It’s worth noting that Netflix has unveiled an impressive lineup of anime productions this year. The second season of “Dandadan” is now streaming, available in Japan with a simulcast on both Netflix and Crunchyroll. Viewers have been enjoying “Witch Watch“, while “The Summer Hikaru Died” has sent shivers down our spines. The latest addition, “Leviathan“, plunges us into a fresh steampunk universe. However, the streaming service recently disclosed its mid-year viewership data, and it appears that the most watched anime of the year thus far might take fans by surprise.
In addition to what’s already presented, Netflix has been home to one of the most eagerly awaited anime series from the Winter 2025 season – “Sakamoto Days”. Originating from the manga by Yuto Suzuki, this was hyped as one of the major new releases this year, given the incredible success of Suzuki’s manga with Shueisha. The first part of Season 1 was launched earlier this year, with the second part being rolled out weekly on Netflix. Despite a mixed response from both fans and critics, “Sakamoto Days” has managed to garner quite a following, which might come as a surprise.
Netflix’s Most Popular Anime of 2025 Is an Unexpected Hit
Based on Netflix’s “What We Watched” report for the first half of 2025, it appears that Sakamoto Days has been the most popular series worldwide. The report indicates that the show received a staggering 24.4 million reviews during this period, significantly outperforming the second-place title, Devil May Cry, which garnered 18.2 million.
It’s quite striking to see how Sakamoto Days outperformed Dandadan on Netflix, despite the latter being highly acclaimed and receiving only 7.5 million viewers. Interestingly, it’s worth mentioning that Dandadan is also available on Crunchyroll on a weekly basis. Remarkably, even against Netflix’s other hit of 2025, The Apothecary Diaries, which garnered 7.8 million views, Sakamoto Days still came out on top.
The report gathers statistics from Netflix subscribers worldwide. Although Sakamoto Days didn’t create a stir in the U.S., it seems that foreign viewers can’t get enough of this action-packed comedy series.
Why Is Sakamoto Days‘ Success So Surprising?
The anime series “Sakamoto Days” debuted on Netflix on January 11th, featuring 11 episodes in its initial run. The manga by Yuto Suzuki is well-loved, and fans had high expectations for this adaptation, produced by TMS Entertainment. However, upon its release, viewers expressed disappointment with the show’s quality. Although it’s not as poorly received as “The Beginning After the End”, many found the fight scenes in “Sakamoto Days” to be lackluster, and social media was filled with negative feedback about the early episodes.
Thankfully, the series seems to have taken lessons from past errors. Now, Court 2 of Sakamoto Days is being made available weekly on Netflix, and there’s been a significant upgrade in its animation quality and fight scenes. The show reappeared on the streaming platform on July 21st, with new episodes being released every Monday.
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2025-07-23 02:09