In/Spectre is the show that made me write this guide—its opener is that charming. Abducted by yōkai at 11, Kotoko Iwanaga reappears two weeks later missing an eye and a leg, having accepted the mantle of “Goddess of Wisdom,” mediator between spirits and humans. Everything changes when she meets Kurou Sakuragawa in a hospital; Kotoko falls head-over-heels, and the yōkai are suddenly terrified of him.

The mystery of Kurou’s connection to yōkai and the weight of Kotoko’s role make the early episodes compelling on their own; add a budding romance—his gentle rebuffs meeting her unabashed advances—and you’ve got a hook. The yōkai themselves are a treat, with varied, characterful designs that enrich every encounter.

In/Spectre isn’t afraid to venture into darker territory, and I’m curious how far it goes. With a 12-episode season, there’s room for the relationship to deepen and for the show to explore what binds both leads to the spirit world.

There’s far more here than “a shy girl wants to make anime.” The heart of Eizouken is a new friendship: Midori Asakusa, a curious world-builder bursting with ideas but short on social ease; Sayaka Kanamori, the deadpan operator who keeps the team grounded (and funded); and Tsubame Mizusaki, a rising model escaping her famous parents’ shadow to animate.

Together they form a scrappy “film club” to chase their dreams (or, in Kanamori’s case, revenue). The show’s magic is how it dives into their sketchbook worlds—switching to rough, lively linework as the girls imagine machines and spaces in motion. It’s infectious creativity. Eizouken isn’t usually my kind of anime, but its energy and craft had me completely invested.

What begins as a gentle travelogue about a golem and a human child he found alone in his forest quickly reveals a richer world. Humans, who once tried to enslave other races, were nearly eradicated by the mystical beings who now populate the land—raising the stakes for Somali’s safety and reframing her bond with the golem.

Disguised in a minotaur cloak, Somali passes among monsters while the golem learns to care for her—sewing, brewing medical salves—even as we learn his life is finite. Golems are said to lack emotion, yet his anxiety when Somali wanders and the quiet sadness of his dwindling time say otherwise. The show’s tenderness and world-building hit hard; I’m already attached to both of them and fully expect wholesome (and devastating) tears ahead.