Summer 2026 Anime Fan Poll: Jaadugar Wins No. 1, Record Votes
2026夏アニメ覇権作投票、1位は天幕のジャードゥーガル 過去最多の参加者

A Japanese anime review channel's season-ending fan poll for Summer 2026 has crowned Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia the season's top show, with Draw This, Then Die! taking second and Though I Am an Inept Villainess placing third. The vote drew over 600 participants, the channel's largest turnout ever, and the comment section spent far more time reacting to the results than arguing with them.
Across 269 comments, several viewers who initially doubted Jaadugar because of its art style say they came around after actually watching it, and one comment even notes that the show's own creator showed up to react to the results. The discussion also digs into what made the rest of the top five stand out, from Draw This, Then Die!'s scrappy charm to Though I Am an Inept Villainess's small on-screen touches for foreign viewers trying to keep character names straight.
By the end, even commenters who disagreed with parts of the ranking admit it was one of the deepest seasons in recent memory.
A Japanese anime review channel wrapped up its season-ending fan poll for Summer 2026, and the results are in: Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia took first place, Draw This, Then Die! came in second, and Though I Am an Inept Villainess placed third. The poll drew the channel's largest turnout ever, and on the video collecting reactions to the results, the comment section spent most of its energy not arguing with the ranking but marveling at how strong the season was overall.
This is a recurring project the channel runs at the end of every cour, tallying viewer votes into a single ranked list and reading out selected comments alongside each placement — which is part of why a 600-plus-person turnout registers as such a big deal to the people who watch it every season. It also means the comment section isn't reacting cold; many of these viewers cast their own ballots weeks earlier and are now checking how their picks landed.
“Me while watching: "Why is THIS show ranked here?! What is everyone thinking?!" Me after watching: (...I was wrong. Especially the top five — I honestly can't argue with any of it.) No but seriously, almost everything this season was good enough that even the lower-ranked shows could've placed top-tier in a weaker season. *Which means I'm already dreading the withdrawal once next season starts.”
動画視聴中の俺「なんでこの作品、この順位なんだよ!? みんな何考えてんだ!?💢」 視聴後の俺(俺が間違ってた......特に上位5作品の順位は納得しかねぇ........) いや今期の作品ほぼ面白くて下位でも、他のクールだと上位狙える激戦区だったよ。 ※つまり来期以降の今期アニメロスが今から怖い
That reaction sets the tone for most of the thread: skepticism about individual placements giving way to agreement once people actually sat with the full list. The top two in particular kept coming up as a cut above the rest.
“This felt like a season where the top two were just on another level. I hope we keep getting original, well-made shows like these that don't just chase whatever's trending.”
トップ2が強すぎると感じたシーズンでしたね~。 こういったトレンドにとらわれない良作がこれからも生み出されてほしい。
“Nobody around me was watching Jaadugar, and when I recommended it people always said "the art style..." and passed — so seeing this result makes me really happy!”
天幕のジャードゥーガル、自分の周りは観てないし勧めても「絵が…」とダメだったのに、この結果は凄く嬉しいです!
“Funny enough, Jaadugar gives off Osamu Tezuka vibes, and Draw This, Then Die! gives off Fujiko Fujio vibes. And yet somehow neither one feels dated at all.”
奇しくも天幕のジャードゥーガルは手塚治虫っぽさ、これ描いて死ねは藤子不二雄っぽさを感じた。 なのに古臭さを感じないのが不思議。
“Thanks for the tally and for putting the video together! And thank you for featuring my comment. Jaadugar really is like an NHK taiga drama. It captures the kind of intensity and richly drawn human relationships that Japanese live-action drama has lost — it's a wonderful anime!”
集計表&動画制作お疲れ様でした! また、コメントを採用してくださりありがとうございます。 「天幕のジャードゥーガル」はまさに大河ドラマですね。 日本のドラマ界から失われてしまった熱気や、人間模様が骨太に表現されている素晴らしいアニメです!
The recognition wasn't limited to viewers, either — a couple of commenters point out that people connected to the industry noticed the result too, which for a fan-run YouTube tally is treated as a genuinely rare crossover moment rather than something expected.
“The original creator leaving a comment?! That's incredible!”
原作者からのコメントとか凄すぎ!
“So happy my No. 1 pick won!! According to the character designer's own posts on X, even director Yoshiyuki Tomino and people at Sunrise praised it. Just top-level in every way. Everyone else has already covered the big stuff, so here's something less talked about: the comedy never breaks the flow or the mood, it just slots in naturally. In the middle of a heavy story it's like a soft breeze — it lightens things up and makes you love the characters even more. Sitara and Lady Dregene were both so charming. The pacing and direction wrapped this cour up cleanly while still building huge anticipation for what's next. Please, season 2! I'll buy the Blu-rays and the source material to show my support (still deciding whether to buy just the adapted volumes or the whole series so far).”
