Day: December 31, 2025

I’m Already Stuffed from Anime, and 2026 isn’t Here Yet!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

All the Anime RJ Writing Ink is Looking forward to in 2026 (So Far)

Looking back on 2025, it was pretty much a golden year for anime. There were so many amazing series, both new and returning, that graced our TVs, smartphones, and computers. But with the new year upon us, that means new anime to appreciate. So much so that my poor brain is struggling to remember everything we have to look forward to. However, that will not stop me from going over all the confirmed series that I think most people will want to see.

Sentenced to Be a Hero, January 3rd

You would think that getting to be a hero would be a sweet gig, but then you remember all the peril that would involve putting yourself in. Then you have what’s going on in this anime, where being a hero is considered a punishment for criminals wjo are forced to fight against demons. Not even death can save them from this fate, as they just get revived and forced to go through it all again. What makes this anime stand out isn’t the story, though. It’s the animation. The directors behind this anime adaptation are the ones responsible for the best scenes from Mushoku Tensei. The first season of that isekai has some of the best animation you’ll find in an anime, so this could end up being one of the most beautiful anime of the year. I’m very tempted to review it myself!

Speaking of whichโ€ฆ

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 3

One of the pinnacles of the isekai genre will be returning for its third season sometime in 2026, and I’m absolutely stoked for it. A lot has changed in the life of Rudeus Greyrat. He’s back home with his mother and the rest of his family, he’s now married to both Sylphie and Roxy, and to top it off, he’s now a father. All seems right with the world for Rudy, but as we see in the trailer, things are only going to get crazier for him. The return of his ex-girlfriend Eris is just the tip of the iceberg, as things will be revealed that will reframe the entire story thus far. And as someone who read ahead, I’ve been keeping my mouth shut about everything long enough!

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, January 5th

My Hero Academia may be over, but we still got the prequel spin-off series to look forward to as it returns for its sophomore. After the events at Narufest at the end of the first season, Koichi and Pop are surprised when Knuckleduster up and disappears, leaving them on their own. Nonetheless, they strive to continue their roles as Naruhataโ€™s friendly neighborhood heroes without their mentor. Anyone who misses MHA will be able to rest easy knowing that we won’t be leaving the world of MHA behind anytime soon.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3, January 9th

Ladies and gentlemen, peak shonen is about to return. I already talked at length about what we have to look forward to with the third season of JJK in my review of the movie preview, but I just want to remind us that things are going to get crazy. Yuji is a fugitive from a corrupt Jujutsu society, Kenjaku has turned Tokyo into a warzone, and one of the craziest arcs in the story is about to begin. And that’s not even going into the sub-plot about the Zenโ€™in clan!

Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Season 2, January 16th

I have yet to watch the show for myself, but even I’ve heard about the fantasy greatness that is Frieren. And now that greatness is coming back for more. I think that’s all that needs to be said.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Season 4, April

We here at the D&A Anime Blog are big fans of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, and for good reason. It’s another example of what I call the Seven Summits of Isekai, and 2026 is looking to be a good year for Slime fans. Not only are we get a new film about Rimuru and the others going on vacation in February, but it’s reported that season four of the anime will be premiering sometime in April. In short, we’re going to be eating well this year.

Dr Stone: Science Future Cour 3, April

Another long-running Shonen series is returning for its final act in the form of Dr. Stone. Despite knowing how things would turn out, I more or less abstained from the second part of the final season because it was way too depressing for my tastes. However, considering how the ultimate goal of the Kingdom of Science remains getting to the moon, I cannot help but want to watch what comes next.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run, March 19th

The legend returns, and that means it’s time for everyone to brush up on their JoJo poses and memes. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure will be returning for Part Seven, Steel Ball Run, this March exclusively on Netflix. Set in an alternate timeline from the one we’ve known, Steel Ball Run is Araki’s take on the spaghetti western as we see an alternate version of the original JoJo, Johnny Joestar, participate in a race across the United States that hides some deadly secrets. Steel Ball Run is the biggest shake-up to the long-running Shonen series since Stardust Crusaders, but JoJo is still JoJo. So, expect gorgeous artwork, epic posing, and plenty of memes to be made starting in the spring.

