by The regular writers of Real Sound’s Movie Department will be announcing their best works of the year for 2025 daily until the end of the year. Divided into four categories – movies, domestic dramas, foreign dramas, and anime – in the anime category, the writers will select 10 works from their own unique perspective from animations that were released in theaters, broadcast, or streamed in Japan in 2025. The judge for the 10th edition is entertainment writer Kittun Nozomi.
1.”Medalist” 2. “Maebashi Witches” 3. “The Summer When the Light Died” 4. “Gnosia” 5. “Dandadan” 2nd season 6. “Rock is a Lady’s Hobby” 7. “Kowloon Generic Romance” 8. “I’m Crazy About You.” 9. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX 10. LAZARUS This time, I have chosen 10 works that caught my personal interest from the anime that aired in 2025. However, I have not looked at anime in general and have excluded theatrical and web anime, focusing only on TV anime. I would like to briefly explain the reasons for each selection: 1. “The Witches” 2. “The Summer When the Light Died” 3. “Gnosia” 4. “Gnosia” 5. “Dandadan” Season 2 6. “Rock is a Lady’s Hobby” 7. “Kowloon Generic Romance” 8. “I’m Crazy About You” 9. “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX” 10. “LAZARUS” This time, I have chosen 10 works that caught my personal interest from the anime that aired in 2025. However, I have not chosen anime in general, and have limited it to TV anime only, excluding theatrical and web anime. I will briefly explain the reasons for each selection.
“medalist”
The trends in popular anime this year were, on the one hand, works animated with overwhelming quality from popular manga, and, on the other, original works that displayed the individuality of their creators.
One representative example of the former is “Medalist.” With a straightforward, passionate story that’s rare these days, soulful acting from the lead duo, Haruse Natsumi and Otsuka Takeo, and skating sequences that used motion capture while retaining the flashiness of anime, it was an extremely satisfying viewing experience. I also think it was a work that made us realize once again that “when it comes to anime based on original works, the passion of the creator is more important than anything else.”
“Maebashi Witches”
Of all the original anime, the one that had the most significant impact was “Maebashi Witches.” The story, written and composed by Yoshida Erika, who also worked on “Botchi the Rock!” and “Tora ni Wings,” explores modern themes without feeling forced and resonates with you.
Rather than solving the real-life problems the girls are facing with condescending logic or pretty words, the story is written to stand on their level and offer empathy, allowing me to empathize with them without hesitation. What impressed me most was how the girls, while still being anime-esque, possessed a realistic quality and were full of vibrant charm.
