2025 Summer Premiere Digest

A summer marked by technical and ethical streaming issues is still home to some incredible shows.

Which shows do you review? 

We don’t review shows that are direct sequels, shorts, or (generally) for very young children. Anything not licensed and/or immediately available is off the table as well; series that are dropped in batches (the binge/Netflix model) won’t receive are a premiere review but are eligible for recommendations at end of season. Shows with late release dates will be reviewed separately from the digest.

While shows may change category as they continue to air, for ease of reference this is the order that will be used when discussing shows on our mid-season and wrap-up podcasts. Please note that any shows released in batches/by cour rather than weekly will not be discussed on the mid-season podcast.

How do you write the reviews?

Lizzie, Alex, Vrai, Cy and Tony split the majority of shows, with Chiaki stepping in to pinch-hit. The titles were divided by each reviewer’s preferred workload and choice. Caitlin is at ANN this season, so you can check out her reviews over there.

Once we have more funding, we’d like to change our current model to provide a wider range of perspectives on more episodes. We’re a long way from that goal, but it’s been a personal wish of ours since launch and we hope to make it happen someday.

What do your reviews focus on? 

This varies by writer to some extent (some of us are more focused on visuals, others on narrative, and so forth), but as a feminist site it’s of course essential that we raise any issues of intersectional feminist interest.

When you read an AniFem review, you’re likely to learn about female character designs, queer representation, analogies to real-world marginalization, and so on. If you think we missed something, please comment under the review and let us know!

Why do you categorize them?

The purpose of these reviews is to give you, our readers, information to help you decide if you want to try a show. There’s greater access to anime than ever before, and we want to help you find series you can truly love, without wasting your time on a show that contains an automatic deal-breaker, be that fan service, queerphobia, the sexualization of children, and so on.

Individuals can find value in any series, and we will never lead a boycott of a particular show, but we want to make it easier for you to get the most out of your limited time. In our digest, feminist-relevant themes and ideas take precedence, with overall narrative quality coming second and personal preference a distant(ish) third.

Premieres that seem to contain progressive themes are at the highest end and those featuring regressive ideas (or out-and-out hatefulness) are at the lowest. We expect some disagreement and welcome debate, so if you have any objections to our lists then by all means let us know in the comments!

I found a show I’m interested in! Where can I watch it?

This will vary depending on where you live, but you can browse Yatta-Tachi’s Summer 2025 Premiere Chart for the legal streaming sites carrying each series. Check to see if a show is available in your region!

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Summer 2025 Premiere Digest

The following titles are organized by categories, then alphabetically. Note that, because of the way premiere dates are staggered, we’ve had the chance to watch multiple episodes of some series. To give you a fuller picture of how much information we were working with when creating these rankings, we’ve marked how many episodes of each show we’ve seen.

Feminist potential

Premieres that so far seem to be addressing progressive ideas or themes and executing them competently. Please check individual reviews for more detailed content warnings.

• See You Tomorrow at the Food Court (Episode 1): Two unlikely female friends hang out and chat about the universe at their local mall; lightly prodding back at stereotypes in the background.
• The Summer Hikaru Died (Episodes 1-2): Eldritch horror with a strong focus on queerness, bodies, and small town dynamics.

It’s… complicated

Similar to the above category, but in addition to all those possible feminist themes, the show may be biting off more than it can chew or in danger of fumbling its chosen themes.

• Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex (Episodes 1-2): Cross-cultural romantasy about escaping an abusive family that’s well-intended but somewhat simplistically written and arguably dips into exoticizing at points.
• CITY the Animation (Episodes 1-2): Sketch comedy from the Nichijou team; a single first episode sketch has shades of transmisogyny, but it’s since become more successfully subversive.
• Gachiakuta (Episode 1): Focused on an oppressed underclass rising up, but too early to see if it will pay off or just be grimdark. 
• Takopi’s Original Sin (Episodes 1-2): Wants to say something profound about cycles of abuse but plays heavy on shock imagery, including graphic depictions of suicide; unclear if the show or just the characters are sex work shaming. 
• There’s No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover! Unless…. (Episodes 1-2): Yuri rom-com about navigating the often blurry lines between friend and lover; love interest repeatedly pressures the heroine past her boundaries.