One Piece, Elbaph Arc, April 5th

It’s crazy to believe that One Piece will now be a seasonal anime, but it’s for the best. It means that Oda will not have to worry about keeping the manga ahead of the anime, and that the anime can focus more on quality over quanity. And given how the next arc is also the biggest yet, that is saying something. As the Straw Hat Pirates finally make it to the homeland of the Giants, fans will be in for an experience unlike anything we’ve seen up to this point. Having been reviewing the manga on my personal blog, I can say that Elbaph will be worth the wait.

And this is only the anime that I’m aware of and want to watch. There is going to be plenty more to look forward to in 2026. Happy new year, everyone!

So Many Fire Moments of Anime, So Little Time!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll, DBZ , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

RJ Writing Ink’s Picks for Best Anime Moments of 2025

What a great year of anime that we’ve had! 2025 was filled with so many hits that there was no way I could possibly watch them all. From Jin-Woo continuing to slay as an aura farmer to Rentaro’s legendary yap about his girlfriends, there were a lot of anime moments that will live rent-free in my head for a long time. To celebrate the end of the year, I’m continuing my tradition of naming my favorite anime moments of 2025. Full disclosure: I will be limiting this to the anime that I managed to watch. This year got pretty busy for me, so I was unable to follow through on everything I wanted to see.

Super Saiyan 4 Returns, Dragon Ball Daima

Dragon Ball Daima was a bittersweet event for Dragon Ball fans, as it would be Akira Toriyama’s final contribution to his creation before his passing. However, he made sure to cook us up a feast before he died, culminating in the return of one of Goku’s most legendary forms, Super Saiyan 4. While Dragon Ball GT remains a controversial entry to the franchise, everyone agrees that SSJ4 was the best thing to come out of it. Needless to say, getting to see it re-enter the canon at the climax of Goku’s journey through the Demon Realm was like a blessing from the heavens themselves. Thank you, Toriyama.

Kuma Gets Revenge on Saturn, One Piece

If you remember my post praising the story of Bartholomew Kuma, then you also remember how offended I am by the mere existence of his mortal enemy, Jaygarcia Saturn. The monstrous member of the Five Elders of the World Government went out of his way to make Kuma’s life miserable, kidnapping and injecting the love of his life with a fatal illness, giving said illness to her daughter, and then forcing Kuma to give up his humanity to save her life. Needless to say, every fiber of my being wanted Saturn dead before the Straw Hats left Egghead. While that would end up happening, I found it way more satisfying when Kuma came to rescue his adoptive daughter from death at the hands of Saturn, and then repay him for a lifetime’s worth of pain in one cathartic punch. Guess good things come to those who wait.

Rentaro’s 2-Minute Monologue about his Girlfriends, The 100 Girlfriends

I know I like to talk about 100 Girlfriends a lot on this blog, but normally, I wouldn’t include something from it as one of the greatest moments in anime for the years. However, I think this should count as an exception. In the final minutes of season two, Rentaro proceeds to go on an entire monologue about everything he loves about his girlfriends. Besides demonstrating just how much of a CHAD he is, that monologue actually made the record books, earning the record for the longest speech in Japanese Animation at over 7,453 characters. The dub is just as impressive, coming in at more than 3k words! And all of it had to be sped up to fit it into that one scene. Earning a world record is more than enough to make it onto this list!

Jin-woo vs the Ant King, Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadows

I’ve called Sung Jin-woo the Black Air Force Hunter for a reason, and the second season of his show continued to demonstrate why he’s worthy of that title. There were plenty of epic moments throughout the season, but its magnum opus is, without a doubt, when Jin-woo faces off against the Ant King on Jeju Island. When the best Hunters of two countries are left at the brink of death, Jin-woo shows up to save the day. The entire country then gets to see firsthand why Jin-woo is the strongest as we get this visually spectacular battle between Hunter and Monster. And the music they used was just the icing on the cake!

