Strawberry Loft

Summer 2025 anime has officially started airing and the titles I’ve seen are an interesting mix of feel-good summer fun, and spine-chilling horror. My two favorite genres that somehow alternate perfectly as they release throughout the week. A split between fun in the sun and jumping at creaky floorboards. There is plenty of great anime to choose from this summer, but I’m keeping up with Danadadan, The Summer Hikaru Died, and City the Animation. All three shows have had tremendously strong starts, and I’d recommend them from episode one! Be aware there are spoilers below for the first episode of each show!

Dandadan Thursdays are back to tremendous applause! After a new intro seen through Okarun’s glasses the anime picks up right where it left off. Unfortunately, the second season starts in a similar fashion to season one, putting Momo in an uncomfortable situation. I hate it and hope it stops happening because it makes the show hard to recommend. It feels like an unnecessary addition to such a well written story. Momo does get to start of the season being the queen of kicking butt though. Dandadan season two is slowly revealing more of Jiji’s tragic story, revealing the dark secret of the town he moved to. A new yokai called the tsuchinoko – a giant snake- is mentioned, but it’s a cryptid Okarun notices called a Mongolian death worm. I kind of love ancient spirits just being cryptids. The show runners are still masters at ending on the perfect cliff hanger making me bite my nails in anticipation for more. A little piece of me wanted to see all three episodes during the theatrical release, but waiting is kind of exciting. Season two of Dandadan looks just as good as season one especially when the cryptid is revealed; I loved the lighting and if I saw it, I’d think it was some kind of God too. Momo’s action scenes were fast and full of dramatic movements that worked perfectly with her psychic powers. It feels so fluid. I think again just like last season the animation particularly shines in the intro and outro. The outro has me hoping for a school festival episode this season!

The Summer Hikaru Died was an anime that I knew nothing about until I saw the first trailer on Netflix and pulled zero punches from episode one in about a minute the stakes are set. I expected a slow burn mystery where Hikaru’s best friend Yoshiki Tsujinaka slowly realizes Hikaru is no longer human, however we watch the confrontation immediately. As an audience we get glimpses of Hikaru getting lost in the mountains, but we don’t feel the passage of time. The audience fast forwards from Hikaru’s death to the months after his return and the moment Yoshiki realizes his friend isn’t right. Willing to look past it Yoshiki decides to keep Hikaru’s secret because having a fake version of the person he loves is better than no version. The Summer Hikaru Died creates an unsettling feeling through trippy art direction mixing the animation with 3D, and real-life elements; It made my skin crawl. The Summer Hikaru Died is body horror heavy with the entity wearing Hikaru’s corpse melting away from the skin showing it’s true from. A writhing mass that almost looks like half fluid coral or cells. The Summer Hikaru Died is perfect if you’re looking to match the oppressive summer humidity with a misty mountain ghost story on a Saturday night.

City the Animation comes out on Sundays and redirects us back to happy go lucky summer fun. Taking place in the heart of a bustling city, the anime gives a glimpse into the lives of the people there and how they all intertwine. The antics begin in a family-owned restaurant where a dad and daughter convince the older son to wear a skirt because his horoscope says it’ll bring him good luck. He gives in to the temptation of good fortune and does it. From there we continue to follow the sister to school meeting her best friend in another short skit. The show continues on switching perspective in a way that isn’t too jarring showcasing a colorful cast of characters. If this set up seems familiar that’s because City the Animation was written by Keiichi Arawi who also wrote Nichijou. If you need an easy watch to start your week off on the perfect note, I recommend you get lost on an adventure in City the Animation.

I feel like I went from not having enough to watch to suddenly having too much to choose from. Waiting weekly is hard, but I think these three shows happen to be spread out nicely getting me even more excited for the weekend. Another perk to waiting for weekly episodes is getting to digest and apricate the story slowly instead of binging it all at once. I feel spoiled for choice now and it’s turning into a spooky yokai summer!