Must-Watch, Highly Rated Titles
By mid-August 2025, many of the summer anime of the season have reached their halfway point. There’s still time to catch up on several of them, but which series are currently receiving high praise in streaming reviews? Beyond hit sequels like Dandadan and My Dress-Up Darling, which rank high in popularity polls across various media, let’s take a look at some of the most highly rated titles on Amazon Prime Video as of August 15.
For example, Ruri’s Gemstones (original work by Keiichiro Shibuya) has a score of 3.9 out of 5. The story follows high school girl Ruri Tanigawa (voiced by Miyari Nemoto), who loves sparkly things, as she encounters graduate student AratoNagi (voiced by Asami Seto), a mineralogy major, and dives into the world of mineral collecting.
While Ruri initially approached collecting rather lightly, she grows through her experiences, and by episode 6, her own research becomes the key to finding the sapphire they had been searching for. The series also explains geology and minerals in an accessible way, with reviews noting, “It’s a good anime that made me rediscover the freedom and fun of academic study.”
Another title, Banned Mole (original work by Natsumi Eguchi), is more eccentric and niche, yet holds a high rating of 4.2. The story follows a man calling himself “Mole” (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura), who claims to be a sage that has been banned from entering Hell. Along with high schoolers Aki Magikuri (voiced by Genki Okawa) and Yaeko Kirihara (voiced by Yukiyo Fujii), the characters find themselves embroiled in supernatural phenomena.
Mole’s frank and humorous storytelling style has been well received, with comments such as, “It feels refreshing for those tired of isekai and ‘light novel-style’ anime,” and “It’s exciting to see what this un-sage-like sage will get up to next.”
In the dark fantasy category, Clevates: The Beast King, the Baby, and the Undead Hero (original work by Yuji Iwahara) has earned an impressive 4.4 rating. The story follows the beast Clevates (voiced by Yuichi Nakamura), who is entrusted with a royal infant, Luna (voiced by Sae Aizawa). Disguised in human form as “Clen” (voiced by Mutsumi Tamura), he sets off on a journey with Alicia (voiced by Haruka Shiraishi), a hero resurrected as his servant, all while raising the child.
Although the series depicts a brutal world where soldiers and bandits’ lives are treated lightly and contains somewhat grotesque scenes, its comedic elements—especially the conversations between Clen and Alicia—provide balance.
Notably, Clevates is directed by Kiyotaka Taguchi, known for works like The Next Generation: Patlabor and the Ultraman series. This marks his first time directing an anime, and viewers have praised his skillful direction. Reviews include: “The way he fills the spaces between cuts is brilliant,” and “Among the flood of similar titles, this one clearly stands apart.”
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