Natsuko Rewrites the Ending, Zenshu

After getting isekaied into a world based on her favorite movie, A Tale of Perishing, Natsuko did everything in her power to change the story’s ending, only for it to seem to be for naught. As the world begins to be destroyed by the embodiment of despair, the Ultimate Void, Natsuko uses all her drawing skills to make one last attempt to rewrite the story, creating a version of Luke strong enough to destroy it. In doing so, not only does she confess her love for the actual Luke, but manages to recreate the entire world and bring back everyone who died in the process. Not only is this whole thing absolutely gorgeous to look at, but it ties back into the show’s overall message of hope over despair. And it’s a much better ending than the film’s creator could ever have made. Score one for fan writing!

Speaking of which…

Midoriya and the Heroes Defeat All for One, My Hero Academia Final Season

Speaking as a fellow Star Wars fan, I can’t but think that Kohei Horikoshi looked at the climax of The Rise of Skywalker and thought, “hey, maybe I can do better.” I don’t know if that’s true or not, but seeing all of the Heroes help Deku defeat the evil All for One definitely gave off those vibes. As Midoriya puts everything he has left into one final attack, we get a montage of all the Heroes still capable of fighting doing everything they can to help him, culminating in a final, gorgeous moment as Deku lands the blow that will ultimately seal the villain’s fate. To make it even better, the entire thing was played to the series most iconic song, the ever-memeable “You Say Run.” That song really does go with everything!

Mecha vs. Space Kaiju, DanDaDan S2

You know what’s better than giant robots fighting equally giant monsters. Absolutely nothing! There were a lot of standout moments in the second season of DanDaDan, but I think the gang turning the Ayase house into a mecha to fight a space kaiju takes the cake. But even more importantly was getting to see newcomer Kinta not only solidify his role as an ally of Okarun and Momo, but he got to live out his dream of piloting a giant robot. Every Gundam fan in the world has got to be jealous of that guy at that moment! He may have his flaws, but when push came to shove, Kinta proved he had that dawg in him!!

Chainsaw Man vs Storm Devil, Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc

After waiting years for the story ofChainsaw Man to continue in anime form, the Reze Arc movie didn’t fail to disappoint. Denjiโ€™s fight against the likes of Reze was already crazy enough as it was. However, we all know that Chainsaw Man is one of those series that thrives on being as chaotic as possible. Ergo, instead of fighting just Reze, we get to see Denji fight her and the Typhoon Devil. All while riding atop the Shark Fiend. What is is crazier than riding a shark into battle?

The Whole Thing, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba-The Movie: Infinity Castle

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle was the kind of film that needed to be seen on the big screen. Anything less would be a great disservice, as would my attempting to pick one moment from it to single out. This entire movie was pretty much one big greatest anime moment of the year. The Demon Slayer Corps charging into their final battle against the Demons. Shinobuโ€™s ultimate fate fighting Douma. Zenitsu killing his former sibling disciple turned Demon. Tanjiro fighting and beating the Demon that killed Rengoku! There’s too much to choose from, so I’m choosing it all! I’m so glad I got to see it on the big screen!

So, what were your favorite anime moments from 2025? Let us know!

So Many Great Waifu’s to Come Out of 2025

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

RJ Writing Ink’s Picks for Top Waifus of 2025

Well, another year is in the books, and that means it’s time to reflect on everything that’s happened. For anime fans, that means it’s time to talk about their favorite moments of the year, their favorite anime, and just as important, what fictional characters they would date if they were real. I’m RJ Writing Ink, and once again, it is time for me to go over my picks for the best waifus for 2025. As was the case with last year, I will be including multiple entries from the same series if I deem it necessary. Mostly because some picks are so good that I can’t decide on one.

