After watching the first episode of all but one of the 243 new anime titles he counted in 2025, AnimeNation’s John has named three standouts from a year he considers uneven but surprisingly inventive. His top selections are Apocalypse Hotel, Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26, and Takopii no Genzai—three radically different shows united by their willingness to take unusual creative risks.
John’s list focuses strictly on new broadcast or streaming anime. Continuing series, theatrical productions, foreign shows dubbed into Japanese, and titles that began before 2025 were left out. That means popular continuations such as Ore dake Level Up na Ken and Dandadan do not qualify, even though John considers them among the year’s strongest anime overall.
The selection also arrives with a broader observation: some of the most acclaimed anime available in Japan during 2025 were not Japanese productions, including Lord of Mysteries and To Be Hero X. Even so, several original Japanese debuts managed to make a lasting impression.
Apocalypse Hotel turns the end of humanity into joyful science fiction
John’s most enthusiastic pick may be Apocalypse Hotel, an original series set after humanity has vanished from Earth. The story begins at the Gingarou Hotel, where robot employees continue carrying out their duties long after the building’s human guests have disappeared.
The official series description frames the show around a hotelier robot waiting for humanity’s return. The television anime began airing in Japan on April 8, 2025, with streaming distribution following through services including ABEMA, Lemino, Anime Times, and Amazon Prime Video.
For John, the central appeal is the way the hotel’s non-human residents gradually develop distinctly human qualities. As aliens begin visiting the long-abandoned establishment, the robots and extraterrestrial guests form an unlikely family. Loyalty, compassion, and sacrifice emerge through their shared experiences, but the journey is presented through extravagant comedy rather than solemn science fiction.
John acknowledges that Apocalypse Hotel takes an episode or two to establish its setting and cast. Once that foundation is in place, however, he argues that the series becomes a wonderfully unpredictable comedy filled with elaborate action, absurd situations, and the kind of visual freedom that comes from characters who are not limited by ordinary human bodies.
Fujimoto’s early stories become an eight-part animation showcase
Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 gathers eight short works created by the Chainsaw Man and Look Back creator between the ages of 17 and 26. Although the source material dates from earlier in Fujimoto’s career, the animated anthology became one of 2025’s most distinctive streaming releases.
One detail worth clarifying for viewers searching for the series: despite being described as a Netflix title in some discussions, the official distribution announcement placed its worldwide release on Prime Video on November 8, 2025. The collection was also given a limited theatrical preview period in Japan before its streaming debut.
John’s praise is aimed less at the novelty of the individual plots than at the execution. He describes the episodes as consistently lush and stylistically varied, with each installment offering a different tone and visual identity. The stories move between romance, science fiction, fantasy, violence, tragedy, domestic abuse, reconciliation, and apocalyptic drama.
That tonal instability is part of the attraction. A scenario may begin as a sweet first-love story before turning unsettling, or start in grim territory before finding an unexpectedly hopeful emotional direction. In John’s view, the anthology remains compelling because it never settles into one predictable mode.
Takopii no Genzai embraces difficult material without softening it
The most emotionally punishing selection is Takopii no Genzai. Adapted from Taizan5’s manga, the series follows Takopii, a cheerful alien from Happy Planet who arrives on Earth hoping to restore a human girl’s smile. The official premise deliberately presents that setup as a happy story, but the anime quickly reveals the severe trauma surrounding its young characters.
The manga originally ran on Shueisha’s Shonen Jump+ platform and became known for its intense subject matter. The television anime began streaming in Japan on June 28, 2025, with distribution announced across a wide range of platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, and Crunchyroll-related services in different markets.
John recognizes that the series can be criticized as manipulative or excessively tearful. Still, he credits Takopii no Genzai for confronting child abuse and despair with complete sincerity. The contrast between Takopii’s bright mascot-like appearance and the suffering of the children is not merely a gimmick; it becomes the series’ central emotional weapon.
That approach makes the show difficult viewing, but also gives it a clear identity. Rather than using its cute alien as a way to make the subject matter easier, the anime uses the contrast to make the cruelty feel even more severe.
Notable near-misses from a crowded year
John also highlights several titles that came close to making his best-of list. Oide yo Mahou Shoujo Mura (Fuhou Senkyo) is a crudely drawn web short with an unusually bleak magical-girl parody, mixing alcoholism, murder, insanity, and apocalyptic absurdity. Its biggest weakness, in his view, is that it never provides a satisfying ending.
Kowloon Generic Romance earns praise for its languid atmosphere and retro-feeling visual presentation. Based on Jun Mayuzuki’s manga, the anime follows Reiko Kujirai and Hajime Kudo as their lives in Kowloon Walled City become entangled with a mystery involving identity and memory. John believes the series builds its mystery beautifully, but rushes through its climax and resolution.
He also recommends the quiet six-episode slice-of-life series Food Court de, Mata Ashita. Almost entirely set in a shopping mall food court, the show gradually reveals the complicated personalities of Wada and Yamamoto through ordinary conversation. It offers little conventional plot, but its patient character study rewards viewers willing to simply listen.
For anime fans looking beyond the biggest returning franchises, these titles are worth keeping an eye on. John’s selections suggest that 2025’s most memorable new anime were not necessarily the loudest or most technically extravagant productions, but the shows with the strongest individual voices.
Sources
animenation.net
apocalypse-hotel.jp
aboutamazon.com
tbs.co.jp
crunchyroll.com
