For the fourth and final week of Anime Trending’s Summer 2026 anime early impressions, our team reviews the first few episodes ofBlack Torch,Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia,Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky,Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You, andThough I Am an Inept Villainess.
Black Torch
Jiro, a teenage boy from a ninja clan, takes in a black cat in need of help one day, and he unknowingly stumbles into a world of conflict between humans and supernatural spirits calledmononoke. Rago, the black cat, fuses with Jiro and lends him his power after the young teen foolishly loses his life while trying to fight amononokealone. Jiro and Rago soon become the target of mysterious organizations lurking in the background, and to keep Jiro safe, he is recruited to join the Bureau of Espionage, where he joins a group called Black Torch to fight against those organizations.
For a manga that was canceled after 19 chapters, its return years later is almost unheard of, especially in anime form, where most canceled series never get a second chance. That alone makesBlack Torch‘s presence feel noteworthy, and it adds to the appeal of seeing the interest in keeping the series alive. The show’s action draws me in, the music is catchy and edgy, and the rivalry between Jiro and his straight-man teammate Reiji brings back the kind ofshonentrash talk that is always fun to watch. I can seeBlack Torchgetting a little complicated with all the supernatural elements and factions involved, and it could be trying to do too much despite the strong foundation it starts with, but so far the fight scenes and character dynamics make it a decent series to watch this season.
Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia
Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongoliais set in early 13th‑century Persia with Sitara as the main character. In the first episode, she is sold into slavery to Lady Fatima’s scholarly household in the city of Tus. Though Sitara initially tries to run away, she gradually finds purpose and security in her new home. In Jaadugar’s early episodes, Sitara learns to read, grows close to the household, and develops a passion for learning. However, that fragile sense of stability and growth is instantly shattered when the Mongols invade Tus, killing Lady Fatima and everyone Sitara cares about. Captured again and left as the sole survivor, Sitara is taken into the Mongol territory, where she later adopts the name Fatima and begins plotting revenge against the empire from within.
The series earns its emotional weight by taking the time to show what Sitara had before it was taken away, making her grief and resolve feel grounded rather than melodramatic. Artistic choices reinforce this as the story advances at a deliberate pace while also paying close attention to cultural detail. Specific things like the call to prayer, 13th-century Persian architecture, and varied hijab styles all add to the story’s background and setting. Another example is the show’s depiction of slaughter practices, subtly contrasting how animals are killed under Islamic custom versus Mongol methods. It’s a small detail, but it shows how much research goes into this story and how it also frames Sitara’s mindset. It’s details like these that makeJaadugarstand out as historical fiction and how it’s unwilling to flatten its characters’ grief into a simple tragedy and a tale of revenge. It’s an easy recommendation for anyone drawn to history, and one of the stronger, if not the strongest, shows of the season.
Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky
Kakeru Sorano would rather spend his college days alone in his dorm, but when his roommate invites him out to a social event, he finds himself mingling in a group with Koharu Fuyutsuki, a blind student who he happens to share a class with. He declines a request to become her official disability student helper, but the two of them end up spending more time together in class anyway. As the two get closer, Kakeru struggles to figure out how to act around Fuyutsuki.
I’m not really sure how I feel about this series yet. Its premise is quite similar toI Hear the Sunspot, a BL manga and live-action drama about a hard-of-hearing college student and his student helper. I enjoyed that story because of how it presented the struggles of hard-of-hearing people while still showing all the joy they experience with those around them. It’s not thatLove Unseendoesn’t show Fuyutsuki’s happiness — she lights up at the sound of fireworks, when she plays the piano, and when she gets to spend time with Kakeru. But there’s an odd sense of foreboding that makes me feel like her happiness isn’t going to last, and I’m not sure I love what that expectation of tragedy implies.
Kakeru is far too careful around Fuyutsuki, other-ing her a lot in his head due to her blindness, and it’s clear as the show goes on that the story is making a point about his flawed mindset. He’s far from being a bad person, but his overly cautious attitude still adversely affects how he interacts with her. I like that his roommate calls him out for treating Fuyutsuki differently, and that Fuyutsuki points out how she doesn’t like it when people give up on explaining things to her just because she’s blind. With each episode, Kakeru reflects on his actions more, and at the very least, it is nice to witness his growth.
One aspect of the anime I’ve really been enjoying is the sound production, specifically with how much narration Kakeru gives. The animation, done by the studioMakaria, is often accompanied by a verbal description as Kakeru details the scenery out loud to Fuyutsuki. Even when he’s not with Fuyutsuki, though, Kakeru often narrates his inner monologue, describing not only his feelings but also the physical space he finds himself in. Narration is not uncommon in television, but more so than other anime, I feel like you can get a pretty full picture of what’s happening just by listening to the episode. It’s a very thoughtful aspect of the production that makes this show feel more accessible.
Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You
Sasaki, a man in his 40s, gets a pick-me-up from seeing Yamada, a sweet cashier in her 20s, at his local supermarket. During one of his smoking sessions behind the market, he meets Tayama, a woman dressed in a black leather jacket with a nonchalant demeanor who is secretly Yamada’s alter ego. Unaware of her true identity, Sasaki forms an easygoing bond with her over shared cigarette sessions and late-night chats.
WhileSmoking Behind the Supermarket With Youmakes me question the age gap between the leads and whether smoking should be front and center, the show never really goes further than two friends having a light conversation. This show is currently being re-released as 20-minute episodes, linking two mini-episodes each week. Nonetheless, I still acknowledge that this show is not for everyone: the repetitiveness and predictability could bore some viewers, but the shorter runtime of the mini-episodes worked for me.
What I think saves the show is the voice acting.Takuya Sato‘s range — bouncing between an anxious yet sometimes cool office worker and a nervous wreck around Yamada — genuinely surprised me.Seena Hoshiki, who voices both Yamada and Tayama, takes the cake for acting as two completely different personalities; I didn’t expect her voice to shift that much, but it’s alluring and makes for a great contrast.
For a slice-of-life show aimed at an older audience in their mid-20s to 30s, there’s a reason this series is so relatable: after a long day at work, there’s something charming about returning to the same spot daily and trading small advice with someone uninvolved in your life, even if they are a stranger.
Though I Am an Inept Villainess
I’m usually not a fan of ancient historical dramas set in a palace — I’ve watched so many that the genre feels worn out — butThough I Am an Inept Villainessbrings real freshness without going overboard. It even defied my expectations by turning the “villainess” archetype on its head. In this series, it is merely a tool used to explore the different lives of two girls who swap bodies: Reirin Kou, the chosen favorite among the court ladies, and Keigetsu Shu, one of the most hated yet deeply misunderstood maidens of the court. These two, alongside a number of other women from prestigious families, tackle the good and the bad of inner court drama.
If anything, Reirin is the perfect protagonist to fall in love with. Her positive outlook on life and her determination to live fully despite her illness reveal a genuine vigor — one that actually serves her well once she finds herself in Keigetsu’s body. At this point in the story, I almost don’t want them to switch back, because Reirin seems to be living more fully with a healthy body than she ever could in her own. The show also makes a point of showing that having everything, including everyone’s attention, doesn’t mean you feel whole, especially if your physical body cannot keep up. With Keigetsu’s poor reputation and Reirin’s unapologeticness, it’s only a matter of time before the other characters start to realize that something is really off, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the girls’ secret might be revealed.