The Rentaro Family-The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You

First up on our list, it would be crazy to have a waifu list and not include one of the biggest group of best girls out there, the Rentaro family. This year, 100 Girlfriends was happy to welcome five new girlfriends to its membership: a constantly hangry girl, a maid, a tomboy, a beauty queen, and a super-shy girl. Given how well-writen and entertaining they all are, we’re just going to include all of them by default. However, if I had to play favorites, I think my personal choice is Iku Sutou. Firstly, she’s a tomboy, and I believe in tomboy supremacy. Secondly, I love the irony of her being a masochist who’s seiyu is played by Megumin’s from Konosuba. If you know, you know.

Cha Hae-In-Solo Leveling

Admittedly, Solo Leveling is not the kind of anime that you would think of when you think of best girls since it’s focus is on Jin-woo. However, the anime seems to make a notable exception when it comes to Cha Hae-In. From day one, the anime has gone out of its way to include extra scenes focusing on Hae-In, with some not-so-subtle money shots included. Don’t be fooled, though. She’s the strongest female Hunter in Korea, with only a handful of the boys able to surpass her. The most notable being Jin-woo himself, whom Hae-In’s taken an interest in. And it’s not just because he’s the only Hunter whose smell she can stand.

Natsuko Hirose-Zenshu

For the life of me, I can’t remember the last time I saw a woman be the protagonist for an isekai, but man, did Natsuko slay. At the start of the series, she managed to turn her love of animation into a career, and she was incredibly talented at it. The catch was that because she focused so much on her art, her social skills were almost nonexistent by the time she gets isekaied. Over the course of being stuck in her favorite movie, though, she learns how to open up to others, accept help, and even understand what love is. Thanks to that, not only does she manage to rewrite the film’s downer ending, but the ending implies her true love found a way to make it to her world. And, if I’m being honest, she is very pretty underneath that hoodie she wears.

Yihdra Arvoln-The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World

Speaking of the isekai genre, let’s talk about the main heroine for this fun series I mentioned, The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World. Or, as Yihdra would call it, I teamed up with a hot-headed weirdo and ended up falling for him without meaning to. Yihdra is a talented young mage who’s goal in life is to restore her family’s honor and prove that magical items can be used responsibly. That leads her to teaming up with Red to fight against the threat of returning demons, and while his antics do exasperate her at times, his talk about bonds and friendship does grow on her. It also becomes pretty obvious that she’s started to fall for him. She took the bandaid he gave her for her finger and acted like it was an engagement ring!

Huntr/x-Kpop Demon Hunters

Is Kpop Demon Hunters an anime movie? No, and Huntr/x isn’t even Japanese. But if their movie was big enough to get them on the cover of Time Magazine (look it up), then we’re giving them a pass. This K-pop trio of songstresses protects the world from demons and looks amazing while doing so. Their dynamic reminds people of another close-knit trio inspired by anime, the Totally Spies. And everyone of their songs is an absolute banger. Ergo, they’re on this list!

.

The Mikadono Sisters-Dealing With the Mikadono Sisters is a Breeze

If you read my reviews of Tomo-Chan is a Girl!, then you know I believe in tomboy supremacy. So what’s better than having three tomboys at the heart of this heartwarming anime about family. Kazuki, Niko, and Miwa are three talented sisters at the top of their prestigious school and their respective talents, but they’re also incredibly cold. All that changes when they take in the son of a friend of the family who wants nothing more than to have the family life he never had with his late mom. And, despite being utterly talentless, Yuu Ayase wins them over with his kindness, warmth, and ability to get them flustered without even realizing it. In fact, I don’t even think he’s realized that the three of them have started to fall for him.

