| So I like discovering unknown/looked over anime each season. My 2 picks are the daughteru anime 29-Sai Maou's daughter is too kind   Surprised seeing 2 wholesome loli anime in one season. What gems did you find? |
 |
| surprised? that garbage is almost all japan ever makes |
| Still too early to pick anything out at the moment |
 |
| We're only eight days into the season so several series I have slated to watch haven't even started airing yet and aren't slated to until at least this coming Saturday and Sunday. But I can say that it's all new series for me either way as nothing I'm actively following is returning this season (except Gnosia continuing as a two cour from autumn). I can't even say which would be "hidden gems" in a true sense as it's all always subjective and relative to the mainstream series I imagine that they all would be (I mean in terms of popularity, not necessarily quality which is just preference-based - at least popularity can be somewhat measured). But so far my favorite ones of those I watched and the ones that I know I'll be continuing with and likely finishing are: - The Darwin Incident (my most anticipated of the season and year as a whole) - Ikoku Nikki - Shiboyugi: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table And then ones watched but a little more undecided on as of yet and unsure whether I'll end up continuing through to completion (probably need one to three more episodes to determine): - Wash It All Away (probably keep) - Arne no Jikenbo - A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation And the ones I'm most looking forward to that haven't aired yet: - Kaya-chan Isn't Scary - Oedo Fire Slayer: The Legend of Phoenix |
| My top 2 anime so far are Ikoku Nikki and Shiboyugi, 18th and 19th by popularity in the Winter 2026 season so they might count as "hidden" (at least I think they're off the average anime fan's radar). Then I'm also enjoying the Maou Musume anime and the cleaning lady one (Kirei ni Shitemoraemasu ka.). |
NirinboJan 8, 2:23 PM
| "What are your hidden gem anime of Winter 2026?" I mean the season haven't started properly yet. Only Ikoku Nikki comes to mind. The rest (stuff like Fate/strange Fake and Yuusha-kei ni Shosu: Choubatsu Yuusha 9004-tai Keimu Kiroku) aren't hidden at all. |
| You were supposed to make this thread about Autumn season, not the one where most of the shows didn't even start... |
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧May the winds of change transform you entirely.*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ |
Someone missed the part where one is ... Not that I'm complaining >:) |
| I feel like only half of the shows have aired at this point, so it's too early for me to make a call. |
| https://xss.now.cc/anime/60151/Eris_no_Seihai Looks like promising villainess with supernatural and dark elements and a revenge plot. Unique enough. https://xss.now.cc/anime/61983/Yuusha_Party_ni_Kawaii_Ko_ga_Ita_node_Kokuhaku_shitemita I don't know if it had been done before but I haven't seen a Isekai main focus being romance and also not a harem one. Based as hell mc and fmc is cute too. https://xss.now.cc/anime/61211/Mayonaka_Heart_Tune If it gets adapted semi decently then even it has potential be the greatest harem anime ever. |
Reply to WaterMage
https://xss.now.cc/anime/60151/Eris_no_Seihai
Looks like promising villainess with supernatural and dark elements and a revenge plot. Unique enough.
https://xss.now.cc/anime/61983/Yuusha_Party_ni_Kawaii_Ko_ga_Ita_node_Kokuhaku_shitemita
I don't know if it had been done before but I haven't seen a Isekai main focus being romance and also not a harem one. Based as hell mc and fmc is cute too.
https://xss.now.cc/anime/61211/Mayonaka_Heart_Tune
If it gets adapted semi decently then even it has potential be the greatest harem anime ever.
Looks like promising villainess with supernatural and dark elements and a revenge plot. Unique enough.
https://xss.now.cc/anime/61983/Yuusha_Party_ni_Kawaii_Ko_ga_Ita_node_Kokuhaku_shitemita
I don't know if it had been done before but I haven't seen a Isekai main focus being romance and also not a harem one. Based as hell mc and fmc is cute too.
https://xss.now.cc/anime/61211/Mayonaka_Heart_Tune
If it gets adapted semi decently then even it has potential be the greatest harem anime ever.
| @WaterMage Gonna try that hero party romance. Seems up my alley. |
|
| Too early to say but I guess so far it is Shibou Yuugi de Meshi wo Kuu. |
| Mayonaka Heart Tune isn't really a "hidden" gem for me as I was fully caught up with it's source material beforehand, but it seems a lot underestimated at the moment seeing the rating, so definitely an underrated one. |
 |
| So... NOW feels like the appropriate time to discuss this question, instead of the first/second week of the season. Anyone? I've only checked out 9 shows so far, but Ikoku Nikki is the one that I think is excellent but is still fairly under-watched (Rank 16 in MAL popularity). If we're including sequels, I just want to mention the final season of Golden Kamuy. It's firing on all cylinders, a culmination of everything that's been set up. What a story. Other low-popularity seasonals I've tried turned out pretty disappointing or just passable. |
| Maybe Fate/Strange Fake. It premiered 2 years ago then went on hiatus, since Fate seems to be inaccessible to any but Type-Moon fans it probably won't get notice outside the fandom. The plot is inaccessible to anyone who watches it anyway, but it has some really great animation. |
Reply to Nirinbo
My top 2 anime so far are Ikoku Nikki and Shiboyugi, 18th and 19th by popularity in the Winter 2026 season so they might count as "hidden" (at least I think they're off the average anime fan's radar).
Then I'm also enjoying the Maou Musume anime and the cleaning lady one (Kirei ni Shitemoraemasu ka.).
Then I'm also enjoying the Maou Musume anime and the cleaning lady one (Kirei ni Shitemoraemasu ka.).
| One month later, I confirm what I said but I'll also add Yuusha no Kuzu (44th by popularity) in my top 5 of the season (top 3 excluding sequels). I can see why it's rated so low (average animation quality), but it has a lot of things that clicked with me: urban fantasy, fairly cynical, a male MC that only wants to play card games and drink alcohol at his favorite bar and a female MC that is super genki and a bit retarded (and voiced by one of my favorite seiyuu, Akari Kitou). |
| The hentai Ichigo Aika. It has the best animation among modern hentai anime. |
"Nobody could laugh at someone who's trying their hardest" -Machio- |
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