When it comes to anime of the year in the West, many immediately think of hit series Single leveling. after all, Single leveling won the most prestigious honor and won the Anime of the Year 2025 title at the Crunchyroll Awards last year. It goes without saying that solo leveling has become a sensation and has gained new fans around the world.
The winner of 2026's Anime of the Year has been decided
The title of Anime of the Year for 2026 will have some fierce competition, but this series has a great shot at winning.
but, Despite Solo Leveling's international popularity, the series is still not among Japan's top anime.Newtype was pretty obvious from the anime awards. During the Newtype Anime Awards, Solo Leveling was beaten for the top spot by another series from the same studio, and that anime is MakeIn: Heroines Who Lose So Much! Now, with its huge success with its first anime season, it is returning with a second season. McCain Season 2 is currently in the works, and fans are hoping for a 2027 release date In recent times.
Mekeen: Too many loser heroines! was Japan's anime of the year
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McCain beats Solo Leveling and The Apothecary Diaries
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Makin's lead character was voted the best male character of 2025
Japan has many anime awards that are held throughout the year, and among them, one of the most prestigious is definitely the Newtype Anime Awards.
The awards were held in late 2025 and revealed the current preferences of Japan's audience.. For example, anime of the year was voted by fans to determine Japan's number one series in 2025. To the shock of many, Japan's number one anime was not an action anime like Solo Leveling, but a slice of life story called Mekine: Heroines Who Lose So Much!
Not only that, but McCain once again proved himself to be a major hit Its main character, Kazuhiko Nukumizu, became Japan's Most Popular Male Character at the 2025 Japan Newtype Awards.. McCain is definitely going strong, and its popularity doesn't seem to be slowing down in Japan, although it has yet to catch on overseas.
Mekeen: Too many loser heroines! A second season is in the works
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No release date is currently out, but a 2027 release is likely
Makeen is very popular in Japan. Makin's story, which was brought to life with an anime based on a light novel by Takibi Amamori. The anime's first season was only 12 episodes long, but that was enough to blow away fans with its great quality. McCain Season 1 aired for a short time from July to September 2024.
Since then, fans of the franchise have been waiting for more content, and to their delight, the series has already been confirmed for continuation. McCain Season 2 is officially happening, as was recently reiterated by the studio. A-1 Pictures seems to have a lot of exciting projects at the moment, and Makeine is definitely getting a lot of priority at the moment.
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Unfortunately, fans don't have an exact release date yet. However, many have theorized that an anime is currently in the works, A 2027 release date is possibleProducing quality custom takes time.
Of course, fans are eagerly waiting for official information through teasers or key visuals, but for now, no new content has been provided. All eyes are on Anime Japan 2026, where more information about this upcoming project for A-1 Pictures can be revealed to fans. The studio is also busy with several other projects, such as solo leveling, and they may receive major updates as well.
Can single leveling beat mechine?
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Solo leveling is more popular overseas, but has not caught on in Japan
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A new solo leveling movie could tip the scales in Japan
Solo leveling and mechanization are both interesting, but have very different stories. MakeIn: Heroines Who Lose So Much is a slice-of-life anime that follows the story of Kazuhiko Nukumizu as he finds himself involved with rejected girls.. The story is slow, focusing on the friendships Kazuhiko and the heartbroken girls he meets make along the way.
This series definitely lowers some expectations and isn't too heavy on romance.
Meanwhile, Solo leveling only 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, Battles take center stage. The story is fast paced 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's definitely possible to surpass Mekine one day for single leveling. That's yet to happen in Japan for now, but it's not too far behind. At the same awards where MakeIn Anime of the Year was crowded, Solo Leveling finished in fourth place, which isn't bad.
Even the creator and original creator of Solo Leveling admits that the story isn't as big as it should be in Japan. The studio, however, hopes that with more content, such as a third season or perhaps even a movie, solo leveling can tip the scales.
A single leveling movie could be the real breakout of the franchise, especially in Japan. As fans know, there could be a possibility of a single level movie in the near future. A production committee report was recently leaked and it suggests that the studio is seriously considering a theatrical release for Solo Leveling after the massive success of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1. The release date is expected to be between 2026 and 2027.
As a Japanese person living in Japan, anime is not on the level of Dragon Ball, One Piece, or Naruto. But if there's a third season, I'd really like to break that limit. – Single level builder
Abroad, however, it is no secret that the single level will continue to dominate. Compared to solo leveling, mechine has an almost non-existent popularity outside of Japan. On platforms like Crunchyroll, for example, solo leveling is definitely king. Seasons 1 and 2 of Solo Leveling have been the highest and most rated anime on the platform, and that doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon. Fans around the world will be hoping Jinwoo's story continues soon.
Solo Leveling currently has two seasons, one with 12 episodes, and the other with 13, for a combined episode count of 25 episodes available to watch now. The series can be streamed on Crunchyroll for fans to enjoy while they wait for more news about the third season. No big announcements about the third season have been made yet. Fans can get more solo level content through Manhwa.
Source: X