Popโ˜†Step-My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

From the My Hero Academia universe, we have the young vigilante, Popโ˜†Step. Well, being a vigilante is not her first choice. She’s actually an aspiring pop star who regularly holds street performances, using her Quirk to bounce high while her singing takes care of the rest. Young, brash, and a little insecure about herself, Pop winds up becoming a vigilante by complete accident when she runs into Koichi and Knuckleduster, and winds up sticking with them. Her ultimate goal is to make it big as a singer, and she’s got the skills to do it.

Nico Wakatsuki-Witch Watch

This is one witch that you definitley want as your best friend, and lucky for you, she probably would want to be your friend. Nico is a witch-in-training who returns to Japan to live with her childhood friend, Morihito. He’s supposed to be her bodyguard and keep her safe, but his efforts are complicated due to Nico’s friendly nature compelling her to use magic to help others, with often disastrous results. Friendly, outgoing, and eager to aid others, Nico is the kind of friend that everyone would want. Her one weakness: her huge crush on Morihito, who just can’t seem to get it.

Reze-Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc

Normally, I wouldn’t include someone who tried to kill the main protagonist on this list, but I will make an exception for Reze’s case. Born and raised as a Soviet agent, Reze was tasked with the mission of capturing Denji and obtaining his chainsaw heart. Despite trying to kill him, though, Reze did seem to become genuinely fond of Denji, enough to consider leaving it all behind with him…until Makima intervenes. While their relationship ends in bloodshed and tragedy, Reze represents the kind of life that Denji could have if the world wasn’t out to constantly screw him over.

Scarlet El Vandimion-May I Ask for One Final Thing?

Admit it: after all the time I’ve spent singing her praises, I would be crazy to not include the queen of crash-outs, Scarlet El Vandimion. All her life, this highborn girl has loved nothing more than throwing hands with wicked people, only to force her to repress that due to her terrible arranged marriage. The second her idiotic fiance breaks things off, though, the dog is let off the leash and won’t go back on. Scarlet is absolutely fearsome and capable of pulverizing anyone dumb enough to arouse her anger. At the same time, though, she’s actually a very kind and caring person who truly loves her kingdom and wants the best for everyone in it. Or as I like to put it, she has a zero tolerance policy for other people’s bs. Given how her victims crimes include corruption, slavery, attempted murder, blackmail, brainwashing, and warmongering, it’s not hard to see why.

Who Were Your Favorite Girls for 2024? Let us Know!

OG Founder: My 2025 Confessions!

Aside D&A Anime Blog Uncategorized

So…in the words of Cody Rhodes…

2025 has been quite a year for me, in fact I’m pretty sure its been a year for many of you guys. With our tenth anniversary coming up in early-mid January 2026, I just wanna say thank you to all of you guys and gals, that have been rockin’ with us since 2016! Since this will be the last OG Founder post of the year, I’m gonna leave you guys with my confessions.

These confessions are things that I either haven’t gotten around to doing (and probably never will), or things that I just wanna get off my chest. They’ll either be really funny, or really make you question my sanity. So here’s my gift to you, the fans of D&A, my 2025 confessions!

I Never Watched One Piece

Look, I know, I KNOW! I know Shonen fans are probably sharpening their pitchforks, or sliding into my DMs to cuss me out, but HEAR me out! The last time I set eyes on that series was during the ‘horrible’ 4Kids dub, but in my defense, the song actually was a bop. One Piece along with Naruto and Bleach are the BIG 3 that everybody knows, but real ones know that DBZ laid out the foundation. Now, do I plan on watching One Piece in 2026? Eh…mayyybe??? (I probably won’t.)

The last anime I picked up was the new season of Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt. (Don’t worry, I’m gonna confess something BIG on that one!) Also, I don’t really have the same amount of free time to watch anime as often as I used to, so its easier for me to bang out a 12-episode title than it is to watch ALL of One Piece. Like I said, I may (probably not) watch One Piece in 2026. Maybe…?

