{"id":71,"date":"2025-10-19T03:07:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T03:07:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/?p=71"},"modified":"2025-10-19T11:54:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T11:54:01","slug":"summer-2025-anime-in-a-nutshell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/uncategorized\/summer-2025-anime-in-a-nutshell\/","title":{"rendered":"Ash&#8217;s Critical Series 2: Summer 2025 Anime in a Nutshell"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Summer of 2025 was one of my favourite seasons of watching anime in recent history. This spring and summer has been stacked, and I&#8217;m here to highlight some notable shows. I hope you enjoy my rundown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pVsdvop-1024x576.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pVsdvop-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pVsdvop-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pVsdvop-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pVsdvop.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>The Summer Hikaru<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Summer Hikaru died is an interesting horror story. The style and narrative style it goes for is a psychological horror. The anime is about the life of a boy named Yoshiki and his best friend who is replaced by something. Hikaru is still somewhat present, at least in his cocoon, he tries to emulate how Hikaru used to act, but he\u2019s cognitively very different, and in this anime we find out. The animation is very good, and the characters are balanced well in the story. It\u2019s definitely a chilling story that I recommend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KMhhs3u.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-90\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KMhhs3u.png 750w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KMhhs3u-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>CITY The Animation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CITY the Animation is joy epitomized, packaged in a 13-episode anime. The show is centered around Nagumo, Niikura and Izumi, who balance and parallel each other quite well. The gorgeous animation is done by Kyoto Animation, who were famous for previously adapting Nichijou. It\u2019s a funny, charismatic and great show to watch during the summer. Its vibrant art direction really emphasizes the unity between the background and character art. Its whimsical nature is infectious and is guaranteed to make you laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Once in a blue moon you&#39;d be remiss not to miss out on CITY THE ANIMATION. It&#39;s a work of love that defies production norms, exemplified by KyoAni&#39;s stellar track record of amenable scheduling and consistent workflow, all to provide an experience that sparks the imagination. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/deT6jJSYl8\">pic.twitter.com\/deT6jJSYl8<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Baleygr (@Baleygr086) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Baleygr086\/status\/1972416737112142021?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 28, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>New Panty &amp; Stocking with Garterbelt (Season 2)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cap_Erai-raws-New-Panty-and-Stocking-with-Garterbelt-13-1080p-AMZN-WEB-DL-AVC-EAC3MultiSubDBE64BE2_00_23_41_06-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-72\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cap_Erai-raws-New-Panty-and-Stocking-with-Garterbelt-13-1080p-AMZN-WEB-DL-AVC-EAC3MultiSubDBE64BE2_00_23_41_06-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cap_Erai-raws-New-Panty-and-Stocking-with-Garterbelt-13-1080p-AMZN-WEB-DL-AVC-EAC3MultiSubDBE64BE2_00_23_41_06-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cap_Erai-raws-New-Panty-and-Stocking-with-Garterbelt-13-1080p-AMZN-WEB-DL-AVC-EAC3MultiSubDBE64BE2_00_23_41_06-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cap_Erai-raws-New-Panty-and-Stocking-with-Garterbelt-13-1080p-AMZN-WEB-DL-AVC-EAC3MultiSubDBE64BE2_00_23_41_06-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cap_Erai-raws-New-Panty-and-Stocking-with-Garterbelt-13-1080p-AMZN-WEB-DL-AVC-EAC3MultiSubDBE64BE2_00_23_41_06.