The Emerald Butterfly

Start off the 2025 New Year with my curated list of new anime releases and season releases from Crunchyroll’s Winter 2025 lineup to watch this winter season! You don’t want to miss out on this lineup! Curl up with hot cocoa and your fuzzy blanket and stay cozy watching new anime this winter!

• New Winter 2025 Anime Releases
• New Winter 2025 Anime Season Releases

New Winter 2025 Anime Releases

Honey Lemon Soda

Meet Uka Ishimori, a shy and reserved 15-year-old girl, nicknamed “stone” by bullies in middle school. She enrolls in Hachimitsu High School where she meets Kai Miura, a popular and sweet boy, who’s personality and hair remind Uka of a honey lemon soda. As the two grow closer to each other, Kai helps to build-up Uka’s self-esteem and confidence.

(Via: Crunchyroll)

Watch the offical trailer for “Honey Lemon Soda” here!

Adapted from the manga by Mayu Murata.

Themes: Personal Growth, Self-Discovery, and Young Love

Studio: J. C. Staff

Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You

Mizuha Nishino is 30 years old and she’s having the worst birthday. She bumps into a group of high schoolers and is reminiscent of her youth back in 2020, her seventeenth birthday was ruined when not only did her parents forgot her birthday but her senpai didn’t reciprocate her feelings towards him. Dealing with the effects of Covid-19, a virus pandemic that  causing many changes to Mizuha’s life including cancelling school trips and sports tournaments – the biggest change comes when her longtime childhood friend, Mizuki, suddenly asks her out. See how the story unfolds as Nishino experiences the complexities of first love romance.

(Via: Crunchyroll)

Watch the official trailer for “Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You here!

Adapted from the manga by Haruka Mitsui.

Themes: Coming-of-Age, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Romance

Studio: Typhoon Graphics

Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective

Takao Ameku is a brilliant doctor who works at the Ten’ikai General Hospital’s Supervisory Department of Diagnostic Pathology. Bizarre mysteries start to happen, from unexplained illnesses to strange murders not even the police can solve. Will Takao’s determination help her unveal the shocking truth behind these anomalies.

(Via: Crunchyroll)

Watch the official trailer for “Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective” here!

Adapted from the manga, Ameku Takao no Suiri Karte, written by Mikito Chinen and illustrated by Noizi Ito.

Themes: Pursuit of Justice, Medical, Mystery

Studio: Project No. 9

Promise of Wizard

Akira Maki is an ordinary young woman from Earth who gets summoned to a magical fantasy world. Here she acts as a wise woman who trains wizards from five different nations in order to fight against “The Great Calamity“, a yearly supernatural menace that takes the form of a gigantic moon.

(Via: Crunchyroll)

Watch the official trailer for “Promise of Wizard” here!

Adapted based on the smartphone game developed by Coly.

Themes: Good vs Evil, Ordinary Life to Fantasy World

Studio: LIDENFILMS

Farmagia

Life is peaceful in the world of Felicidad. Farmers known as Farmagia raise and command monsters who live in harmony under the watchful eye of the Magus Diluculum. This peace brought prosperity until the death of the Magus. As a result, opportunists seek to use monsters to seize power for themselves. The growing conflict reaches the town of Centvelt, forcing Farmagia Ten and his friends to join the battle to fight back against the new despotic ruler, Glaza.

(Via: Crunchyroll)

Watch the official trailer for “Farmagia” here!

Based off the monster-farming action-RPG developed by Marvelous.

Themes: Good vs Evil, Friendship

Studio: Bridge

Even Given the Worthless “Appraiser” Class, I’m Actually the Strongest

Living in a world where “jobs” are God-given from birth and heroes are born not made, Ein has the job of “Appraiser” – which is nowhere close to hero status. Mistreated and abandoned by his fellow adventurers, Ein is close to giving up. As luck would have it, things are about to turn around for him. Ein’s job of “Appraiser” isn’t worthless but rather, it just might be the key to him becoming a hero!

(Via: Crunchyroll)

Watch the official trailer for “Even Given the Worthless “Appraiser” Class, I’m Actually the Strongest” here!

Adapted from the manga written by Ibarakina, illustrated by Yu Hitaki

Themes: Underdog, Hidden Potential, Self-Worth

Studio: Okuruto Noboru

New Winter 2025 Anime Season Releases

Solo Leveling Season 2 – Arise from the Shadow

Hunters are human warriors who fight monsters with magical abilities to protect mankind. While some are strong, that’s not that case for Sung Jinwoo, who was considered the world’s weakest hunter.

That all changed after he narrowly survived a powerful dungeon that nearly wiped out his entire party and was gifted a mysterious, rare ability called the “System“, that allows him to level up his strength beyond normal limits. No longer considered a weakling, he’s determined to uncover secrets behind his gifted powers and the dungeon that spawned them!

