Anime Feminist Names Its Top Picks for 2025
The list reflects a deliberate focus on shows that center marginalized perspectives and critical themes, rather than a conventional popularity ranking.
Anime Feminist
Anime
Anime Feminist Round-Up Covers Shojo in 2026, Love Bullet in English, and Ikemen
The round-up aggregates several distinct conversations happening in anime and manga criticism this week, from the English debut of a notable yuri title to ongoing discourse around gender representation and creator accountability.
Anime Feminist
Anime Feminist Analyzes Solo Leveling Adaptation Through Lens of Anti-Korean Sentiment
The analysis argues that the Solo Leveling anime's removal of Korean identifiers and rewriting of the Jeju Island Arc constitutes a form of cultural erasure that mirrors Japan's historical colonial policies, transforming an anti-colonial Korean story into nationalist propaganda.
Anime Feminist
Netflix Gives 'Cosmic Princess Kaguya' Japan-Only Theatrical Run
The release marks a rare post-streaming theatrical window for a Netflix original anime in Japan, following the company's larger theatrical experiment with "KPop Demon Hunters" last year.
Cartoon Brew
Netflix Japan Reveals 2026 Slate With Four New Titles
The slate's mix of film, anime, webtoon adaptation, and unscripted TV signals Netflix Japan's strategy to diversify beyond anime into broader live-action and reality formats, capitalizing on a 2025 breakout year for Japanese content.
Deadline
A Misanthrope Teaches a Class for Demi-Humans Episode 1 Draws Sharp Criticism
The review argues the show fails to execute its core premise, leaving it without a clear audience and raising concerns about its handling of teacher-student dynamics and fantasy racism.
Anime Feminist
In the Clear Moonlit Dusk Premiere Gets a Complicated Review
The review captures a tension between appreciating a story about gender dysphoria and critiquing how the medium rarely allows masculine-leaning female characters to stay confident in their own skin.
Anime Feminist
AniFem Round-Up Covers BL OVAs, Gene Bride, and Anime in the UK
The round-up aggregates a wide range of industry and cultural stories from the week, from labor practices and AI regulation to representation and fandom, offering a single-source digest for readers who want the full picture.
Anime Feminist
Anime Feminist Recommends Fall 2025 Titles
The list excludes ongoing and split-cour shows, meaning it captures only fully completed narratives, which is a stricter standard than many seasonal recommendation roundups use.
Anime Feminist
Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling Episode 1 Review: A Competent But Familiar Start
The review positions the show as a weaker echo of a recent genre hit, suggesting the isekai reincarnation formula may be reaching diminishing returns for viewers seeking novelty.
Anime Feminist
Scum of the Brave Episode 1 Review: Janky Animation Undermines Urban Fantasy Premise
The review highlights how a promising webnovel adaptation can be undermined by visible production shortcuts, making Scum of the Brave a case study in the gap between source material quality and anime execution.
Anime Feminist
AniFem Weekly Round-Up Covers PreCure, Shojo Drama Adaptations, and Cygames AI
The round-up highlights ongoing tensions around generative AI in anime and gaming, as Cygames' apology reflects industry pressure to maintain transparency with fans and creators.
Anime Feminist, Eurogamer
The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom Premiere Plays It Safe
The premiere's lack of a distinguishing hook suggests the villainess genre may be reaching a saturation point where formula alone no longer guarantees standout appeal.
Anime Feminist
Kaya-chan Isn't Scary Episode 1 Review: A Weird Little Girl and a Ghost
The review highlights a rare anime portrayal of a young girl as authentically weird and inconvenient rather than cute, while critiquing a technical choice that undermines the horror aesthetic.
Anime Feminist
P.A. Works Training Center Open Campus 2026 Spring Announced
The open campus gives prospective animators direct access to working industry professionals at P.A. Works, a studio known for original productions, and signals the company's continued investment in training its own talent pipeline.
P.A. Works
Toyota Releases Final 'GRIP' Anime Short Directed by Yoriaki Mochizuki
Toyota's use of a personal father-son narrative by a veteran anime director, rather than a straightforward product ad, signals a deeper brand investment in anime as a storytelling medium rather than a promotional vehicle.
Variety Anime
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Producer Discusses Trilogy, Budget, and Studio Growth
Kondo's public discussion of budget expectations for the sequels, even without confirming a figure, signals that ufotable and Aniplex are aware of the commercial leverage the franchise now holds in negotiations with distributors.
The Hollywood Reporter
Crunchyroll Sets SXSW 2026 Lineup With Sekiro Anime Sneak Peek
Crunchyroll is using SXSW to position anime as a mainstream cultural and business force, not a niche interest, by stacking panels on brand strategy and fandom alongside a high-profile video game adaptation.
The Hollywood Reporter
IShowSpeed Anime Series in Development at Brian Robbins' Big Shot Pictures
The project marks Big Shot Pictures' first original production and signals a bet that a streamer's existing audience can anchor an anime-style series, a model that other studios are also exploring.
The Hollywood Reporter
My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin Director Explains Why She Avoided Anime Style
The director's explicit rejection of anime style for a story about Japanese-Brazilian identity highlights a deliberate effort to avoid visual clichés and instead craft a culturally specific aesthetic that reflects the immigrant experience.
Deadline Anime
Teenage Mercenary Webtoon Gets TV Anime Adaptation
The announcement signals Webtoon Entertainment's continued aggressive push into anime production, with 'Teenage Mercenary' joining a slate of 20 adaptations in development, making it one of the largest webtoon-to-anime pipelines currently active.
Deadline
Spirited Away and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya Open 2026 Friday Road Show
The pairing of Ghibli's highest-grossing film with Takahata's final directorial work gives the 2026 Friday Road Show a two-week Ghibli launch that spans the studio's commercial peak and its most artistically ambitious late-period project.
Studio Ghibli
Kasagi Labo Commits $10M To Anime Projects, Including Special Kid Factory
The $10 million commitment marks a significant financial injection from a Singapore-based venture studio into anime production, signaling growing international investment in the industry beyond traditional Japanese funding sources.
Deadline Anime
Netflix Details Anime Partnership With Chainsaw Man Studio MAPPA
The deal bypasses Japan's traditional production committee system, giving MAPPA more creative control while giving Netflix a direct stake in developing anime from concept through merchandise.
The Hollywood Reporter