Time to select the best of the best of the year! I’m so happy to finally announce all of this and I won’t lie, it was hard to choose because of the sheer amount of media I consumed this past year. But it’s a job that needed to be done, and voilà, here it is! I’m so excited for new reads and new anime next year!

Best Couple? 💕 (Another addition to my endless one-true-pairing list)
— Seori & Yujeong from The Summer You Came

Best Art? 🎨 (So gorgeous, so pretty it hurts!)
— Relationship Principle. Even though I think the ML is kinda a douche for being so dodgy about why he ghosted her, he’s just too pleasing to the eyes 😩 haha! Still really wanna know why!!

Best Plot Twist? 😱 (Made me drop everything and throw shoes in shock!)
— Farewell ’Cause WTF was that?! I’m pretty sure they weren’t right?? I couldn’t even continue it!

Best Villain? 😈 (The villain I love to hate!)
— None, unfortunately. I guess the MCs were just that good this year… or the villains were too one-dimensional for my taste.

Best Character Growth? 🌱 (That glow-up you didn’t expect!)
— The black dragon Akelans from Black Chains.  I was not giving him a pass for all the awful things he did to the heroine, but he really earned his keep. Watching him slowly redeem himself was so satisfying.

Most Unputdownable? 📖✨ (The “one more chapter/ep” situation until it’s 2:00 AM and my eyebags are screaming!)
— The Grand Duke of the North! Yes, it’s your usual rofan webtoon, but it was so charming that I genuinely found myself scrolling endlessly.

Best Romantic Confession? 💌 (Made me scream into my pillow and slam my fists with “FINALLY!”)
— Happy Twogether!  Okay, it’s not exactly a confession but I loved how naturally handsy they were with each other. Nothing awkward at all! The finger playing, the cozy latching onto each other, gaaah, just pure warmth, like a cup of hot chocolate ☕💞

Best Kiss? 😘 (That smooch I’ve been waiting for ages!)
— Sein & Dowon from Bad Dream. I actually had a hard time picking because of how many smutty series I read 😅 but this one wins. Given their circumstances, especially Sein’s, where her life was literally at stake and being able to let go meant something huge.

Best Male Lead? 🌟 (The swoon-worthy guy who has everything!)
— Duke Diello from I’m an Extra Who Is Trying to Run Away from the Obsessive Male Lead Biases aside, I just love his character design. I liked how he was understandably doubtful at first, then went from aloof to secretly obsessed. And the way he’s constantly working against their divorce! Chef’s kiss.

Best Female Lead? 👑 (Girl’s girl, rooting for you and wishing you the best in life!)
— Anrie Wenthworth from The Duke’s Wife Obsession. I know girls like her are a dime a dozen in rofan now, but I’m still a sucker for motivated, goal-oriented FLs, especially transmigrators who actually use their knowledge. Also, I love it when the ML falls first (plot twist: he knows the setting too!). One of my fave reads this year.

Best Ending? 🎬✨ (The kind that leaves you smiling, giddy, or emotionally wrecked but in a good way!)
— It’s a toss-up between Unfair Love Affair and Usefulness of a Childhood Friend
For Unfair Love Affair, I love when the top is the one harboring all the feelings. He might seem elusive to others, but he’s just so deeply in love and it makes me giddy. And for Usefulness of a Childhood Friend, I’m weak for friends-to-lovers. This one goes from friends-with-benefits to absolutely awesome lovers, and I adored every second.

Anime: Best of the Best 🎌🔥

Favorite Character? 💖 My ride-or-die fictional fam that I root for so hard!)
— Katsuki Bakugou! One of my all-time faves. The amount of development he had, especially in the explosive episodes, kept me on my toes. I was glued to the screen the entire time. So proud of my son 🥹💥

Best Animation? ✨🎥 (So many “absolute cinema” moments!)
— Boku no Hero Academia: Season 8
Studio Bones gave everything for the final fights, and it shows. The detail, the care, yeah, absolute cinema, like I said. A well-deserved treatment for an amazing series finale.

Best Opening Song? 🎵🎶(The banger that lived on loop!)
— “HUGs” by Paledusk from Gachiakuta
I’m giving it points for creativity, but honestly… none of the openings really spoke to me this year 😔

Best Shoujo? 🌸
— I didn’t watch any (no, not considering shounen romance!), so I’m gonna pass this category. Next year, hopefully, I’ve seen some promising ones!

Best Shounen/Seinen? ⚔️💥
— Boku no Hero Academia: Season 8
I mean, surely, I already rave about it so much!

Anime I’m Looking Forward to in 2026! 🔮🎉

Jigokuraku Season 2, Jujutsu Kaisen:, Shimetsu Kaiyuu – Zenpen, Uruwashi no Yoi no Tsuki, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, Champignon no Majo, Liar Game, Tongari Boushi no Atelier