AniFem Round-Up
Anime Feminist Recommendations of Fall 2025
2025 closed out with some wildly ambitious shows that weren’t afraid to take big swings.
Anime Feminist’s Top Picks for 2025
2025 brought us multiple passion projects from talented women across the anime industry, and we only hope to be as lucky in 2026.
Beyond AniFem
White Note Pad Manga Review (Anime News Network, Rebecca Silverman)
Yamashita is the mangaka behind this season’s Journal with Witch. The one-shot is available for free.
The idea hinted at in the text is that, as a man, Hana was also given an advantage, but she doesn’t see it that way. Even in Shogo’s body, Hana thinks of herself as a girl, and she’s aghast at her new form. When “Hana” tells “Shogo” that “she” had sex, there’s a major disconnect that opens up. Hana can’t imagine ever using her own body that way, and when Shogo remarks that Hana must have been playing around with his body, she tells him that she hasn’t – she finds his penis repulsive and has even been sitting down to urinate. Meanwhile, Shogo is very much enjoying sex in a female body, even though he doesn’t fully recognize the risk of pregnancy or understand the menstrual cycle. That makes this story not just about gender, but about sexuality – Shogo is allosexual while Hana is recognizably asexual. (That doesn’t always translate to sex repulsed, but in Hana’s case, that does seem to be at least a little true.) Shogo can’t begin to fathom that Hana hasn’t even been masturbating, while Hana can’t quite grasp that Shogo wanted to sleep with someone. At one point, “Hana” tells “Shogo” that it doesn’t matter if “he” wants to sleep with a man, but “Shogo” repeatedly denies having any sexual attraction to anyone.
This becomes an interesting statement on gender in and of itself. In a female body, Hana’s asexuality might not have been remarked upon quite so strongly (although there are always people ready to tell you you’re somehow wrong for it), but in a male body, it’s seen as odd, if not wrong. While Shogo does eventually more or less come to terms with it, his attitude does make Hana recall feeling like she was missing some essentially human part, which is not uncommon in people grappling with their asexuality in the face of an aggressively allosexual world. There’s also an implication that it’s Shogo’s masculine confidence that allows him to forge a career as a fashion model in Hana’s body, while Hana’s feminine lack of confidence forces her to leave the stereotypically masculine sphere in which Shogo was employed. There’s a lot to ponder, and Yamashita doesn’t just hand us the answers. We have to interpret things as they best make sense to each of us individually as an outside viewer of the story.
Love Bullet Volume 1 Manga Review (Minor Spoilers) (Yatta-Tachi, Alex Henderson)
The little yuri series that could is now out in English.
That’s the most mythological thing about this story: the machinations of squabbling divine beings are always going on around us, unbeknownst to us silly mortals. We could get caught in the crossfire at any point, and gods help us if we do…
But Love Bullet isn’t just riffing on mythic ideas for the fun of it. While we don’t have all the lore details yet (for example, who exactly hands out the cupids’ assignments? How do they keep track of their karma level?), there is some thought-out and creative worldbuilding going on as well as a heartfelt streak that shines through. This comes through the most in newly-reborn cupid Koharu, who was a class matchmaker in life and takes her immortal matchmaking duties earnestly. For example, while her fellow soldiers argue about who should “win” a teen love triangle between a girl and her two best childhood friends (one a boy and the other a girl, both treated as equally viable options in a lovely show of casual bisexual representation), Koharu considers the girl’s complicated feelings and thinks outside the box to find a solution. She knows that love is not something to be taken lightly, and through her, the series’ true ethos becomes clear.
Unmasking Neurodivergence in the Manga World (Anime Herald, Patricia C. Baxter)
Looking at several titles with explicitly or implicitly neurodivergent characters.
Inuhiko Doronoda’s Spacewalking With Youis a coming-of-age manga focused on the daily lives of two high school students who are neurodivergent boys struggling with learning disabilities. One of these boys, Uno Keisuke, the series’ deuteragonist, is heavily implied to be on the autistic spectrum, as he showcases various common traits such as inability to read social cues, extremely literal thinking, and difficulty prioritizing tasks among other behaviors. Uno compares these confusing parts of navigating daily life to “floating in space,” leaving him metaphorically adrift in a world where the rules are not always clearly defined. Thankfully, he has an essential “tether” in the form of a notebook which helps him navigate through these confusing forms of his life. It includes instructions for how to ride a bus, what to do when he’s feeling overwhelmed, and how to interact with his peers.
Another core aspect of being on the autistic spectrum is having an intense level of interest in one or multiple topics, which can be showcased through extensively researching the topic and collecting objects associated with our interest. In Uno’s case he loves space and astronomy, having several space themed items in his bedroom such as an astronaut alarm clock and Saturn-kun plushie, and his older sister recalling him extensively reading a book about space when they were younger. Another common trait amongst autistic people is “info-dumping” about our passions, as talking about the things we love with the people we care about is a way of forming deeper connections. Unfortunately, these levels of passion are perceived as abnormal by many neurotypicals, and as such many autistic people find themselves being bullied or ridiculed for our interests.
In the Clear Moonlit Dusk Episode 3 (Anime News Network, Caitlin Moore)
The series continues to be full of Gender (Roles) to unpack.
Shoujo manga often figures its protagonists within the spectrum of femininity, negotiating and renegotiating where they lie in comparison to other girls. Here, Yoi is implicitly figured against the other girls that Ichimura has dated and the expectations around them. It is stated that Ichimura has never really taken an interest in his girlfriends before, instead just going along with all the girls who have asked him out because he’s handsome, charismatic, and wealthy. The unstated implication is that they have been actively interested in their relationship with him, dressing up cutely and making plans for what they do together. Yoi’s hesitation and uncertainty, including wearing her school uniform on their date because she can’t decide what clothes would be appropriate, stands in opposition and further attracts Ichimura. He takes the lead, refusing to go see a movie like Yoi had suggested, and taking her clothes shopping instead.
Yoi’s reticence and Ichimura’s resulting enthusiasm put me in mind of The Rules, a horrible little manual published 30 years ago that outlined how women should act in romantic relationships. The Rules require women to allow men to take the lead – women should not ask men out, should do what he wants when they’re together, and should be slow to enter a physical relationship. Ichimura is unintentionally following many of The Rules, including being a “creature unlike any other” via her androgynous presentation.
SHORT: A brief explanation of Japan’s now-defunct sterilization law
https://youtube.com/shorts/g83tjF3DBMM?si=AqxhpJtri7shZCUQ
SHORT: A rundown of the seven major categories of ikemen.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GFgr6ZMwZTs
VIDEO: An overview of the shojo and josei coming in 2026.
VIDEO: Shojo & Tell podcast episode, “Horimiya Manga Discussion, Part 2 (with Caitlin Moore) [Shonen Exception #6]”
VIDEO: How Toru Furuya’s career ended following revelations that he had abused his partner, a one-time fan.
VIDEO: An overview of several high profile names in the anime and manga industry who have been convicted of major crimes (particularly abuse of minors).
AniFem Community
For any Australian readers out there, the University of Toledo is seeking “members of the gender-diverse community (ie. anyone not cisgender) to participate in a study that investigates how gender-bending anime and manga are viewed and engaged with by the gender-diverse community.”
Call For Participants: We are seeking members of the gender-diverse community (ie. anyone not cisgender) to participate in a study that investigates how gender-bending anime and manga are viewed and engaged with by the gender-diverse community. surveys2.utas.edu.au/index.php/15…
— Ashley Remminga (@ashleyremminga.bsky.social) January 25, 2026 at 5:47 PM
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