Crunchyroll’s Anime Picks From Editors You Can Start Watching Today
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Published: October 16, 2026, 10:17 am
The 4 top Crunchyroll’s anime picks from its editors is not a random pull but a prepared list for the fans. Crunchyroll’s anime picks are Black Clover, Firefly Wedding, The Apothecary Diaries and Aoashi. The three of them are the most awaited shows because they deliver stories that thousands of titles are still struggling to cover.
Black Clover after more than five years, Aoashi after four, and The Apothecary Diaries after a gap of about fifteen months. The new Firefly Wedding makes its way in the list of top picks somehow. They are not just anime, but covered with mystery, shonen battle epic, dark romance and soccer drama so each one of them has something that matches anime streamers taste.
And these four powerful anime are releasing at a perfect time so you can watch one-by-one automatically on the weekend instead of waiting. There is no spoiler below so you can read the synopsis to decide where to start watching.
Black Clover Season 2: The Comeback That Finally Happened
Asta has spent more than five years mid-swing after the first Black Clover run finished with a cliffhanger in 2021. Fans have been waiting for Black Cover Season 2 since and finally it arrived on October 3, 2026. The third episode arrives on 17 October so you can start your watch now.
Studio Pierrot is back, and Ayataka Tanemura returns as director. He handled the last stretch of the original series (episodes 153 to 170) and the 2023 film Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King, so the new season is in hands that already know the characters. The story resumes with the Magic Knights going after the Spade Kingdom to rescue their captured captains while Asta pushes toward Devil Union. The premiere counts as episode 171 overall.
The detail that makes this return different from most is that the manga is already finished. It wrapped in spring 2026, so the anime isn’t racing a source that hasn’t ended and isn’t stalling with filler. That gives the season a clean runway to an actual finale, which is the thing Black Clover fans were denied in 2021.
This is a finale season, not a jumping-on point, and 170 episodes of homework is a lot to ask of a newcomer. It is best for people who already finished Season 1 or at least know who Yami, Yuno and Noelle are. If that is you, this is the Crunchyroll’s anime picks with the highest payoff per episode.
Firefly Wedding: A Dark Romance With a Strange Opening Offer
The premise of Firefly Wedding does most of the pitching on its own. Set in the Meiji era, it follows Satoko Kirigaya, the frail daughter of a noble family whose illness makes her expendable to the people around her. Satoko Kirigaya proposes to assassin Shinpei Goto right after he was about to kill her. But later that survival tactic turns into a dangerous, ambiguous bond as the two run together and she learns how violent he can be.
The pedigree is solid. The Firefly Wedding comes from David Production, the studio behind JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Fire Force, with Takahiro Kamei directing. This is a mature anime series so it airs on Fuji TV’s Noitamina block in Japan and it premiered on October 9, 2026 so you can start watching this series if you are interested in dark historical romance. The source is Oreco Tachibana’s manga, which ran on MangaONE from January 2023 and has since ended, and Viz Media publishes it in English. The opening song is “Period” by iri, the ending is “Yumegokochi” by TOOBOE, and Kent Ito and Kenjiro Tsuda are among the announced cast members.
The easy comparison is any assassin-meets-damsel romance, and that comparison undersells it. The hook isn’t whether they fall in love, it is whether Satoko’s offer was ever only a bluff, and a series that keeps that question open for a full season has a real shot at being the one people argue about on Mondays. It is an easy pick in this list for anyone who has zero prerequisites for this series.
Not everyone handles violent and uncomfortable romance so if this kind of relationship which starts with a threat sounds like a dealbreaker then skip it. Firefly Wedding english dub is confirmed and released on animesaga.net. Best pick in Crunchyroll’s anime picks for the one who loves dangerous romance and situations steadiness.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 3: Maomao’s Mysteries Return
Maomao is the rare lead who solves crimes with symptoms, ingredients and an unbothered stare instead of a badge. The young apothecary is caught in court mysteries of the imperial palace where she was sold as a lowly servant, because she can’t unseen the suspicious poison activities and start investigating it. The charming official Jinshi keeps finding new reasons to involve her in palace affairs.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 premiered on Crunchyroll on Friday, October 2, 2026, and it follows a split format. The first cour runs this fall, the second is scheduled for April 2027, and the total is reported as 24 episodes. Between the two, a new film titled The Deceased Empress’ Treasure is slated for Japanese theaters on December 11, 2026, and it carries an original story from the author, Natsu Hyuga. Whether and when that film reaches US screens is something I could not confirm, so don’t plan a theater trip yet.
OLM animates, with Akinori Fudesaka directing and Satoru Kosaki, Kevin Penkin and Arisa Okehazama on music. Reina Ueda joins as Bai Niangniang, described as a mysterious woman, and the ending theme comes from Yorushika. The split-cour structure is the detail worth planning around a winter break to catch up, then a spring finale.
Seasons 1 and 2, about 48 episodes together, are the price of admission, and this series rewards remembering who owes whom what. Start at the beginning if you haven’t, because the mysteries are the easy part and the palace politics are the reason to stay. It is best for viewers who prefer a clever puzzle to a fight scene.
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Aoashi Season 2: The Soccer Anime That Respects the Game
Aoashi is the quietest pick in Crunchyroll’s anime picks and possibly the smartest. Ashito Aoi, a raw talent from Ehime Prefecture, joined a J.League youth club in Season 1 and spent that run learning that instinct alone doesn’t win matches. Aoashi Season 2 arrives on October 4, 2026, expected to bring 24 episodes across two cours, with Crunchyroll streaming it in North America. The season story continues right after he is promoted to the A-team, adapting the manga’s A-team arc.
The larger change is production moves from Production I.G to TMS Entertainment with a new director, so anyone worried about a drop in animation quality has a fair reason to watch the early episodes closely before judging. The opening is “Fortress Defense” by 10-FEET and the ending is “Triangle” by Ai Higuchi. The manga by Yugo Kobayashi ran from January 2015 to June 2025 and finished at 40 volumes, so the story has a defined end ahead of it.
Soccer attention in America was at a peak this summer with the World Cup played across North America, and Aoashi is the show that turns that attention into something you can keep watching. There are no special moves and no power-ups. A pass that looks dull in the first minute turns out to be brilliant by the tenth, and by the end of a season you start reading real matches differently.
Tactical, patient storytelling will bore anyone who wants every episode to end on an explosion, and Season 1’s 24 episodes are required viewing. It is best for sports-anime fans and for anyone who got hooked on soccer this summer.
Which of Crunchyroll’s Anime Picks Should You Start First?
Rank them by homework and the answer gets simple. Firefly Wedding asks for none, so it is the one to start tonight if you want something new. Aoashi needs Season 1, a manageable 24 episodes. The Apothecary Diaries needs about 48 episodes across two seasons, and Black Clover needs all 170.
The head-to-head most readers will care about is Firefly Wedding against The Apothecary Diaries. Both are period pieces built around a woman in danger, but Firefly Wedding is a tense, romantic gamble with a violent edge, while The Apothecary Diaries is a cool-headed mystery with a sly sense of humor. If you want your pulse up, pick Firefly Wedding. If you want to feel clever, pick Maomao.
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Conclusion
These four are the top Crunchyroll’s anime picks for the fans who want to escape the real world. The anime universe released all three most awaited next episodes of The Apothecary Diaries, Aoashi, and Black Clover. While the brand new Firefly Wedding is also listed in the list of top picks. So pick the one in the genre you’re most interested in and spend your weekend with the most tense characters.
