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Can a quasi–boys love horror really score above 8 on MAL?
Incredible but true: Summer Hikaru Died did it.
It’s an anime that operates on several levels — romantic, psychological, and mysterious — and does so with surprising effectiveness.

From the romantic point of view, we follow Yoshiki, an introverted, gloomy boy who struggles to express his emotions.
In Hikaru, his bright and popular friend, he has always seen a light.
But when Hikaru dies, Yoshiki simply cannot accept it. He denies it so deeply that his grief triggers disturbing events — deaths, suicides, possessions, and pure terror.
From this side, we get a dark romance where feelings constantly shift between ... deep friendship and repressed love — never openly confessed, but always there.

The psychological aspect is equally dominant. Yoshiki struggles to accept Hikaru’s “new” form, while the villagers share their own experiences with the supernatural.
Hikaru himself carries the sins of his family, who once broke ancient rules and caused several deaths.
This new Hikaru seems to be the “deity of the mountain,” but we can’t be sure.
What we do know is that he’s no longer the real Hikaru: he can easily harm humans, doesn’t die even when stabbed in the heart, and most of all, he doesn’t truly understand people.
Yet, his desire to do so torments him — to the point that he wants to return to the mountain to stop the impurities that have spread through the village since his arrival.

The horror element, though less central, works well. The idea of numerous decapitated people is genuinely disturbing, and the monstrous apparitions build a constant, visceral tension.

Finally, there’s the mystery.
Beyond Yoshiki and Hikaru, we meet Tanaka — a medium who seems determined to save the village and stop the impurities.
Perhaps the final episode will bring a twist involving him, but that remains uncertain.
What’s clear is that Tanaka is an enigmatic character, full of shadows and unanswered questions.

A Cute Story of Friendship and Personal Growth

Lloyd has always lived with the feeling of not being “good enough.” His teacher, though affectionate, pushed him through harsh training that damaged his self-esteem. The final blow came when the hero Allen expelled him from the party, calling him useless.

Despite his insecurities, Lloyd proves his worth by saving a girl’s sister. This leads him to join an S-rank party as a support mage, where he finally finds real companions and begins a new adventure.

In this fantasy world, the fear of demons still lingers, even though the Demon King was sealed years ago thanks to Sybil’s sacrifice, who ... used an ancient magic to protect humanity. Merlin, Lloyd’s mentor, always tried to prevent him from using that same power… but Lloyd is eventually forced to unleash it to defeat one of the Demon King’s followers.

The strength of the series lies in its characters: the new party welcomes Lloyd with genuine warmth, creating a positive and relaxed atmosphere that allows him to grow. On the other hand, Allen’s arrogance leads him to lose everything.

The anime’s ending highlights Lloyd’s true nature: even with his newfound strength and loyal friends by his side, he remains humble, far from the loneliness that once defined him.

Special mention goes to Claire, the kind beast-woman who deeply cares for every creature and fights to ensure that monster-animals are not exploited or killed in vain.

Overall, Scooped Up by an S-Rank Adventurer! is a lighthearted anime aimed at a young audience. It doesn’t try to be overly ambitious, but it succeeds in making the viewer feel good and relaxed.

What if a ruby ​​enabled time travel where you could go back and save everyone you loved?

This is the beginning of the new saga, where Kyle has the chance to save his city, the same one that was the first victim of the invasion of the demon kingdom against the humanoids. Having already experienced part of the events, Kyle, having just returned to the past, knows he must immediately train and strengthen himself. Despite having defeated the Demon King in his previous life, he had to sacrifice all his friends to win.

The portion of Earth in the hands of humans, however, is full of kingdoms ... with corruption, deception and therefore not being a single and solid faction, Kyle through his adventure will try to ensure peace between humans and to foil the first moves carried out by the demons for the invasion. Kyle hangs out at a party with his best friend, Theron, a swordsman with a quick wit, a womanizer, and even more skilled with a sword than Kyle. Then there's his childhood friend, Liese, and the elf Urza, with whom he strikes up a union. Kyle in the other life had more than a flirt with the two girls but now he wants to focus only on the mission.
In the adventure they save a princess destined for a conspiracy ordered by her father and brother in which Kyle will kill his master.
He will help another city and put it in the hands of a trusted man and will face two demons who have begun to take their first steps against the human kingdom and were looking for a sword capable of killing their kind.

As usual, the anime then ends abruptly, with another kingdom to be encountered with the aim of strengthening the bonds between humanoids before the great war, of which however we will not see anything unless the anime will have a second season.

