There are a lot of amazing anime returning this week, like Season 2 of Dandadan and My Dress-Up Darling. But, one of the most anticipated releases of the Summer 2025 anime season has the potential to be the next big thing in the shonen demographic. That’s not just us saying it, it’s literally written in one of the reviews for the new series. Studio Bones’ anime adaptation of Gachiakuta, a relatively new manga by Kei Urana, premieres its first episode this weekend, and fans of the manga couldn’t be more excited. Ahead of Season 1’s debut on Crunchyroll, the first reviews for the series have been released, and it appears to be delivering on the hype.
Kei Urana’s Gachiakuta was first serialized in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen magazine in February 2022. The series has been collected in 15 volumes in Japanese. Kodansha published the first English-translated volume in January 2024, with six volumes currently available, and the seventh volume being released later this month. Despite being a new series, Gachiakuta has already taken the manga world by storm, and it appears its anime adaptation will do the same.
What Are Critics Saying About Gachiakuta?
Ahead of Gachiakuta‘s premiere on Sunday, July 6th, the first reviews have been released online. Some lucky critics have been treated to the first episodes of the series at this year’s Anime Expo in Los Angeles. According to those reviews, Solo Leveling, Demon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen might have a tough new contender for the shonen crown.
ComicBook’s Anime Editor, J.R. Waugh, was in attendance at the screenings. “Gachiakuta‘s premiere lays out Rudo’s rapid descent into blinding, ferocious rage in a showstopping, explosive intro that will jolt the viewers to attention,” began his review. “Longtime fans can rest assured that their beloved series evokes a powerful, vengeful aura to stand out from the typical shonen fare.”
“Literal trash has never looked better,” read FandomWire’s review headline. The review continued, “The first two episodes of Gachiakuta show promise of its potential as the next big shonen title as Bones Film nails every aspect, from music to the animation.” That sentiment was shared by Gizmodo, whose review went so far as to call Gachiakuta “the next big thing.” The review noted Gachiakuta‘s place among the ever-shifting shonen landscape, writing, “It’s not just filling the gap left by Demon Slayer or My Hero Academia, it’s tearing that gap wider to make space for something bold, bruised, and hopefully, unforgettable.”
Gachiakuta Releases This Weekend
It’s one hell of a weekend to be an anime fan! If the above reviews have got you more hyped than ever for Gachiakuta, you’ll be glad to know that you don’t have long to wait before you can enjoy the show for yourself. The series debuts this Sunday (July 6th), and manga fans couldn’t be more excited.
For those who haven’t read the immensely popular series, Gachiakuta follows Rudo, who is falsely accused of murder and exiled to the Pit, a wasteland filled with vicious monsters. There, he discovers an innate power and must join the Cleaners, a group of superpowered outcasts who fight the monsters for a chance at escaping the Hellish wasteland.
H/T: FandomWire, Gizmodo
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