2026 Winter Anime Three-Episode Check-In
2026 has started off with a lot of big, complicated Gender Feelings, looked at with a range of styles and skill levels.
Winter 2026 Tag
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2026 Winter Premiere Digest
We’re up to our ears in joseimuke anime this season, and we couldn’t be happier!
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You and I Are Polar Opposites – Episode 1
Opposites attract in a fantastic premiere that’s a love letter to high school romance manga with its grounded characters and amazing dubcast.
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Kaya-chan Isn’t Scary – Episode 1
The show’s not especially scary either, but it’s got good foundations and a great Weird Little Girl at its heart.
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The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom – Episode 1
It’s perfectly fine, but if you don’t want a 100% straightforward villainess isekai then this isn’t for you.
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Oedo Fire Slayer -The Legend of Phoenix- – Episode 1
Historical fiction about a fire-fighter is a great concept, but the 3D animation can’t keep up with the action.
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In the Clear Moonlit Dusk – Episode 1
While I remain frustrated with the broader trends this story is tapping into, I think it also has a lot of potential to unfold into a sweet romance about a girl rebuilding her confidence.
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Scum of the Brave – Episode 1
It’s a fun urban fantasy held back by a glaring lack of polish.
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Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling – Episode 1
It feels a little like an also-ran version of So I’m a Spider, So What? But it’s far from the worst fantasy show airing this season.
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A Misanthrope Teaches a Class for Demi-Humans – Episode 1
I honestly don’t understand who this show is for, because monsterfuckers will get nothing from it, and anybody else will find it astonishingly bland.
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DARK MOON: THE BLOOD ALTAR – Episode 1
This premiere will have you seeking a taste of the night elsewhere with it’s poorly executed dub, stilted characters, and less than intriguing seasonal debut.
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Roll Over and Die – Episode 1
You can improve any genre by adding gay to it, but…does the “kicked out of the party” microgenre deserve to be elevated by lesbians?
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Dead Account – Episode 1
A dead on arrival premiere that feels like a compilation of ideas from other, bigger shonen action titles.
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HELL MODE – Episode 1
The back half flirts with becoming a bright adventure fantasy, but it’s bogged down in tired (albeit mostly harmless) isekai tropes.
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High School! Kimengumi – Episode 1
You’ll either yuck-yuck-yuck or just say yuck at this comedy premiere that’s a blast from the past and perhaps should have remained there.
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SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table – Episode 1
SHIBOYUGI’s beautiful double-length premiere doesn’t make for a bad short film, but it’s hard to see it having staying power as a series.
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Champignon Witch – Episode 1
Despite its unhurried pace and touches of whimsy, Champignon Witch is very much a story about social ostracization and how cultural norms and surface-level assumptions can unfairly relegate people as outsiders.
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Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord – Episode 1
It’s thoroughly unremarkable fantasy slop, from the bland protagonist to the “good slave owner” trope.
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The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife – Episode 1
I’d refrain from stamping Yako with “good representation” or “bad representation” because, you know, we love nuance; but I’d say The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife is off to a decent start with regards to its heroine’s disability and the supernatural romance (and marriage!) that the title foreshadows.
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A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation – Episode 1
A disappointingly underbaked adaptation from a creative team that feels poorly matched to the material.
