It’s easy to default to shonen when choosing which anime series to stay up to date with on a season-to-season basis. They are the ones that, largely, dominate conversations. They’re the ones who manage to capture newcomers’ attention with buzzy aesthetics and often superior budgets.
Series like Jujutsu Kaisen, Hell’s Paradise, Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, Chainsaw Man, and Frieren Beyond Journey End all have their undeniable merits and, worthy of an entirely different essay, are all distinct in their differences. But the commonality is that they will, without a doubt, rise to the top of viewers’ “to watch” lists.
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Shojo and Josei series are just as worthwhile – if not more so.
Meanwhile, there are the josei, shojo, and even seinen adaptations that are just as worthy of attention. And, this year in particular, there’s an overwhelming wealth of series worth highlighting for potential discovery. From long-awaited adaptations to Netflix original releases to what might be the best anime of 2026 (early to say, sure), it’s these stories that are worth seeking out.
Not every production has been a hit. Series such as Hana-Kimi and In the Clear Moonlit Dusk thrive on existing fanbases and strong writing, but struggle with rote animation. Similarly, while it’s always worth championing a BL adaptation making it to screen, Isekai Office Worker: The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter is fun more in theory than execution (and, like Hana-Kimi and Moonlit Dusk, deserves fans to seek out the source material instead)
Journal with Witch (Ikoku Nikki)
Animation Studio: Shuka
Synopsis: Reclusive novelist Makio Koudai has always preferred the company of books—but when her sister and brother-in-law pass away, Makio unexpectedly becomes the guardian of her 15-year-old niece, Asa Takumi. As they navigate grief, clashing personalities, and the challenges of living together, the two slowly open their hearts to each other, discovering warmth, understanding, and the meaning of family.
Based on the josei manga written and illustrated by Tomoko Yamashita and directed by Miyuki Oshiro, Journal with Witch is the best new anime of 2026 so far. Armed with a stacked group of formidable talent, including character designer Kenji Hayama, screenwriter Kōhei Kiyasu, and composer Kensuke Ushio (The Colors Within), this female-driven story, both in its creation and telling, is brimming with compassionate, introspective writing.
And with that contemplative writing, which addresses weighty topics such as grief, mental health, sexuality, and our ability to grow and learn from one another, it would be so easy for the series to rest on the strength of what Yamashita has already created.
But the studio Shuka further elevates it through understated, subtle animation that is no less riveting. The details of the work stun, be it through the perfectly curated mess of Makio’s room and the perpetually stacked books that adorn the floor and tables, or the details of the food they all gather to eat.
The characters are distinctive, the colors palatable and textured, utilizing more unusual color stories to reinforce the story being told, such as the muted, earthy browns that Makio and Asa first wear upon their meeting. The use of visual metaphors further highlights the writing’s profundity, employing clever notes and transitions to underscore particular moments. For all the heartache, there’s humor, and for all the loss, a newfound sense of home.
Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
Medalist Season 2
Animation Studio: ENGI
Synopsis: Tsukasa Akeuraji, a frustrated skater, meets Inori Yuitsuka, a girl who wants to become a figure skater. Motivated by Inori’s obsession, Tsukasa starts coaching Inori. Inori’s talent blossoms, and Tsukasa becomes a top coach.
Writer and illustrator Tsurumaikada set an enormous, near-impossible bar for any studios looking to adapt her sports manga, Medalist. ENGI, through a blend of animation styles including 3D for the figure skating performances, does an admirable job of bringing their gorgeous, expansively detailed world to life, utilizing every part of the page to best breathe movement into the physical fluidity of the characters in motion.
While ENGI can’t quite reach that steep quality that Tsurumaikada instills into each chapter, the adaptation at the very least nails the necessary components. The writing, with or without dazzling animation, is robust and tackles a new approach to the underdog story.
The characters, in particular our protagonists Inori (Natsumi Haruse) and Tsukasa (Takeo Ōtsuka), are lovable and charismatic, balancing each other as they both seek to achieve their dreams of making Inori a gold medalist.
