Haraichi’s Iwai Introduces His Top Picks for Summer Anime! Special Guest RainTree’s Kotori Ayase Talks About Her Love for Anime

A special live broadcast of “SHIBUYA ANIME BASE” #ShibuAni (read: ShibuAni) #54 aired on ABEMA from 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Friday, July 25, 2025.

In this summer-themed episode where everyone wore yukata, the guest was Kotori Ayase from Rain Tree, a 17-member girl group produced by Yasushi Akimoto, appearing for the first time. During her self-introduction, she passionately discussed her favorite anime, “Mob Psycho 100,” saying, “I absolutely love the relationship between Shigeo Kageyama and Arataka Reigen.” She added, “And above all, the production studio is BONES! There was even a time when I wanted to join BONES,” expressing her dream of becoming an animator and her deep love for anime.

The first segment, “Iwai’s Pick! Recommended Summer Anime 2025,” had top anime fan and celebrity Yūki Iwai of Haraichi introduce his top summer anime recommendations. The first title introduced by Iwai, who said, “I’ve watched every episode since the broadcast started,” was the everyday life x sci-fi x home appliances anime “Uchuujin Moomoo.” Regarding its appeal, Iwai commented, “Watching Moomoo learn about home appliances just makes him cuter and cuter” and “Learning about home appliances is a lot of fun.” Guest Ayase was also highly intrigued, saying, “Since I love both home appliances and cats, I’m super interested!”

The second anime introduced was “Uglymug, Epicfighter,” a subversive and strongest ‘ugly’ isekai adventure tale. Iwai discussed its highlights, stating, “It’s interesting because it subverts the classic isekai trope where a protagonist who gets nothing in their original world is rewarded after reincarnating.”

Ayase mentioned “The Summer Hikaru Died” as her most anticipated anime of the season. When Iwai analyzed, “You like the dynamics between male characters, don’t you?” she shyly confessed, “Embarrassingly, yes! I’m really into relationship dynamics (laughs),” revealing her unexpected preference.

In the next segment, “This Week’s Hot Topic!,” which featured the latest news in summer anime, the show covered the news of a new music video for “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” being released, the first since the show ended 16 years ago. Ayase was visibly excited, saying, “To be able to see Haruhi and the SOS Brigade singing and dancing in the Reiwa era is moving! I’m so grateful!” Sora Tokui further commented, “I’d love for the otaku to do their own ‘We tried dancing’ videos again,” and Shugo Nakamura added, “I wonder if Tomokazu Sugita will dance, too!” The news sent excitement rippling through the studio and delighted anime fans.