Episode 151 of Key Frames, a podcast about anime. Isn't making lists fun? Ben, Andy, and Duncan make one for their favorite anime of 2025. Then Ben gives out some awards, Duncan aggregates his lists into an even bigger list, and Andy makes a list of favorite manga. We're on a roll! Here, I'm going to make a list of our best episode titles from 2025, just because I can:
- "Is It Wrong to Pick Up Beavers in the Hundreds?"
- "Gremlinergy"
- "I Got That Sword in Me"
- "Airplane Legs"
- "Ataru at the Hague"
Not bad, right? Check out the episode for more of our natural ranking ability (not rating, mind you)!
Discussed:
Takopi's Original Sin (6:51)
Turkey! -Time to Strike- (9:52)
BanG Dream! Ave Mujica (13:33)
CITY the Animation (16:30)
Call of the Night Season 2 (18:13)
Orb: On the Movements of the Earth (21:20)
Dandadan 2nd Season (23:47)
Medalist (26:30)
SANDA (30:12)
Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary Season 2 (32:54)
My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 (36:10)
Apocalypse Hotel (39:45)
Ruri Rocks (46:06)
The Summer Hikaru Died (56:25)
New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (1:03:16)
Kowloon Generic Romance (1:06:50)
Tokyo Godfathers (1:08:29)
Look Back (1:11:44)
Heisei Haizan-hei Sumire-chan (manga) (1:15:32)
The Creepy and Freaky (manga) (1:16:46)
War of the Adults (manga) (1:17:44)
Bug Ego (manga) (1:18:36)
Trigun Stargaze (1:20:34)
You and I Are Polar Opposites (1:22:04)
Journal with Witch (1:26:30)
Fate/strange Fake (1:30:43)
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Heyy, thanks for the recommendation of 'Journal with Witch'! Started reading the manga, very thoughtful study on being an adult, growing up, being/feeling/experiencing differently, living together with people that do not experience in the same way as you do, etc. And it's so free from the kind of filth that usually bogs down interesting themes in manga/anime. I honestly couldn't get over Nagi's character design and especially the way the camera was directing my attention towards it in Ruri Rocks (looking at you, nameless storyboarder who couldn't stop pointing the entire frame at her ass all the time). It was really hard for me to imagine this being Ruri's perspective I was being privy to, so it instead felt dissociated and strange.
I am starting to watch Journal with Witch today, as I type this reply! Duncan's done a great job of advocating for it.
And yeah, I admit that the caked-up designs of Ruri Rocks can definitely be an obstacle to unimpeded enjoyment of the work, but that's a resistance I've built up with anime in general, for better and for worse. I think there might be an effort to channel the gap in maturity between Nagi and Ruri into their physical characteristics, but it's impossible not to stumble upon moments that can be read as pure exploitation when the dynamic is "big tiddy grad student" and "loli high school student." For what it's worth, I did dress exactly like Nagi does almost every day of grad school (maybe throwing in a tie once I hit ABD) but of course I didn't look like that, haha.