Valentine’s Day is here again, and around the world, anime otakus are preparing to spend some quality time with their favorite 2D anime girls. Let’s look at the current crop of “seasonal waifu” characters and choose the best girl to go on an imaginary date with!
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Why Do The Japanese Celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Japan’s history with Valentine’s Day began in 1958, when the Isetan department store came up with the idea of marketing chocolates to women to give to the special men in their lives, instead of the other way around. The strategy worked great and helped Japan’s chocolate makers create a $6 billion industry. Today, every boyfriend, husband, father, son, and male co-worker in Japan looks forward to receiving chocolate from the women in their lives. And J-List is no exception! Last night, Mrs. J-List snuck into the office to leave chocolate on the desks of the male staff to express her thanks for everything that they do.
What is a ‘Seasonal Waifu’?
Ever since anime series became standardized around 12- or 13-week anime seasons, called cours in Japan, anime has fallen into a certain rhythm. Long gone are the days when anime series ran for 48 episodes, starting in January and concluding in December. Nowadays, new anime come and go every three months, bringing with them a new set of characters for fans to fall in love with.
Thus was born the seasonal waifu: a character that fans love to obsess over together during the current anime season. If the character is really popular, fans may continue to fawn over her for months or years, like Marin Kitagawa from My Dress-Up Darling. But usually the relationship is short and sweet.
The elements of a good season wife might include:
- Popularity. The girl must be the object of love and affection for many fans. The popularity must create more popularity.
- Memes. She must inspire fans to make memes about her, like the classic “Do It For Her” meme from the Simpsons. If you can create a “meme-storm” around your favorite character, even more fans will get on board.
- Emotional Connection. While we all love sexy eye candy in anime, a truly great seasonal waifu inspires fans to think about her on a deeper emotional level. It’s not uncommon for a popular character to have very little in the way of a sexual connection to fans.
What are the best Valentine’s Day anime episodes to re-watch tonight? Here’s a blog post for you!
Who Is the Best Seasonal Waifu to Spend Valentine’s Day With?
Each anime season is different, and no one knows ahead of time which characters will resonate with fans and win their hearts. Let’s take a look at the most popular current anime waifus!
Hime from Kekkon Yubiwa Monogatari
A fun isekai anime about a Japanese everyman who travels to another world where he acquires a harem of actual wives. All the girls are great, but main girl Hime gets my vote for best possible seasonal waifu. Read my post about this enjoyable harem anime here!
Marcille from Dungeon Meshi
If you love anime elves, you’re probably watching Delicious In Dungeon, aka Dungeon Meshi. It’s great to have this famous manga classic finally available in anime form!
Himari Azuma from Mato Seihei no Slave
The show that made all the boys want to become sex slaves, this show has brought some of the best sexy fan service of the current season. I especially love the facial expression Himari makes as she forces herself into doing new sexy things. Read our coverage of the series here!
Utena Hiiragi from Gushing Over Magical Girls
While the three girls from Tres Magica are enjoyable to watch, the character we feel the closest connection to is Utena. She acquired supervillain powers that allow her to sexually torment the three magical girls, and to her surprise, this really turns her on. It’s a voyage of discovery for Utena, and for all the fans watching.
Maomao from The Apothecary Diaries
I dislike the tendency for 24-episode series to get forgotten in their second half because of all the shiny new anime that have started. Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is an amazing anime that has won a lot of fans, and most of them really love Maomao.
Fern from Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Another continuing anime from the previous anime season. While everyone loves the immortal elf mage Frieren, they positively gush whenever the deadpan Fern has a good episode. They also enjoy shipping her and Stark. (Image source.)
Are you a fan of Frieren? We’ve got figures, Blu-rays and doujinshi in stock for you here!
Minami Fuyuki from Hokkaido Gals are Super Adorable!
Another fun currently airing anime is Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi, about a boy from Tokyo who goes to live in Hokkaido in the winter. There he receives a very warm welcome from some super sexy gals. Is Minami-chan your seasonal waifu?
I took a vacation up to Hokkaido. See what I found there in this blog post!
Anna Yamada from The Dangers In My Heart
Finally, my favorite romance anime in years is Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu, about a height-challenged junior high school boy and the tall, beautiful classmate who’s in love with him. The show offers lots of great emotional scenes that keep the oxytocin flowing inside our brains. Read my blog post about season two of BokuYaba here!
Thanks for reading this blog post exploring the best ‘seasonal waifus’ of the Winter 2024 anime season. Did we miss your favorite girl? Tell us in the comments below!
Let’s Chat
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- Twitter/X, where Peter posts anime booba for you
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- Finally, check out J-List’s short video blogs on YouTube or TikTok!
J-List is having a big Halloween Sale that gives you spooky savings on all in-stock products that ship from Japan. You get the discount automatically with no coupon code to enter! The sale goes through October 31st. Start browsing here!
