Every week, I visit over 200 anime sites looking for posts that celebrate amazing moments in anime or otherwise blow me away with their wit and charm. These are my five favorite posts for the week. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
You can see a list of the sites I check here: Massive List of Sites!
Summer 2026 Previews
Here’re the Summer 2026 preview posts I saw this week. It’s another good batch, and I hope they help you find the right series to watch!
- Animated Observations: What I’m (Probably) Watching for Summer 2026
- Anime Corner: The Season of Isekai Anime: 15 Titles From Another World Releasing in Summer 2026
- Arum Journal: What will I watch for Summer 2026?
- Random Curiosity: Summer 2026 Preview
- Scribble Anime: Summer 2026 anime I’m watching – hidden gems & big hits
Anime Evo
Otome Kaijuu Caramelise – 01 [First Look]
I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with the changing of anime seasons. I feel like I barely have time to figure out which shows I should have watched in the previous season when it’s time to figure it out all over again! And we won’t even talk about what’s happening to my backlog. This season, FlareKnight from the site Anime Evo earned the distinction as being the first to find a series that completely sailed under my radar — and yet sounds like something that is right up my alley. The series is Kaiju Girl Caramelise, and the combination of humor and poignancy sounds well balanced. But that’s not the only reason to watch it. Go see what FlareKnight has to say on the topic!
More Post from Anime Evo
Anime Feminist
Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! — Episode 1
This might be surprising, so you should probably brace yourself: this post is about a series that actually was on my radar! I know — amazing, right? The show is Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)!. I’ve been on a maid kick since I introduced combat maids to the novels I’m writing (they’re serious, too — well trained and insanely dangerous). I’ve been on the lookout for reactions to the first episode, and this post by Cy Catwell on the site Anime Feminist caught my attention. Yep — sounds like this is a show I should make time to watch! Now, all I need to do is build a time machine to manufacture enough time! While I work on a prototype, please had on over and see what you think of this review/analysis!
More Posts from Anime Feminist
Anime Hanabi
Angelic Layer Episode 25 (La Fin!)
One of the advantages of getting older (beyond the obvious of not being dead) is that I can also explore the changes in my own perspective. That’s given me an appreciation of other bloggers who talk about their own changes, especially changes in their feeling about beloved series they watch at multiple epochs in their lives. This post by momomanamu on the site Anime Hanabi did exactly that in this wrap-up of her retrospective on Battle Doll Angelic Layer. Of particular interest was the shift in her perceptions of characters like Shuko. Go see if you’ve had a similar experience!
More Posts from Anime Hanabi
Kvasir369
Witch Hat Atelier – Episode 13 Review [Season 1 Review]
I’ve always enjoyed the approach that Kvasir369 (on the site Kvasir369) takes to writing reviews. The review starts with a recap to set the context; then comes the actual review with insights and, sometimes, comparisons to the original manga. In the case of Witch Hat Atelier, the review’s informed by a previous reading of the manga. And yet, the reviews are manga-spoiler free! It’s a great combination, because the insights about what happened in the anime have greater depth and complexity. All that is a long way of saying: if you’d like an interesting perspective on the first season, this is the perfect post for you!
More Posts from Kvasir369
Merlin’s Musings
Journal with Witch: Heartfelt, Deeply Emotional, and Genuine
I’ve talked before about how one of the measures of a review’s success is how appealing it can make a series I haven’t heard of. Merlin, on the site Merlin’s Musings, has added a new measurement of success: making a series I’d discarded as not interesting sound very, very interesting! I had discounted Journal with Witch, probably for something silly like the impression that it didn’t deal with witches much at all! Yeah, I can be accidentally shallow like that. Well, Merlin presented an authentic take on what the series is and what it accomplishes. And darn it! Now I have Yet Another Show to Watch (YASTW — I need to work on a better acronym, don’t I?) Anyway, while I wrestle with beast that my back log has evolved into, do yourself a favor and read this post!
More Posts from Merlin’s Musings
Want to Read More of My Favorite Anime Post Lists?
Want to explore more amazing anime blog posts? Check out the previous editions of My Favorite Anime Community Posts!
Want to Read Favorite Posts from Other Sites?
- The Afictionado: Ghosts and Stuff: June ’26 Roundup
- Lesley’s Anime and Manga Corner: Anime Blog Posts That Caught My Eye This Week (July 3, 2026)
- Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan: June 2026 Monthly Favorites
Thanks for the shoutout.
You’re welcome!
Yay, thank you for the shout out! Yeah, I think I was a lot more forgiving of Shuko, or maybe just didn’t think too deeply into her actions when I was younger. Now when I think of how much emotional baggage was dumped on the main character Misaki, who was only 12, her actions seem a lot less forgivable.
You’re welcome! It’s fun to take a look at a favorite show years later. There’re a couple of shows I should give that treatment!
TCrow, I found Ikoku Nikki (Journal of the Witch) by far the best anime of the Winter 2026 season with nothing even coming close to it in quality. It was truly exceptional by anime standards. Merlin indeed did an excellent job with his write-up.
From what I’ve started so far, Tenmaku no Jaadugar (Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia), will probably be the standout of non-sequel or spinoff anime of the Summer 2026 season. It’s well-animated and criticizes conservative Islamic theology as well as having some pretty dark subject matter, and the intended audience of the show is definitely not people from Muslim-majority countries but moderate Muslims from the western world. I couldn’t be happier about how good the initial writing of the first two episodes are.
Thanks for sharing your take on Journal of the Witch.
Also thanks for mentioning Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia. It’s already on my radar, but it’s good to hear your feedback on it. I might have to hold off watching it, for the same reason I’m not going to review Saga of Tanya the Evil (though I adore that series): my self control is already stressed by the perversion of theology in the USA. I’m not sure how much more my blood pressure can handle!
But I will watch it at some point. The art style alone looks cool, and your insights about its themes is interesting, too.
To be honest, I don’t think this show will make your blood boil all that much. I’m under the impression that most of the setting of this story will take place in the capital of the Mongol Empire, so you won’t be seeing much of this conservative Islamic theology in Tenmaku no Jaadugar. I think it’d be perfectly enjoyable for you. I kind of exaggerated that the intended audience are moderate Muslims. I believe anyone who is against heavy-handed dictating of what people should and shouldn’t do would enjoy the story a lot, especially if they don’t have any ill will to Muslims given the protagonist is a teenage Muslim girl.
WHOO! YES! VICTORY!
https://media.tenor.com/4ZoFEs4w2CIAAAAM/natsuki-ddlc.gif
That GIF’s hilarious!
Your post was a lot of fun to read!