Neutral zone

Very little to warn folks about, but also not a ton of progressive ideas to chew on so far either.

• Bad Girl (Episode 1) Goofy yuri series about a straightlaced girl playing “bad” to get senpai to notice her.
• Dekin no Mogura: The Earthbound Mole (Episode 1): Oddball supernatural comedy with a very specific niche.
• Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube (Episodes 1-2): Legacy remake of a 90s horror series.
• Hotel Inhumans (Episode 1): The stories of visitors to a hotel for assassins. 
• Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show (Episode 1): Streamers versus the Old Ones for the fate of the planet.  
• New Saga (Episode 1): Unremarkable dark fantasy series about the lead getting a do-over.
• Nyaight of the Living Cat (Episode 1): “What if the zombie apocalypse turned people into cats?” Stupendous.
• Scooped Up By an S-Rank Adventurer! (Episode 1): Power fantasy that feels 100% cobbled from other shows.
• Secrets of the Silent Witch (Episode 1): A socially anxious girl comes out of her shell, but this time it’s in a fantasy setting. 
• Tougen Anki (Episode 1): Shounen revenge title only remarkable for its fight scenes.
• Turkey! Time to Strike (Episodes 1-2): A club anime that takes an abrupt left turn through time and space.
• The Water Magician (Episode 1): Reincarnation isekai that’s heavy on the infodumps.
• With You and the Rain (Episode 1): A woman brings home a tanuki thinking it’s a dog; a chill show with very choice vibes.

Yellow flags

Premieres that weren’t actively hateful at the premise level, but still raised some noteworthy caveats or concerns.

• Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra: World Conquest Starts with the Civilization of Ruin (Episode 1): An isekai protagonists decides he can do more for the world by becoming the evil overlord; benevolent savior tropes and racialized fantasy violence.
• Dealing with Mikadono Sisters Is a Breeze (Episodes 1-2): Harem series with fan service but also at least a baseline respect for its female characters’ relationships.
• Kamitsubaki City Under Construction (Episode 0 & 1): A dark and visually stylish monster-fighting show that throws tragedy after tragedy at the audience without letting these deaths have any weight. 
• Onmyo Kaiten Re:Birth Verse (Episode 1): Cool fantasy world-building undermined by a meathead protagonist and fan service.
• Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter (Episode 1): A fantasy harem show going through the motions.
• Ruri Rocks (Episode 1): Hobby anime about rocks and minerals derailed by fan service.
• The Shy Hero and the Assassin Princesses (Episode 1): Comedy about three women secretly sent to kill their party leader; fan service

Red Flags

The issues listed are intrinsic to the premise; or, even if the issue is isolated it potentially poisons the whole show.

• Clevatess (Episodes 1-2): Grimdark storytelling maintains consistent tone and smarter writing; graphic sexual assault and gore in the second episode.
• Cultural Exchange with a Game Centre Girl (Episode 1): Cross-cultural rom-com between a 13-year-old and an 18-year-old. 
• Detectives These Days are Crazy! (Episode 1): Playing to the power fantasy of a washed-up adult man pulled out of his slump by a teen girl who’s into him for some reason, and who is subject to a leering camera. 
• Solo Camping for Two (Episode 1): Kicks off with “accidental pervert” antics and blackmail to bring two unlikable people together.
• Watari-kun’s ***** is About to Collapse (Episode 1): Rom-com that feels more like horror; sexual assault as comedy

Pit of Shame

These shows need to go to their room and think about what they’ve done.

• Uglymug, Epicfighter (Episode 1): Volcel fantasy where the entirety of the ableist jokes is “he’s fat and ugly.” 
• Welcome to the Outcast’s Restaurant! (Episodes 1-2): Unfathomable mash-up between cozy cooking and shock value, including slavery and onscreen sexual assault.