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We once again find ourselves in a packed anime season, with Fall 2025 offerings having multiple shows that have met or exceeded my expectations. There are a couple of shows that I knew would occupy my thoughts, like My Hero Academia, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity, and Spy x Family, but two new shows have already turned up to genuinely surprise me with how good they have been. For the third season in a row, I’ve had more anime than I could possibly watch each week to get through.

I’ve been looking forward to this season of Spy x Family since the second season ended two years ago. Not just because I enjoy the anime and manga so much, but because I’ve known the emotional gut punch that was coming. And season three didn’t disappoint. After a quick reintroduction to the characters, we suddenly get flung into Twilight’s past. It hammers home the central theme of Spy x Family, that war is somehow worse than Hell because it sweeps the innocent up in the crossfire.

And, of course, My Hero Academia is back and opens with us not only getting to see All Might back in the hero role (kinda) but also has the honest-to-God character development from Bakugo that I’ve been waiting for. I’ve needed to see that little problem child grow up a bit like I need air in my lungs. I’ve read the manga, so I know what is coming, but seeing it play out on my screen has been worth the wait.

But this season, I’ve enjoyed new shows more than returning anime. Gnosia has somehow delivered on the central premise of the game (Among Us in space) with some great animation and a fantastic exploration of the video game’s time-looping premise. I played the game years ago – it was actually one of the first video games I ever professionally reviewed – and I had some serious doubts about how well the anime could adapt the non-linear and occasionally nonsensical plot into a wonderfully tense watch. As each loop changes characters and relationships, seeing how Yuri tries to survive and, later, escape the world he’s found himself in. Even though I know what is coming, I cannot wait to see how they manage to resolve the twisted plot.

But none of these shows have captured my attention the way May I Ask for One Final Thing? has. It is a show with a simple premise – what if a woman were allowed to solve all her problems by punching them? And it gets even better from there, as we find out that Scarlet, the woman with a penchant for administering violence, is a time mage who uses her magic specifically to allow her to kick more ass. Is this a painfully thin concept for an anime? Maybe, but I will be dead in the cold ground before I get tired of seeing the rich and powerful begging for mercy as they are beaten into a bloody mess. This is simply a cathartic anime that I desperately needed in my life this year.

This is one of the great joys of anime – we’re constantly getting new shows every season. Every time we do, we always get at least one or two surprises. I always knew that My Hero Academia and Spy x Family were going to be big, fun shows, but Gnosia and May I Ask for One Final Thing? are the anime that have surprised me. I always knew that I was going to watch them, but I didn’t really expect them to be as good as they have been. The returning hits have delivered the moments I needed them to and the new shows have reminded me why I get excited for each anime season.

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