(Via: Crunchyroll)

Watch the official trailer for “Solo Leveling Season 2 – Arise from the Shadows” here!

Adapted from the manga by Chugong

Themes: Personal Growth, Defiance, Potential for Greatness

Studio: A-1 Pictures

Toilet-bound Hanako-kun Season 2

Have you heard the rumor going around about the Seven Wonders of Kamome Academy? Nene Yashiro and fellow classmate, Kou Minamoto, are working together with Hanako-kun, the toilet bound ghost who haunts the girl’s bathroom, in order to expose a traitor among the ranks of the Seven Wonders.

In season one, No. 2, the Misaki Stairs, and No. 5, the 4 o’clock Library, were defeated, leaving only 5 remaining. Will Nene, Kou, and Hanako-kun discover the traitor before it’s too late?

(Via: Crunchyroll)

Watch the official trailer for “Toilet-bound Hanako-kun” Season 2 here!

Adapted from the manga by Aidalro

Themes: Supernatural, School mysteries and folklore, Romance

Studio: Lerche

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2

Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father, until one day she was sold into the emperor’s palace to work as a lowly servant; however, Maomao investigates strange medical mysteries happening within the palace and solves them with her apothecary skills.

This attracts the attention of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her status. Stay tuned for season 2 where Maomao will uncover a conspiracy within the palace that could shake the empire!

(Via: Crunchyroll)

Watch the official trailer for “The Apothecary Diaries” Season 2 here!

Adapted from the manga by Natsu Hyuuga.

Themes: Women empowerment, Challenging the Status Quo, Medical Mystery

Studio: TOHO Animation Studio, OLM

Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World – Season 3

Natsuki Subaru was just an ordinary high student walking home from the convenience store when he suddenly gets transported into a fantasy world where he discovers he has a unique ability, “Return by Death“; every time Natsuki dies he returns to a “save point” before his prior death.

In season 3, while the Emilia Camp stands united for the Royal Selection, Emilia receives a letter from Anastasia, a Royal Selection candidate, inviting her to the Watergate City of Priestella. Emilia accepts the invitation and departs for the party where multiple reunions. One is surprising, one unintended, and one fateful. Natsuki Subaru must help Emilia and friends to face an unprecedent threat that looms close.

(Via: Crunchyroll)

Watch the official trailer for “Re:ZERO – Starting Life in Another World” Season 3 here!

Adapted from the manga by Tappei Nagatsuki.

Themes: Isekai, Reincarnation, Self Growth, Resilience

Studio: WHITE FOX

Dr. STONE SCIENCE FUTURE

Dr. Stone: Science Future is the fourth and final season of Dr. Stone.

Senku Ishigami, a highly intelligent, science-driven boy, awakens after being frozen in stone for thousands of years due to a mysterious phenomenon that turned all of humanity into stone. However, he’s not alone.

Taiju Oki also awakened and together the two of them discover a cure for the stone prison. Rebuilding civilization with science from nothing isn’t easy, as Senku and co discover threats in this post civilization world along the way. Will they all put an end to the mastermind behind the mysterious stone phenomenon?

I bet 10 billion percent you’ll be excited for this forth and last season. Watch Senku & his friends rebuild civilization with the power of science! Get excited!

(Via: Crunchyroll)

Watch the official trailer for “Dr. Stone: Science Future” here!

Adapted from the manga by Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi

Themes: Human adapibility, Power of Science, Survival

Studio: TMS Entertainment

Blue Exorcist – The Blue Night Saga

Rin Okumura is a 15-year-old who learns he’s the son of Satan. After the death of his foster father, Rin avenges him by following the path to becoming an Exorcist by joining True Cross Academy.

Normally Assiah, the realm of humans, and Gehenna, the realm of demons, never intersect. This all changes when demons are now intruding in Assiah.

(Via: Aniplex USA)

Watch the official trailer for “Blue Exorcist – The Blue Night Saga” here!

Adapted from the manga by Kazue Kato.

Themes: Self-Acceptance, Family Bonds, Choice and Free Will

Studio: studio VOLN

Closing Thoughts…

2025 is cooking up to be a great start to the year for anime! With returning titles and new anime releases, I can’t wait to start binging! I’m especially excited for season 2 of “The Apothecary Diaries”, since I was a huge fan of season 1. Not to mention I’m looking forward to watching new releases such as “Honey Lemon Soda” and “Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You”.

Happy New Year 2025!

Thanks as always for reading my blog post,

Jessica Mohan

WORKS CITED:

https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/seasonal-lineup/2024/12/13/winter-2025-anime-crunchyroll

https://honey-lemon-soda.fandom.com/wiki/TV_Anime#Synopsis

https://aonoexorcist.fandom.com/wiki/Rin_Okumura