I Don’t Like Competitive Smash Players (That Much)

I went to a small anime convention back in 2017 with Aaron, and they just so happened to have Smash Bros. for Wii U there. Now of course, I’m coming off the heels of Brawl, so Bowser has always been my main since Melee. Me and this other dude started playing, and I playfully taunted him after smashing his character (Beyonetta) off the screen. I had NO idea he was a competitive Smash player, and while it seemed like a gesture in casual playful banter, he took it way too seriously–like its Game 7 of the NBA Finals or something!

Needless to say, I let the dude win that day. I’m just not in the mood for competitive gamers since I’m more casual-leaning, but still play for the love of the game. (See what I did there?) I may pick up Smash again, but I’ll probably pick up the 3DS edition of the Wii U since that’s the only console I have now.

That Time Iย  Failed NNN at an Anime Rave, in August…

Puberty is crazy, and if you’re a guy who is going through it, just be prepared for anything. About 16 years ago, I found myself at Otakon back when it was in Baltimore. Now this was during the tail end of the ‘Wild West’ era of con culture, so believe me when I say that anime convention raves back then, were way more wild than they are now. (The afterparties is where its at in many cases these days.)

If you wanted to go to the Otakurave back then, not only did you need a badge, you also needed your ID. There were no ‘All-Ages’ raves back then, if you weren’t 18+ you weren’t getting in! Period!

After flashing my badge and showing my ID, I made my way towards the center of the dance floor. There weren’t a whole lot of people in cosplay at the rave, but I could pick out several Naruto Shippuden characters. About an hour into the rave I ran into this girl. She was a rather curvy redhead and had on a while tank top with some low rise jeans, and wore some black and white Converse sneakers. She asked if I wanted to dance and I said ‘yeah’. We started moving our arms side to side to the beat of the song, and we were both having fun. Surely nothing freaky was going to happen…right?

Well, about 2 minutes later, she went from dancing with me…to dancing ON me. A Daft Punk remix was playing and here I am with my hands around this girl’s waist, while she grinding on me. Guys, if a girl is dancing on you at the club, just make sure you have self-control. I don’t know what she saw in me, but the next two minutes of the song, ‘changed’ my life.

This girl’s left hand was on the floor, while her right hand was gripping my shirt. I saw WAY more cleavage than I needed to because of her low rise jeans. The vigorous amount of twerking she did, was enough to make me…fail No Nut November (in August). I was layered up so she didn’t notice, but I was both embarrassed and aroused at the same time.

OG Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt Had BETTER Writing than New PSG!

I’m not the only one with this confession, or take. When the English dub trailer for the new season of PSG dropped, many OG fans were blasting the hell out of it; from Twitter X to Reddit. Jamie, Monica, and the rest of the cast from the OG series, were recast due to the dub going to Amazon instead of Crunchyroll. That means that it was dubbed in L.A. than Texas, and it was done by Pixel Logic than Crunchyroll. Many fans said that Amazon had enough money to fly most of the OG cast back and forth from L.A. to Texas, but I guess THAT didn’t happen, as they weren’t even called to reprise their roles.

So, EVERYTHING got changed. No creative script, no consistent out-of-pocket dialogue (even though it was there, it just didn’t hit the same), and the ‘edge’ was watered down!ย  I still have respect for the new cast and the new girls (Courtney Lin and Christina Vee), and the OG is a tough act to follow, and while I appreciate that ya’ll worked extra hard to honor the OG’s legacy, I think ya’ll fell short in a couple areas. (Especially when it came to line delivery and directional execution, both of which I’m more peeved at the director and writers more than ya’ll.)

I will say that the animation truly was a worthy sequel to an iconic cult classic. And Studio Trigger kicked it up a notch with the insanity that is Panty & Stocking. Maybe if Jamie and Monica were on the writing staff (or even ADR), I’d forgive the recast; but this is something that has caused division among OG fans and new fans of the series, and we’re hoping Season 3 fixes that!

Alright guys, this is it for 2025! May you all have a Happy New Year, if you decide to celebrate it or not!

OG Founder!

Out!