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The girls are back! It\u2019s raunchier and edgier than ever, and the animation and art, courtesy of Trigger, are amazing. People were quite worried it would be toned down, but it isn\u2019t, and thankfully they didn\u2019t double down or tone it down without reason. I watched the sub, and I&#8217;ve heard the dub feels off due to new actors, but I&#8217;ll go in with saying I am not basing what I&#8217;m saying on the dub. However, people are defending it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">the panty &amp; stocking dub is apparently \u201cviziepop\u201d now y\u2019all really just switch up on anything <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9WYFnvC9N1\">pic.twitter.com\/9WYFnvC9N1<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Daily Panty and Stocking (@scantykn33socks) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/scantykn33socks\/status\/1947399353628561834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 21, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Personally, it is a great watch, but it is very off-putting, vulgar, and edgy, so I&#8217;m not sure if I would recommend it to everyone, but if you like more Adult Swim stuff, I definitely recommend it. I loved the skits and film references, but at points the dialogue and ideas stagnated, but overall it is a great watch. What I disliked a bit was the lack of Stocking in the show; it felt like she took more of a backseat for other new characters to shine, like the Demon Girls, but I digress. I really do like the new male additions, Polyester and Polyurethane, and how they did seem like a reasonable parallel to Panty and Stocking. Also, my new favourite character is Gunsmith Bitch. Anyway, the absurdist, slapstick action is very fun and carries over to the new season, but it is far more ramped up and even more wild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">One thing I think is really fun about panty &amp; stocking season 2 is all the movie references <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Oq6kSC4URb\">pic.twitter.com\/Oq6kSC4URb<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Beta Waluigi (@Luigi200911) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Luigi200911\/status\/1968478032525439187?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 18, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/afasfd-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-74\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/afasfd-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/afasfd-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/afasfd-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/afasfd-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/afasfd.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>SAKAMOTO\u202fDAYS Part 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sakamoto Days Part 2 starts off where it left off, with jam packed action that\u2019s in your face. If you enjoyed the first part, the second part will definitely blow you away. The shift from a satire-comedy to a more action-based comedy with actual stakes at hand, as we quickly realise that Sakamoto has trouble this season will keep your eyes peeled. The core still remains the same, a former hitman trying to lead a normal family life, but getting pulled back to his former organisation by his friends, and his foes, paired with new characters and familiar faces which will draw you in. I really enjoyed this anime, but the animation had a lot to be desired, in my opinion. I wish another studio had adapted it, but the rough comic style is satisfactory for certain fights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/dandadan-evil-eye-1-1024x512.avif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-77\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/dandadan-evil-eye-1-1024x512.avif 1024w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/dandadan-evil-eye-1-300x150.avif 300w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/dandadan-evil-eye-1-768x384.avif 768w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/dandadan-evil-eye-1.avif 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Dandadan 2nd Season<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another summer series where it continued into summer of this year. I absolutely loved this season of Dandadan. It gets more mysterious, tapping into the supernatural even further. Old curses, UFOs, kaijus, and more\u2013with the old cast getting more wild with new villains like Evil Eye being an absolute menace to deal with. Okarun is dedicated to getting stronger and the cast helps him. Kinta was also introduced, and I feel like contrary to what people have said about him, I do like his addition. He&#8217;s a total self-centered geek, but I love how he balances within the cast. There was also weird misinformation about the character development of Momo and Okarun, but thankfully fans have cleared that up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">You are spot on.<br><br>Here is an example of such misinformation <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BGs1a2Jf8v\">pic.twitter.com\/BGs1a2Jf8v<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Lord Quas (@PhistolT) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PhistolT\/status\/1970523530380091468?