While it’s exciting for the growing anime fandom to wait at the edge of their seats for the latest smash hit like Jujutsu Kaisen to release new episodes, others crave more immediate payoff. This can drive intrepid viewers to discover new emerging modern classics, beyond the latest overhyped new season or flavor-of-the-month release.
But not everybody has the time for big epic 700-episode yarns like the Naruto franchise (before even incorporating Boruto in the mix). It’s also unreasonable to expect oneself to binge something as fantastic as Monster’s relatively more modest 74-episode run. Instead, these anime series are each one season at most so far, reasonable enough to binge over the weekend.
Takopi’s Original Sin
Quickly making waves and being called “Crunchyroll’s Darkest Anime” out of the Summer 2025 lineup, this adaptation of Taizan5’s morose Shonen Jump+ saga is a must-see. Dealing with heady and dreadful themes like children being forced to cope with individual trauma while their parental figures are wrapped up in their own issues, the series goes to some harrowing emotional depths.
The anime features an alien from Planet Happy, known to humans as Takopi, who sees the misery of young Shizuka Kuze, and naively tries to bring joy into her life. When this backfires horrifically, his misguided attempts to reverse the situation bring about his loss of innocence, while forcing him to reckon with the cycle of grief around him.
Takopi’s Original Sin is one of the more bleak anime of the current era, but it contains important lessons on perspective, and remembering no amount of artificial joy or nifty gadgets should replace real human connection. It’s a tough six episodes, but uniquely worthwhile, available on Crunchyroll.
May I Ask for One Final Thing?
One of the sillier offerings of Fall 2025, Crunchyroll’s May I Ask for One Final Thing? brings its protagonist, Scarlet El Vandimion, into a quirky yet compelling world of corrupt nobles the moment her engagement is broken off by Prince Kyle von Pallistan. While raised in polite society, Scarlet’s repressed rage shoots to the surface the moment her marriage is called off.
The result is pretty spectacular, with Scarlet resembling a better showing of Saitama-level overpowered fist-fighting than the actual One-Punch Man anime that returned that very same season in 2025. Featuring a complex fantasy world with fascinating twists on isekai elements sprinkled around it, May I Ask for One Final Thing? is a 13-episode 2025 sleeper hit you should check out.
To Be Hero X
While technically a donghua, or Chinese anime, this thoroughly shouldn’t disqualify To Be Hero X, firmly supported by fans as a strong contender for best new anime of 2025. The series features a fascinating, energetic twist on tried-and-true formulas featuring worlds governed by superheroes.
With the sheer belief that individuals can perform incredible superhuman feats in Crunchyroll and bilibili’s To Be Hero X, literally anybody can become a superhero in its world. However, this can result in individuals wrestling with their own sense of self. BeDream expertly animates this thrilling donghua across a multi-style epic from acclaimed director Li Haoling of Link Click fame.
Sanda
The wildest Christmas story ever told in an increasingly saturated market of strangely violent Santa Claus entertainment projects, Sanda is set in 2080 in Japan with the population decline in crisis mode. Amazon Prime Video’s Sanda also proves once again that Paru Itagaki (Beastars) inherits and puts bold new spins on her father’s penchant for absurdity (a la Baki).
Sanda introduces its titular character, Kazushige Sanda, as a protector of the innocent who transforms into a buff Santa Claus when he wears the color red. While ostensibly the strangest Christmas anime ever, its messages transcend the usual festive boundaries of the holiday theme, with studio Science Saru’s work at its best here.
The Summer Hikaru Died
While only beginning to tell its full story, Netflix’s The Summer Hikaru Died is certainly a worthwhile binge for anybody who hasn’t seen it yet. With 12 episodes in its first season, the anime from CyGamesPictures showcases uncanny horror vibes, a darkly complex friendship and twisted love story of Yoshiki Tsujinaka and the eldritch creature masquerading as his boyhood friend.
Enough has already been said about The Summer Hikaru Died’s quality, recently winning our Screen Award for Best Anime of 2025. Confidently handled with beautiful animation, its harrowing storytelling of a boy selfishly keeping around a potentially dangerous entity as his only remaining connection to his old friend promises only to get deeper with season 2.
- Release Date
-
2025 – 2025-00-00
- Network
-
Nippon TV
-
Chiaki Kobayashi
Yoshiki Tsujinaka (voice)
-
Shuichiro Umeda
Hikaru Indo (voice)