1位大好きな作品だから嬉しい!! 富野監督やサンライズの方々にも褒めてもらったとキャラデザの吉田さんがXで呟いていました♪ とにかく全てにおいて最高レベル。皆様のコメントで素晴らしさは述べられているので触れられていない所をあげるとすると…ギャグ描写が話の流れを遮ることなく雰囲気を壊すでなく、自然に入っているのが良かったです。重厚な物語の中ふっと柔らかな風が吹いて心が軽くなる感じ。キャラに親近感や愛おしさを覚える絶妙な塩梅のギャグテイスト。シタラもドレゲネ様も可愛かった〜 続く物語への期待を最大限に高めつつ今期分だけでも綺麗に幕を閉じている構成・演出も本当に素晴らしかったです。2期希望!熱烈待望!!円盤と原作購入して応援します♪(原作はアニメ化されてる巻までにするか既刊全巻か迷い中です〜😅)
Further down the ranking, commenters were just as quick to point out small details that made the rest of the top five stand out, and to note how deep the field was outside the podium.
“Though I Am an Inept Villainess was a great story on its own, but I personally loved that every episode shows a little banner with each character's name and role 😂 Like with Apothecary Diaries and Jaadugar, stories set abroad are hard to keep straight name-wise, so having that really helps a ton!”
ふつつか悪女、お話も勿論面白かったんだけど、毎話登場人物の名前と立場が書かれた垂れ幕出してくれるのが個人的に嬉しかった😂 薬屋や天幕もだけど、外国の話はまず名前を覚えるのが大変だからこういうのがあればめっちゃ助かる!
“I voted for Draw This Then Die!, Kaikigumi, and Chainsmoker Cat, but honestly the season was overflowing with good shows beyond those too. Though I Am an Inept Villainess isn't even on nationwide broadcast, so that ranking is impressive (it's not airing in my region, so I don't actually know the story). Back at the start of summer I voted for the shows I was most hyped for — Mushoku Tensei, Tanya the Evil, and Dara-san — and all three turned out to be great, so I'm satisfied.”
これ描いて、怪奇組、ヤニねこに投票しましたが、他にも良い作品が溢れかえったシーズンでした。 ふつつかは全国放送ではないのに、あの順位はスゴいと思います(私の地域では未放送なので内容知らない)。 今夏初頭に期待作で投票したのは、無職転生、幼女戦記、ダラさんで、いずれも良作だったので満足しています。
“Thanks for the tally, and thank you for using my comment. This project has really grown into something huge, though — over 600 participants is amazing. Everyone's voting comments are passionate, heartfelt, and on point, so it's no wonder the No. 1 segment alone runs past 30 minutes. I look forward to this way too much at the end of every season 🥳🥳🥳”
集計お疲れ様でした。そしてコメント採用して頂いて誠に有難うございました。それにしてもこの企画もの凄い盛り上がりをみせて来ましたね参加者600名以上とは凄い、また皆様の投票コメントが熱い・尊い・的を得てる、これでは覇権作だけで30分以上の尺になるのも無理はないなーと言う感じです。毎シーズン終わり本当にこれ楽しみすぎます🥳🥳🥳
“First time watching this channel, and it's a really fun one. I think the record turnout is because everyone's calling this a banner season for summer anime. Even people connected to the industry voting is amazing. My own No. 1 pick was Jaadugar too, so this result makes total sense to me. See you next time!”
初めて拝見しましたがとても面白いチャンネルですね。過去最高の投票数は夏アニメが大豊作と言われているからだと思います。関係者の方からも投票があるとはスゴい。私も1位はジャードゥーガルだったので納得です。それではまた!
Nobody in the comments treats a fan-run YouTube poll as gospel, but the sheer size of this one — more than 600 voters leaving comments passionate enough to fill a 30-minute results video — is being read as real evidence that Summer 2026 was an unusually stacked season, whichever show individual viewers think should have actually taken the crown.
FAQ
- Which shows placed in the top three of the poll?
- Commenters confirm Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia took first place, Draw This, Then Die! came in second, and Though I Am an Inept Villainess placed third.
- How many people voted in this poll?
- One commenter states the poll drew over 600 participants, which they and others describe as the channel's largest turnout for this recurring seasonal poll.
- Why were some commenters surprised Jaadugar won?
- A few commenters say the show's art style had put off people around them, or made them personally hesitant to try it, but that watching it changed their minds — making the No. 1 finish feel unexpected but deserved.
Summer 2026 Anime: The Three-Episode Drop Rankings, With Jaadugar on Top
“There are way more good shows this season than I expected. Which also means I'm agonizing over which ones to drop.”
Read this roundupThis is one of 7 Japanese-reaction roundups for Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia. See them all →
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