Welcome back to the animeniac podcast and newsletter  that keeps you ahead of the anime curve—because let’s be real, watching only mainstream anime is like listening to just the Top 40. Sure, it’s good, but you’re missing out on the deep cuts that hit different.

Today, we’re diving into underrated anime you should be watching in 2025. These are the shows that anime Twitter will be hyping up six months from now, and you’ll be able to say, “Oh, I watched that before it was cool.” (And we all know that’s the real goal here.)

Let’s get into it.

1. THE COLORS WITHIN (January 24, 2025)

Prepare to get emotionally wrecked. This is an anime film that’s giving Your Name and A Silent Voice vibes—but with even more tears per second. The animation is breathtaking, the story is heartbreaking, and by the end, you’ll be rethinking your entire existence.

If you don’t ugly cry at least once, are you even human?

2. Zenshu (January 5, 2025)

The series follows Natsuko Hirose, an animation prodigy who speedran her way to becoming a director. Her debut TV series didn’t just blow up—it became a full-on social phenomenon, making her a certified industry legend. Now, riding that high, she dives into her next big original project... only to immediately hit a creative brick wall with the storyboard. And because the universe has a twisted sense of humor, instead of getting, like, a normal case of burnout, she gets isekai’d straight into a fantasy anime. Because obviously, the best way to fix creative block is to live in your own genre. If your someone who enjoys isekai anime but your getting bored with all the repetition and un-creative ideas this anime may be a good one to try.

3. Witch Watch (April 2025)- Comedy / Supernatural

Imagine being a teenage witch with magical powers but zero common sense. Now, imagine her bodyguard—a guy who just wants a peaceful high school life—constantly cleaning up her mess.

It’s giving rom-com chaos, and I’m here for it. If you like anime where every episode is a mix of hilarious and slightly cursed, Witch Watch is your next obsession.

4. Lazarus (TBA 2025) - Sci-Fi / Action

Ok, listen. This anime is directed by Shinichirō Watanabe (aka the guy behind Cowboy Bebop) and the fight choreography is being handled by the dude who did John Wick.

That means we’re about to see gun-fu, cyberpunk assassins, and people getting absolutely obliterated in the smoothest way possible. If this anime flops, I’ll eat my Crunchyroll subscription.