When it comes to the Anime of the Year in the West, many would immediately think of hit series like Solo Leveling. After all, Solo Leveling won the most prestigious honors 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 acquired new fans all around the world.
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However, despite Solo Leveling’s international popularity, this series is still not among the top anime in Japan, as 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 major success with its first anime season, it is returning with a second season. Makeine Season 2 is currently in the works, and fans hope for a 2027 release date at the latest.
Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! Was Japan’s Anime of the Year
- Makeine beat the likes of Solo Leveling and The Apothecary Diaries
- Makeine’s main character was voted as the Best Male Character of 2025
Japan has many anime awards that are held throughout the year, and out of them, one of the most prestigious is definitely the NewType Anime Awards.
These awards were held in late 2025 and they revealed much of the current preferences of Japan's audience. For example, the anime of the year was voted by the 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 proved itself again as a major hit when its main character, Kazuhiko Nukumizu, won and became Japan's most popular male character of 2025 at the Japan NewType Awards. Makeine is definitely going strong, and its popularity does not seem to be slowing down in Japan, even though it has yet to catch up overseas.
Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! Has A Second Season In The Works
- 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 just 12 episodes long, but that was enough to blow the fans away with immense quality. Makeine Season 1 aired for a short while 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 continuation. Makeine Season 2 is officially happening, as was reiterated recently by the studio. A-1 Pictures seems to have a lot of exciting projects at hand at the moment, and Makeine is certainly getting a lot of priority at the moment.
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Unfortunately, fans don't have an exact release date yet. Though, many have theorized that since the anime is currently in the works, a 2027 release date is likelier, given that it takes time to produce a quality adaptation.
Of course, fans are eagerly awaiting official information through a teaser or key visual, but for now, no new content has been provided. All eyes are on Anime Japan 2026, which is where more information on this upcoming project for A-1 Pictures could be revealed to the fans. The studio is busy with many other projects on top of this as well, like Solo Leveling, and they could receive major updates as well.
Can Solo Leveling Surpass Makeine?
- Solo Leveling is more popular overseas, but it lacks a hold in Japan
- New Solo Leveling movie could tip the scales in Japan
Solo Leveling and Makeine are both interesting, but vastly different stories. Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines is a slice-of-life anime following the story of Kazuhiko Nukumizu as he finds himself involved with girls who were rejected. The story is slow, focusing on the friendships built along the way by Kazuhiko and the heartbroken girls he meets.
This series definitely subverts some expectations and isn’t too heavy on romance.
Meanwhile, 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 beginning as one of the weakest hunters in the world. In this story, the battles take center stage. The story is fast and battles are featured in almost every single episode of the show. Fans definitely can't wait for Solo Leveling’s next project.
While each anime is good in its own way, it is definitely possible for Solo Leveling to someday surpass Makeine. That has yet to happen in Japan for now, but the former isn't too far behind either. At the same awards where Makeine was crowded Anime of the Year, Solo Leveling ended up fourth, which is not bad.
Even the producer of Solo Leveling, as well as the original creator, admits that the story isn't yet as big as it should be in Japan. The studio, however, does hope that with more content, such as a third season or perhaps even a movie, Solo Leveling could tip the scales.
A Solo Leveling movie could especially be the true breakout of the franchise in Japan. As fans know, a Solo Leveling movie might be a possibility in the near future. A Production Committee report was recently leaked and it revealed that the studio is seriously considering a theatrical release for Solo Leveling after the major success of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1. The release date is projected 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 want to truly break that boundary. — Solo Leveling Producer
Overseas, however, it is no secret that Solo Leveling will keep on dominating. Compared to Solo Leveling, Makeine has almost non-existent popularity outside of Japan. On platforms like Crunchyroll, for example, Solo Leveling is definitely the king. Solo Leveling’s first and second seasons have become the highest and most rated anime on the platform, which does not seem to be changing any time soon. Fans all over the world will be hoping for Jinwoo's story to continue soon.
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 awaiting any more news concerning the third season. There have been no major announcements about a third season so far. Fans can get more Solo Leveling content via the Manhwa.