I choose to give only 7 because the graphic quality is low level, the battles did not particularly excite me but for the rest there is a good basis to move forward and bring an anime of a certain quality.

My first anime otome game was a great introduction to the genre.

Alice enters the body of her favorite video game character and tries to behave exactly as her character would, if not better.

Although he lives in the capital, he also takes an interest in the suburbs and will carry out various good works, saving people from poverty and children from violence thanks to the help of the king's brother (who has become blind, had been exiled and will only reveal his noble blood later).

He will transform little Jill's life and will make her study in the best academy and will give one of his ... eyes to Will.
Alicia is the bad guy of the game, but she is also very intelligent, determined and "the bad guy of the game" only because she is unpleasant within the academy and fights with the future "Santa" Liz, who is destined to be a central piece of the capital and uses a power that unknowingly enchants almost everyone around her.

Furthermore, there is Prince Duke who, unlike the video game, falls in love with Alicia and not with Liz, is not under the spell of the Saint and supports Alicia in all her choices, even if these take her away from him.
A beautiful example in my opinion of sincere, pure and responsive love.

In addition to saving the suburbs, much of the focus is on the academy itself, where bullying often occurs, sparked by Liz's avid fan, Jane, and other tensions, mostly defused by Alicia or Duke, who helps her from afar.

The story ends with Liz discovering her power and declaring her love for Duke, losing to Alicia because the prince only wants the girl from the Williams house.
Now Alicia has gone to Laval to uncover another mystery, and the anime ends just like that. It leaves us with the knowledge that Alicia and Duke love each other and will do what's best for the capital. Unfortunately, they never dedicated an episode just to the two of them on a date, or any more romantic scenes :(

After a breather dedicated to Rengoku's funeral, darkness and battles return with a beautiful narrative rhythm. Daki is simply incredible: beautiful on the outside but rotten on the inside, and his violent behavior with the girls was horrifying.
Gyutaro's story and his brotherly bond, from poverty and violence to the possible redemption with a job as a debt collector, to the sad end with a blow from behind, saddened me. While I initially disliked the mainstay Tengen, after learning more about his past and his connection to his wives, I changed my mind.

The final battle was simply stunning in terms of graphics, and the thought that ... there are five more even stronger crescent moons excites and scares me at the same time.
I totally agree with the community ratings; I think he deserves a full 9.

One of the craziest anime ever. Even though the overarching plot of this first season is quite ridiculous—because a shy, reserved boy with glasses losing his genitals isn’t exactly what I usually look for—DanDaDan manages to perfectly blend over-the-top absurdity with many other layers, such as action, horror, and even sentimentality.

The friendship between a bullied, introverted alien enthusiast and a much more lively, energetic girl who’s into spirits leads to absolutely bizarre situations. There’s a spirit called Turbo-Granny, who despises men after a haunted tunnel full of boys ruined the lives of many young girls. There’s the science lab mannequin who falls in love with ... another mannequin thrown in the trash and later saved by the protagonists; a grandmother who’s a psychic and surprisingly gorgeous; Ayase’s first love, who looks cool but is actually spineless. In short, this anime truly has everything.

The most powerful moment is in episode 7, where DanDaDan also proves it can be dramatic. When it tells the story of a mother who gives her entire self to save her daughter—sacrificing her own life in the process—the anime handles it with just the right amount of delicacy and sentiment. The visuals and music are also incredible.

I was the last person who thought I could enjoy an anime with such silly humor, yet I ended up falling in love with it.
Now I’m really curious to see how the love polygon develops.

Touka is isekai’d along with his entire class into a struggling fantasy world. The goddess in charge is in need of new heroes, and after assigning them their titles, Touka discovers he has been labeled as useless and is immediately discarded. Unlike his classmates, who receive training and preparation, Touka is abandoned. Having never had close friends or meaningful bonds, he finds himself alone and considered worthless.

However, Touka soon realizes that his seemingly weak ability is actually one of the strongest. He can inflict status changes on his targets—freezing, paralyzing, or poisoning them—simply by casting a spell within sight. This makes him an unexpectedly lethal ... fighter.

Thus, Touka becomes a gentle yet vengeful anti-hero. He thirsts for revenge against the goddess who cast him aside and fights against the abuses of nobles who exploit and mistreat others. On his solitary journey, he gains the loyalty of the elven goddess Seras, who falls in love with him, though Touka—too cynical and focused on his goal—does not return her affection.

Other companions soon join him: the adorable slime Piggymaru, the young dark elf Lisbeth, and Eve, a beast-woman who fought for her freedom after nearly being enslaved along with Lisbeth. They are later joined by a mystical horse capable of transforming into a powerful steed.

