What better way to kick off the year than by revisiting our favourite topic: What’s the next big thing in anime/manga? In this episode we revisit our picks from 2024 and go through our new ones for 2026.

Timecodes:

0:00 Revisiting the topic: The Next Big Thing

3:25 Enzo’s #2 pick: Phantom Busters by Neoshoco

11:01 Samu’s #2 pick: Gokurakugai by Uto Sano

19:07 Checking in our preview picks for The Next Big Thing 

19:21 Sakamoto Days and Gachiakuta - both had anime, neither became mega hits

24:45 Tokyo Aliens and Kindergarten Wars - neither have had anime yet

29:16 Spy X Family vs Chainsaw Man - which won in the long run and which do we prefer?

36:33 Apothecary Diaries vs Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End tight race as the current top hits

38:46 Refresher on the Enzo’s “Kaijuu” term

39:59 The Kaijuu Wall

55:04 Samu’s #1 pick: Kagurabachi by Takeru Hokazono

59:18 Enzo’s #1 pick: Ichi the Witch by Osamu Nishi, Shiro Usazaki

1:09:20 The Next (Next) Big Thing predictions for further in the future