delight — she’s energetic, focused on her goal, motivated, and willing to take on advice from others. Her progression from rank amateur to professional performer is structured very much like a sports anime, with targets to overcome, rivals to square up against, and tournaments to win. It’s extremely compelling, and comes highly recommended. I can’t get over how adorable Akane’s exaggerated expressions are in the wonderful opening sequence. A second season has already been announced, which is great news.
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Nippon Sangoku: The Three Nations of the Crimson Sun — 12 episodes
I’m a latecomer to this unusual mashup between historical drama and postapocalyptic fiction, and binged almost the entire thing over a couple of days. Set in a twenty-second century Japan fractured by the effects of nuclear war sixty years previously, the country is split into three warring states: Yamato, Buo and Seii. Technology has regressed to the level of the Meiji era (1868–1912), which means no radio technology, no internal combustion engines, and no more advanced weaponry than simple handguns or rifles. Famine and social unrest is rife, and life has become unpleasant and brutish for the survivors.
The first episode is a masterclass in subtle world-building, introducing main protagonist Aoteru Misumi, and his rebellious wife. Following a brutal tragedy, Aoteru sets out to change society, armed only with his keen mind and sharp tactical instincts. Yamato is led by a puppet emperor controlled by a military leader with designs on further consolidating his power. Aoteru becomes acquainted with Yoshitsune Asama, an ambitious swordsman, and together they plot to bring societal change.
It’s a fascinating story, with intermittent moments of shocking, bloody violence and truly surprising plot twists. We see conflicts from both sides, and there are multiple sympathetic characters regardless of faction, plus at least one hatefully odious villain. Fans of historical fiction and military strategy ought to get a kick out of this show, and the best description I can think of is “Shogun, but post-apocalyptic”. The only downside is that Amazon Prime Video’s relentless adverts (I refuse to pay extra to remove them) put me off using their streaming service at all.
Sequels:
Dorohedoro Season 2 — Netflix/Crunchyroll — 11 episodes
I’m going to miss my weekly dose of “WTF did I just watch?” Dorohedoro is delightfully demented, unpredictable, and truly bizarre. I don’t think I’d be able to really summarise the plot if I tried, but it’s a show that follows an eclectic bunch of eccentric characters in a world that revolves around magic. Those who have magic — sorcerors — lord it over those without, and the cross-eyed gang of normal humans lead a revolution against the “En Family”, a criminal organisation of magic users. We follow characters on both sides of the conflict, who most of the time are trying their best to survive in a chaotic world where crazy shit occurs on a daily basis.
The cast and premise has certainly expanded since its first season, when it started with lizard-headed amnesiac Caiman and his friend Nikaido investigating the secret of his identity. Only some of that mystery has been explained, and I’d be lying if I claimed to understand everything that was going on with the show, but it’s always entertaining. I’m delighted that MAPPA have confirmed they’re working on a third season, so there shouldn’t be such a ridiculous wait as there was between first and second seasons.
Re:Zero Season 4 — Crunchyroll — 11 of 19 episodes (on hiatus)
Poor Subaru never gets a break. This season of Re:Zero has been firing on all cylinders, at least as far as inducing mild-melting suffering on its main character. I have to wonder what original novel author Tappei Nagatsuki has against the hapless lad. As has been common for the show since the second season, each season comprises a single extended story arc centred around a single place with an underlying mystery. This time, it’s a mysterious tower that seems to contain untold secrets of the world’s history.
Nagatsuki’s plotting is unbelievably intricate, he plays 4D chess with his audience, always multiple steps ahead, setting plot machinations into play sometimes years before they pay off. I have no idea where the story is going, but the past few episodes have been a strong return to the series’ roots of horrifying violence and existential terror. This time it appears that Subaru’s memories themselves have been eaten by antagonists unknown (this is not a new concept for the show), but is a Subaru who has truly been reset to zero of any use to anyone? Is he even really still Subaru? Was he ever, or was he someone else beforehand… Tantalising hints about the past suggest that everything we thought we knew about our time-resetting protagonist was wrong. The show is currently on a break until mid-August, and it can’t return quickly enough.
Dr. Stone Science Future Part 3 — Crunchyroll — 13 episodes
Finally, the venerable Dr. Stone concludes after seven years, 94 episodes and one special. The final three-part season has been almost uniformly excellent, although the conclusion itself is really very silly. I thought so when I read the manga, and I still think so now. The anime adapts up to the end of volume 26 (chapter 232), but that still leaves a final epilogue volume published two years after the rest. Surely we’ll get some OVAs or specials to round off the series? Let’s hope so, because that last volume is properly wild.
I reviewed the last two seasons of Dr. Stone for Anime News Network, and you can read the individual episode reviews via the link below.
That brings us to the end of this particular article. I’ll be back soon to write about the rest of the shows I watched this season, so keep an eye out for that!
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