37 likesDraw This, Then Die! Episodes 2-3: Fans Call It Summer 2026's Hidden Hegemon
Across 181 comments on a Japanese anime-review channel's episode roundup, fans are building a genuine case that Draw This, Then Die! — a quiet manga-drawing coming-of-age story — deserves a seat at the table for Summer 2026's "hegemon" (season champion) title. The top comment (37 likes) says its author ugly-cried through both episodes 2 and 3 and worries the show is "absolutely being buried" under this season's flashier titles. The recurring theme is how hard the show hits despite modest character designs: commenters trace the tears back to the teacher character's backstory of genuine passion for manga, the students' own clumsy first attempts at drawing, and a title-payoff moment in episode 3 that several fans call "no joke." A side thread praises voice actor Akira Sekine, who's also playing Sitara in Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia this season, as this season's stealth MVP. It closes on a comment that quietly ties the whole thread back together: even the opening theme, fans say, is hegemon-tier.