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 23, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the-fragrant-flower-blooms-with-dignity-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-78\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the-fragrant-flower-blooms-with-dignity-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the-fragrant-flower-blooms-with-dignity-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the-fragrant-flower-blooms-with-dignity-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the-fragrant-flower-blooms-with-dignity-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/the-fragrant-flower-blooms-with-dignity.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity is a tranquil romance story. Starting with your standard <em>Romeo &amp; Juliet<\/em> fare, with the protagonists Rinatrou and Kaoruko, who is evidently shorter, both at Chidori High School and Kikyo High School, respectively. The schools are shown to contrast with each other. Rintaoru, with his stifling height, often scares away others, but he is rather gentle. Kaoruko recognizes this, and she treats him gently with no preconceived biases, and he appreciates that. This show has a decent shoujo vibe and reminds me of<em> His and Her Circumstances<\/em>, but it feels a bit more melancholic than that. The animation is very good; I was attracted by the bright colours used and expressions on characters&#8217; faces vividly showing what they&#8217;re feeling\u2014as well as the voice actors doing a fantastic job. I definitely recommend this anime if you are in a comfy but longing mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAABVD3M-lmZAUkxyPk6OPQBVX36mz5GQwAnKEQqQlfTgUiLmz1hrHdrtlsh0HKfbwux6mwccz_Gu0W4_jubPOwi4OR2lN6_fTTzQpK-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-129\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAABVD3M-lmZAUkxyPk6OPQBVX36mz5GQwAnKEQqQlfTgUiLmz1hrHdrtlsh0HKfbwux6mwccz_Gu0W4_jubPOwi4OR2lN6_fTTzQpK-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAABVD3M-lmZAUkxyPk6OPQBVX36mz5GQwAnKEQqQlfTgUiLmz1hrHdrtlsh0HKfbwux6mwccz_Gu0W4_jubPOwi4OR2lN6_fTTzQpK-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAABVD3M-lmZAUkxyPk6OPQBVX36mz5GQwAnKEQqQlfTgUiLmz1hrHdrtlsh0HKfbwux6mwccz_Gu0W4_jubPOwi4OR2lN6_fTTzQpK-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAABVD3M-lmZAUkxyPk6OPQBVX36mz5GQwAnKEQqQlfTgUiLmz1hrHdrtlsh0HKfbwux6mwccz_Gu0W4_jubPOwi4OR2lN6_fTTzQpK-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AAAABVD3M-lmZAUkxyPk6OPQBVX36mz5GQwAnKEQqQlfTgUiLmz1hrHdrtlsh0HKfbwux6mwccz_Gu0W4_jubPOwi4OR2lN6_fTTzQpK.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Takopi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">What begins as a typical comedy\/shoujo cliche, Shizuka meeting a magical octopus-like creature, quickly becomes horrifying. Takopi is the story of an abused elementary school child with neglectful parents. Takopi does his absolute best to alleviate Shizuka&#8217;s suffering with his naive worldview, granting her a specific wish every day or so, to little avail. Marina, her counterpoint, blames Shizuka for all of her problems, making her life a living hell. But then, we learn that Marina&#8217;s life is filled with melancholy as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">This is one of my favourite anime of the season because it depicts very real events that occur in real life. Abuse, neglect, and seclusion. A psychological drama along the lines of Pun Pun. If you enjoy darker media, I highly recommend this show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>https:\/\/www.crunchyroll.com\/news\/latest\/2024\/9\/16\/the-fragrant-flower-blooms-with-dignity-tv-anime-2025<br>https:\/\/www.primevideo.com\/detail\/CITY-THE-ANIMATION\/0S1DSDV3YPNM8W8GZQK8FJTZ9H<br>https:\/\/www.crunchyroll.com\/news\/latest\/2025\/9\/28\/the-summer-hikaru-died-season-2-anime-announced<br>https:\/\/collider.com\/dandadan-season-2-aj-beckles-okarun-jiji-showdown\/<br>https:\/\/www.crunchyroll.com\/news\/latest\/2025\/6\/8\/city-the-animation-anime-runs-wild-in-new-trailer<br>https:\/\/anilist.co\/home<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/mm\/title\/82040459<br>+ some screenshots I have taken<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summer of 2025 was one of my favourite seasons of watching anime in recent history. This spring and summer has been stacked, and I&#8217;m here to highlight some notable shows. I hope you enjoy my rundown. The Summer Hikaru The Summer Hikaru died is an interesting horror story. The style and narrative style it goes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":187,"href":"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71\/revisions\/187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ashknr.ca\/myblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}