Through Tsukasa’s perspective, the series balances the idea of what it means to miss out on certain elements of adolescent dreams and the idea of “being too late.” The repurposing gives way to Inori’s own journey, showing how one person’s missteps can fuel another’s fire and, in turn, warm a once-chilled ambition. Just gorgeous writing that makes an effort to probe unexpected depths with two characters who, while flawed, are actively pursuing their dreams with admirable passion.
Where to Watch: Hulu
Shiboyugi: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table
Animation Studio: Studio Deen
Synopsis: Yuki, a professional death game player, finds herself trapped in a mansion with five women, facing a deadly maze of locked rooms and traps.
Mileage will vary on the oppressive hopelessness of Shiboyugi: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table, and your decision on whether to continue or drop the series will come down to the extra-long premiere. It is an absolute bruiser, desperate and dire, as a group of young women faces down increasingly deadly scenarios to win a cash prize.
Based on the light novel series by Yūshi Ukai, illustrated by Nekometaru, and directed by Souta Ueno, the art style is the premiere’s most notable element. The world is overwhelming yet deliberately stark, forcing viewers to acknowledge the inherent wrongness of this type of battle royale story.
The camera pulls back, observing the characters as if they’re in a video game, pixelated and heavily silhouetted, the faces obscured to make the viewer complicit in their suffering as we, too, view it all as entertainment. The animation is striking and haunting, aided by Junichi Matsumoto’s score, which leans into surrealist morbidity.
But perhaps the most interesting element of the direction is its violence. While other shows might default to easy bloodshed and gore to amplify the brutality the girls face, Shiboyugi holds back to an extent.
The characters are viscerally torn apart in horrific deaths, but instead of blood, they explode in pieces of stuffing – as if they’re nothing more than a plaything for the viewers watching. But the screams scorch the screen. Upsetting and visceral, the premiere sets the inescapable tone of the series. It’s gorgeous but difficult to shake, and, above all, a chance for artists to display their vast, imaginative skills.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Tamon’s B-Side
Animation Studio: J.C. Staff
Synopsis: High schooler Utage works as a housekeeper and idolizes Tamon from F/ACE. When assigned to clean his home, she finds he’s actually shy and gloomy offstage – yet she falls for his true self.
You’d be forgiven for, at first, passing off on the wildly entertaining and infectious shojo anime series, Tamon’s B-Side, based on the synopsis. Not everyone is drawn to stories about idols, the music industry, and the passionate fanbases that follow. But Tamon’s B-Side earns our views by deconstructing our expectations, going weirder with the plot, all while maintaining a very, very slow-burning romance at the center that is unexpectedly sweet.
And, on top of all that, the team of animators at J.C. Staff is doing a phenomenal job not just of bringing these distinctive pop stars to life but also of blending the right level of absurd humor into the story. The show looks great.
It’s polished and well-executed with cohesive transitions and framing that create a satisfying flow that marries well with the comedic rhythm. All the while, it utilizes in-story jokes – such as the mushrooms that sprout from Tamon in his “Gloomyhara” mode, staying in frame as tangible, real-world items rather than just visual gags.
As the story unfolds and the true personalities of each member come to light, the series gets more fun to watch operating in the world of idols and the restrictive curation and pageantry that come with it, while never losing the levity that defines the atmosphere. Saori Hayami as Utage and Kakeru Hatano as Tamon do heavy lifting, both delivering elastic, versatile performances that capture the turbulent emotions they’re both going through.
Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife
Animation Studio: Project No.9
Synopsis: Detective Tounome, who can turn invisible, starts a romance with his secretary Shizuka, who is blind but can always detect him.
There are no rules in the world of The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife. A world inhabited by humans, mythical creatures, elves, demi-humans, monsters, and, of course, invisible people, the story, based on the manga written by Iwatobineko, refuses to overexplain the lore.
