When it comes to Anime of the Year in the West, many would immediately think of blockbusters like Solo Leveling. After all, Solo Leveling won the most prestigious awards and won the title of Anime of the Year 2025 during the Crunchyroll Awards last year. It goes without saying that Solo Leveling has been a sensation and has gained new fans all over the world.
The winner of Anime of the Year 2026 has already been decided
The title of Anime of the Year for 2026 will have some stiff competition, but this series has the best chance to win.
However, despite Solo Leveling's international popularity, this series is still not among the top anime in Japanwhich was quite clear from the Newtype Anime Awards. During the Newtype Anime Awards, Solo Leveling was beaten by another series from the same studio for the top spot, and that anime is Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! Now, with its huge success with its first anime season, it returns with a second season. Makeine Season 2 is currently in the works, and fans are hoping for a 2027 release date last.
Makeine: Too many losing heroines! Was Japan's Anime of the Year
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Makeine beat the likes of Solo Leveling and The Apothecary Diaries
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Makeine's main character was voted the best male character of 2025
Japan has many anime awards held throughout the year, and of them one of the most prestigious is definitely the NewType Anime Awards.
Held at the end of 2025, these awards revealed much of Japan's public's current preferences. For example, this year's anime was voted by fans to determine Japan's number one series in 2025. To the shock of many, the number one anime in Japan was not an action anime like Solo Leveling, but a slice of life story known as Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!
Not only that, but Makeine again proved to be a big hit when its main character, Kazuhiko Nukumizu, won and became Japan's Most Popular Male Character 2025 at the Japan NewType Awards. Makeine is definitely going strong, and its popularity doesn't seem to be waning in Japan, although it has yet to catch up overseas.
Makeine: Too many losing heroines! Has a second season in the works
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No release date out at the moment, but a 2027 release is likely
Makeine has been hugely popular in Japan. The story of Makeine, which was brought to life with the anime, is based on a light novel by Takibi Amamori. The first season of the anime was only 12 episodes long, but it was enough to blow the fans away with its tremendous quality. Makeine Season 1 aired briefly from July to September 2024.
Since then, fans of the franchise have been waiting for more content, and much to their delight, the series is already confirmed for a sequel. Makeine Season 2 is officially underway, as recently reiterated by the studio. A-1 Pictures seems to have a lot of exciting projects on hand at the moment, and Makeine is certainly getting high priority at the moment.
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Unfortunately, fans don't have an exact release date yet. However, many have theorized that since the anime is currently ongoing, a 2027 release date is more likelyconsidering that it takes time to develop a quality adaptation.
Naturally, fans are eagerly awaiting official information through a teaser or key image, but currently no new content has been provided. All eyes are on Anime Japan 2026, where more information about this upcoming project for A-1 Pictures may be revealed to fans. The studio is busy with many other projects besides this as well, such as Solo Leveling, and they may also receive major updates.
Can Solo Leveling Outpace Makeine?
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Solo Leveling is more popular overseas, but it lacks traction in Japan
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New Solo Leveling Movie May Tip the Scales in Japan
Solo Leveling and Makeine are both interesting, but very different stories. Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines is a slice-of-life anime that follows the story of Kazuhiko Nukumizu as he finds himself with rejected girls. The story is slow and focuses on the friendships built along the way by Kazuhiko and the heartbroken girls he meets.
This series definitely subverts certain expectations and isn't too heavy on romance.
In the meantime, Solo Leveling barely focuses on any character other than Sung Jinwoo. In Solo Leveling, fans love to see Sung Jinwoo grow stronger, especially after his humble beginnings as one of the weakest hunters in the world. In this story, the battles take center stage. The story is fast paced and battles are featured in almost every episode of the show. Fans definitely can't wait for Solo Leveling's next project.
While each anime is great in its own way, it's definitely possible for Solo Leveling to one day surpass Makeine. It has yet to happen in Japan for now, but the former is not far behind either. At the same awards where Makeine was crowded Anime of the Year, Solo Leveling came in fourth, which isn't bad.
Even the producer of Solo Leveling, like the original creator, admits that the story is not yet as big as it should be in Japan. However, the studio hopes that with more content, like a third season or maybe even a movie, Solo Leveling can tip the scale.
A Solo Leveling movie in particular could be the true breakout of the franchise in Japan. As fans know, a Solo Leveling movie could be a possibility in the near future. A report from the production committee was recently leaked and it revealed that the studio is seriously considering a theatrical release for Solo Leveling after the huge success of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1. The release date is expected to be somewhere between late 2026 and 2027.
As a Japanese person living in Japan, the anime is not at the level of Dragon Ball, One Piece or Naruto. But if season three happens, that's when I really want to break that line. — Solo Leveling Producer
Abroad, however, it's no secret that Solo Leveling will continue to dominate. Compared to Solo Leveling, Makeine has almost non-existent popularity outside of Japan. On platforms like Crunchyroll, for example, Solo Leveling is definitely king. Solo Leveling's first and second seasons have become the highest and most rated anime on the platform, which doesn't seem to be changing any time soon. Fans all over the world will be hoping that Jinwoo's story will soon continue.
Solo Leveling has two seasons out right now, one with 12 episodes and the other with 13, for a combined episode count of 25 episodes available to watch right now. The series can be streamed on Crunchyroll for fans to enjoy while they wait for more news about the third season. There has been no major announcement about a third season so far. Fans can get more Solo Leveling content via the Manhwa.
Source: X
