Inkbag of goodies from the SPRING 2025 anime season

Yes, this is where I can finally write about Apothecary Diaries. But before that, take a gander at these anime, which are also very good, but are continuing into the next season so they’ll be in the running for Summer 2025 instead:
– To Be Hero X
– Sword of the Demon Hunter
– Summer Pockets
– Anne Shirley

(Never mind that I’m leaving this list here more for my convenience than anything, haha.)

Alright, let’s get on with it. Here are the goodies from the Spring 2025 Anime season:

Kowloon Generic Romance

Exactly what it says on the tin, and also not exactly what it says on the tin. The point is, something is afoot. But while you’re puzzling that out, you can enjoy the interactions of coworkers Kudou and Kujirai, whose romantic tension rivals the sweltering heat of summer in the walled city. Kujirai likes Kudou, and Kudou seems to reciprocate, but at the same time, not? Oops, we’re back at the mystery again. Let’s just appreciate how well the animation studio captured the vibes of Kowloon. The walls with their exposed pipework skeletons steadily dripping some sort of fluid onto the sidewalk. The ramshackle restaurants filled with lemon-glazed chicken, wonton soup and other delicacies. The giant, chrome artifact floating above the city, looking over its– aaaand we’re back to questioning things again. Yeah, it’s like that. Be sure not to blink.

Fair warning: the anime opts for an original ending as the manga it adapts hasn’t finished yet. I did think the resolution was lacking in places, but the writers for the anime did the best with what they got and ultimately I thought it was satisfying.

Mono

Another anime where five girls are plopped together to do silly stuff. And yes, they are very silly goobers and their antics are adorable, but that’s not why they’re getting highlighted here. No, what really caught my eye is the arresting visual direction. See, these girls are all members of the “Cinephoto” club, and this means they’re actively experimenting with camerawork. Fish eye lens, dashcam footage, drone shots, you name it, it’s all in here, and all used to stunning effect, to the point of arguably being the most beautiful anime of the season.

Shoshimin: How To Be Ordinary

If I had to condense the appeal of this series to a short pitch it would be: Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty hanging out and solving mundane, non-murder mysteries.

To elaborate, we have two main characters in Kobato and Yuki, who due to certain circumstances have decided to keep a low profile and “become ordinary”. Obviously this doesn’t pan out, and the both of them end up utilizing their above average intellect to solve various cases. These cases are incredibly well presented, not only in visual direction but also in how they present all the clues the viewer needs to figure things out on their own. And you’ll want to do it as both Kobato and Yuki can be unreliable narrators. Especially the latter, who has no qualms about using her intellect towards arguably unscrupulous ends.

Perhaps more impressive is how well written Kobato and Yuki are, who are not only believably smart, but also believably *dumb* in some aspects. One example that sticks out in my mind is when the duo spends half an episode on a wild goose chase, simply because they couldn’t understand that sometimes people just do things based on a whim.

And while Kobato and Yuki spend a good chunk of the series failing to be “normal”, their experiences in a way do end up helping them become more empathetic and thus more understanding of how “ordinary” people live their lives. The second season is even arguably less concerned with the mysteries than it is about Kobato’s and Yuki’s development as people, and it all culminates in one of the best endings in recent memory.

Apocalypse Hotel

Now this is my favorite kind of show– a hodgepodge of genres that isn’t afraid to throw everything, including the kitchen sink, at the audience to stir their hearts.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. As a primer, Apocalypse Hotel is set on an Earth where a lethal plague has forced humanity to abandon the planet. Nevertheless, Yachiyo, the robotic proprietor of the Gingarou Hotel, continues running and maintaining the place, patiently waiting for customers to arrive. Don’t mind that we don’t know if humans would ever return…

Anyway, I just love anime that are enthusiastic about experimentation. I would tune in every week, never knowing what to expect. It could be a silly comedy about Yachiyo having a mental breakdown trying to stock up on shower caps, in a world that doesn’t manufacture them anymore. It could be a parody of a murder mystery ribbing off the likes of The Shining. It could be a educational mockumentary about how to brew malt whiskey. A summer blockbuster where Yachiyo has to fend off giant, murderous beasts. A quiet trek through the untamed wilderness that has taken over the cities. A melancholy, zero-dialogue contemplation of the meaning of life.

It really is fantastic, and it’s made me laugh, cry, get depressed and everythin in between. Apocalypse Hotel is, in my personal opinion, in the running for the best anime of the decade, full stop. The story is also already complete at 12 episodes, and caps off at perhaps one of the most important lessons we could ever learn.

Apothecary Diaries

So technically the final episode isn’t out for another couple of days, but we don’t have to wait for that to declare that Apothecary Diaries is excellent.

Courtesy of my friends, coworkers and partner, I’ve watched my fair share of imperial court dramas. And it’s why Maomao immediately stuck out to me as a protagonist. She’s a lowly commoner, but rather than get bullied and flounder in her helplessness, she exercises her cunning and particular set of skills to achieve her goals. Her wit and knowledge of medicine eventually catches the eye of a few important people, who decide to use her talents to the fullest. Maomao then has to solve assassination attempts, thefts and other misdeeds, transforming the story into a mystery/thriller, which is downright intoxicating when blended with the ripe intrigue of the rear palace.

Now the individual cases are interesting in and of themselves, but it’s when you realize that they’re all building up to a larger plot that you learn just how tight the writing is. It pays a lot if you pay attention to all the small details. Now, in the last leg of the second season, we’re seeing the payoff, and even though I knew what was going to happen, what had to happen, it was still heart-wrenching.

Last but not the least, I have to commend the dialogue in this game. True to the Chinese setting, the characters are rarely straightforward about their intent due to all the political strings attached to the words uttered, and you (and the other characters) have to peel away the layers of meaning and metaphor to understand what is really being said.

Thanks for reading!

I kinda had to rush this article out, but I hope you enjoyed it. The summer season has already thrown my schedule into shambles… and I wouldn’t have it any other way.