Touka’s goal is to reach the Land of Monsters, where he can level up and seek out a witch who might hold the knowledge he needs to defeat the goddess. His challenges are intense and thrilling: he manages to kill the five strongest warriors through a clever trap and faces off against numerous terrifying beasts.

The weak point of the anime, besides the unlikely chance of a second season and the difficulty of finding the manga/light novel editions outside Japan, is the CGI. In some episodes it’s downright awful, making characters look unrecognizable.

On the positive side, the story is packed with "aura moments." Touka, with his thirst for revenge, often recalls Lelouch, and the series offers plenty of strong characters and an engaging plot. It seems to be building toward an epic confrontation between Class 2-C—who will likely defend the goddess that trained them—and Touka, who now seeks blood. We even got some interesting class dynamics, such as the tension between Yasu and Shougo-Takuto, and the differing attitudes of certain female classmates.

Light and Lena are childhood friends who gain their skills through a special fruit. Lena obtains the power of a divine swordswoman, becoming a strong warrior who earns a spot in the most important party, while Light ends up as a farmer.
Fortunately, Light has a hidden power granted by the fruit: thanks to the little Ayla, he discovers that he can eat multiple power fruits without dying, making him overpowered.
Light eventually saves Lena from her unethical party, made up of cynical "heroes" who only care about money and power.
This marks the beginning of a new party with Lena, Ayla, and Light, who work together with ... altruism and dedication.

During their missions, they encounter Dratena, manipulated by the Holy Sister, the true villain of the anime. She is a cleric in power with dark, still-unknown goals. Dratena has always dreamed of becoming a ballerina and holds the power of necromancy. She was saved and raised by the Holy Sister, who gave her purpose after she was orphaned. The Holy Sister also possesses the hidden ability of foresight, which makes her an excellent manipulator.

Light and Ayla also help Monica, a blacksmith who refuses to forge swords after one of them was used to kill her grandmother. Her father, however, continues making weapons, but he falls into the trap of loan sharks Zamdo and Doug. They put him in a desperate situation, but Light saves both the workshop and Monica, who eventually joins the party.

Lena, Ayla, Light, Monica, Dratena, the informant Hana, and her subordinate Yuan set out on an adventure to free the kingdom from tyranny.

Beyond the enjoyable mix of adventure and action in the story, I loved the colors, character designs, and the sweet, delicate style of the anime, which avoids unnecessary fanservice and other cheap tricks. Of course, being a fantasy series, it’s bombarded by dozens of angry users for reasons unknown. It’s certainly not groundbreaking, but it’s one of those anime that flows well, tells engaging stories, and offers plenty of intriguing twists. I was also surprised to find no traces of forced romance or beautiful girls humiliating themselves just to get Light’s attention—on that front, it feels very clean.

The biggest downside for me as an Italian fan is that there will never be a continuation. :(

Yuu and Himari are childhood friends. He is a craftsman who transforms flowers into delicate accessories and dreams of opening his own shop. Himari, his model and first supporter, helps him sell his creations and firmly believes in his talent.

I truly loved this story: besides showcasing Yuu’s unique and niche career, the plot introduces a love triangle that will put the bond between the two friends to the test, leading to a final twist. The balance is disrupted when Rion enters the scene—a beautiful, sweet, and shy girl who inevitably creates tension.
However, Rion doesn’t stand a chance; Yuu and Himari are meant for each other, ... but it will take until the very last episode for them to realize it.

In the background, there’s also a second, lighter, and more comedic love triangle involving Shinji (Yuu’s best friend), Hibari (Himari’s brother), and Kureha (Rion’s sister). Shinji has a crush on Kureha, but she still has unfinished business with her ex, Hibari. Hibari is one of my favorite characters for the support and respect he shows towards Yuu.

Extra points go to the ending, which is both fulfilling and emotional, supported by a compelling final arc where Himari risks drifting away from Yuu—only to be defended by her future boyfriend, who finally realizes that his feelings for his Himari are eternal.

A collection of short stories that explore the many challenges of adolescence.
Noroi to seishun is told in a melancholic and dramatic tone, portraying the lives of young people who are vulnerable, insecure, lonely, or trapped in toxic relationships.
In my opinion, the key concept is disorder—mainly psychological, but also represented physically through the chaotic state of the characters' bedrooms.
Another uncommon aspect of the characters in this collection is their paraphilias, which I found quite unique.
I thought it was an excellent read, with original stories that make the reader reflect as they try to get inside the minds of these tormented characters.