First Look: Summer 2025 Anime Overview: The Summer Hikaru Died, Anne Shirley, Dandadan and Toilet Bound Hanako-kun

Better late than never, here's a short breakdown of what I watched last anime season-- it was mostly sequels. Noting that I dropped There's No Freakin' Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless...due to the main love interest, but I have started on Bad Girl and intend to watch CITY the Animation. So without further ado...

The Summer Hikaru Died

A story about a teenage boy, Yoshiki, who realizes that his best friend and crush Hikaru has died and been replaced by a strange monstrous being who is imitating him. But, missing his loved one and desperate to cling to any piece of him, Yoshiki decides to keep on having a relationship with this mysterious entity.

I’m so glad this queer horror got the prestige adaptation treatment it deserved. The anime actually slows the pace down a bit, dwelling on the spookiness and emotions of the situation a bit more. The imagery and vibes are always immaculate.

There’s been some scholarship over the years about how monsters are simultaneously used to represent and demonize the “other”, yet “the other” (queer people, minorities, etc) can also find themselves empathizing with them and relating to them precisely because they know how it feels to be seen as “abnormal”. People being drawn to the monster is why more sympathetic and romantic portrayals of monsters eventually became popular. TSHD takes that and runs with it.

Hikaru might be monstrous, but Yoshiki feels just as monstrous as a closeted queer person in an small town, just as much like he has to hide his true nature. Is the real horror story Hikaru, or is it the oppressiveness of a small town where everyone knows you and might judge you and might throw you under the bus? Or is it the actions a person can be driven to in the face of fear and loss and loneliness? Actually, it’s all of those things!

Yoshiki is terrified of parts of Hikaru, but he also wants and needs him. and it’s clear this parallels how he feels about his own sexuality.

TSHD also does a great job portraying Hikaru as another being who truly is different from humans—he doesn’t operate on the same morality humans do, and doesn’t have the same view of life and death. He’s capable of horrible violence, but he remains endearing and relatable, despite this. Parts of him feel unknowable, but that doesn’t stop you from wanting to know more.

But the story also explicit that the understanding needs to be mutual—Yoshiki’s journey is grappling with whether he should try to force Hikaru to be his dead friend and whether it’s okay to let Hikaru be himself, even with the risks that entails.

The characterization is wonderful, all of them are interesting and likeable, and it has some good female characters too. And as I said about the manga, the horror is visceral and sublime, especially the bizarre, creepy, beautiful body horror. It’s an exploration of grief, relationships, otherness, and sexuality that hits just right. It really delivers on the messed up relationships and complex queer monsters. Even if you usually don’t like horror, it might be worth a try (unless you’re really squeamish, in which case I warn for body horror, murder, violence, some suicidal ideation, etc. It’s not a splatterfest though.)

Now, let's go through sequels super quickly:

Anne Shirley (episodes 13-24)

See the review of episodes 1-12 here.

The show maintained the high quality of the first half. I've never seen an adaption that covers the first three books, so a lot of the story was new to me, and it all flowed well. I loved Phil, she's a delight And one episode even made me cry. Satisfying, well done, and clearly crafted with love and care throughout.

Toilet Bound Hanako-kun Season 3

See the reviews of Season 1 here and season 2 here.

This season covered the Grim Reaper arc and The Red House arc, the first of which I'm eh on and the second I enjoy a lot. I had to fast forward through some stuff with Akane (guy) being awful, him faking like he was going to force kiss Nene is a rancid low point for the series, and I do not like how he is about Aoi, but at least he mellows out significantly once the arc is over. The strain in the production was a little more obvious than in last season, with the animation being notably stiff sometimes, and lacking the pizazz of the first season's director to cover it up. it just felt a little rushed and lower impact at times as a result. But it was still a good time and a great story with a cool art style, and I'm glad it finally got adapted, flaws and all.

Dandadan Season 2

See the reveal of Season 1 here.

The show remains a good time, not as many sa scenes this time, with the cliffhanger from last season resolving itself instantly and Momo's shirt being ripped open during a murder attempt for no real reason being the only other thing I can think of. There were more entertaining shenanigans and great animation. I do find it a mildly annoying Okarun and Jiji moved past fighting over Momo to bonding over something else, Momo and Aira clearly care about each other, but most of their interaction still has to be bickering and competing for Okarun's attention non stop. Though, Okarun now has a guy who wants nothing more to compete and bicker with him than Momo now, so maybe it'll even out. But yeah, a fun watch with fun characters and with less yikes moments than last season, at least.