In many refreshing ways, it doesn’t seem to have an interest in investigating the rules of the world, period. Instead, the crux of the story comes from the developing relationship between Tounome (Yōhei Azakami) and Shizuka (Yuka Nukui).
The two make for a lovable pair, and the narrative builds on the idea of how they relate to one another, with Tounome being invisible and Shizuka being blind. Their romance is sweet and patiently paced, even if they admit to their shared feelings by the end of Episode 1. But the writing finds more depth in how they navigate their relationship, the complexities of how they both have to exist in this specific world, and the characters who orbit them.
One of the more refreshing and unexpected charms of the story is the relationship between Daichi Kikira (Masaya Fukunishi) and Kousuke Madaraito (Junya Enoki). Their romance, which dates back to high school, is a lovely way to introduce a queer relationship into the series without any fanfare.
Instead, in a world with so many different species and walks of life, two gay men being together isn’t anything to bat an eyelash at. And, for all the series whimsy and spirited characters, it’s a way to ground the story in an unlikely sense of reality.
With kinetic visuals and subtle yet effective animation that allow the character acting to shine, The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife is a shojo gem in a strong season, with its thoughtful expressions of romance.
Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
You and I Are Polar Opposites
Animation Studio: Lapin Track
Synopsis: Popular student Miyu Suzuki asks random questions to quiet classmate Yuusuke Tani. Despite their different personalities, love grows. After a misunderstanding leads to her confession, they begin dating.
With one of the most vibrantly rendered lead characters in ages, You and I Are Polar Opposites is a stunning adaptation of Kōcha Agasawa’s work. Blending different influences of animation (there’s no convincing me that the lead isn’t, in some way, influenced by Adventure Time’s Princess Bubblegum) and art styles, the series is a breath of fresh air.
Like the best shojo anime, You and I Are Polar Opposites has an eclectic ensemble of characters. But one of the best parts of this show, in particular, is that every one of them feels their age. These are actual young teenagers who are slowly, tentatively, figuring themselves out while also trying to deal with first love.
The biggest after-school activities they have going on are using the cheap toys they bought to kill time and cashing in their coupons for snacks at the local convenience stores. Their love stories, similarly, reflect their age. Cute but cautious, indicating the core truth of how hard it can be to be your true self in front of the person you’re crushing on, when every move you make is prone to mortification.
But, as evident with the electrifying and infectious OP, You and I Are Polar Opposites ” is bound with eye-catching, energized animation. It didn’t need to go so hard. And yet everything buzzes with a sense of purposeful restlessness. Even the stillest characters are constantly overthinking their next moves. The physicality is tremendous, and colorful personalities buoy the story.
Suzuki, though, is the reason why the story will first gain your interest. She’s a hilarious, off-kilter female lead, half-gremlin and pure teenage girl menace.
Her design often defaults to various pink shapes decorated only with enormous eyes and fangs. She’s an absolute delight, and it’s her character who shapes the rest of what makes the series so consistently engaging. Journal with Witch is the season’s winner, but You and I Are Polar Opposites comes close due to its snappy comedy and well-crafted characters.
Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
Despite not always achieving the same level of popularity as their action shonen counterparts, shojo and josei titles are just as worthwhile in indulging in. From their broad scope of stories to the more woman-driven narratives and visual vibrancy, they offer a different tone and atmosphere.
This list doesn’t even tackle some of the other titles that have premiered this season, such as Champignon Witch, Season 2 of Anyway I’m Falling in Love With You, the Netflix original Love Through a Prism, and fantasy series such as The Holy Grail of Eris and Sentenced to Be a Hero.
There are plenty of expansive worlds to explore outside of the action juggernauts that are achieving the same level of greatness. Anime is such a varied and versatile medium, and it’s shaping up to be a strong year with some amazing new and returning series in the pipeline. But while checking in on any of the Shonen Jump titles, there are also some romance, coming-of-age stories, and introspective character studies.
