CloverWorks is preparing to dominate the Summer 2025 anime season with a triple release of romance series, all premiering on the same day: July 5, 2025. The studio behind many beautiful titles, such as Horimiya, BOCCHI THE ROCK, and SPY x FAMILY (alongside WIT Studio), is hitting this summer with two high-profile sequels. They’re also bringing a new anime that has the potential to exceed both of the former titles.
Below is a full breakdown of the three productions: My Dress-Up Darling Season 2, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity, and Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus, including the complete staff and main cast details. The only listed staff overlaps include Yoshinori Shiozawa (Art Setting) and Asuka Yokota (Color Design) on both Rascal and Fragrant Flower.
You can now also vote for your most anticipated anime of the Summer 2025 season, while you can check out details about CloverWorks’ lineup below.
Studio CloverWorks Packs the Romance in Summer 2025: Three Anime Arriving on July 5
- My Dress-Up Darling Season 2
- Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Calus
- The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity
My Dress-Up Darling Season 2
- Premiere Date: July 5, 2025
- Confirmed Streaming Platform: Crunchyroll
Our favorite cosplay romance is coming back after over 3 years, and most of the staff is also returning. The anime recently revealed a teaser trailer and visual, and we can’t wait to see more of Marin and Wakana. You can check out the full staff and cast below the trailer, which features the opening song “Ao to Kirameki” by Spira Spica.
Synopsis:
A high school boy with a passion for traditional dolls and a talent for sewing gets roped into making cosplay outfits for one of the prettiest, most popular girls in his class! As the odd couple grows ever closer, they find themselves in ever racier situations! (Square Enix)
Staff
- Director: Keisuke Shinohara
- Series Composition: Yoriko Tomita
- Character Design & Chief Animation Director: Kazumasa Ishida
- Assistant Director: Yusuke Yamamoto
- Chief Animation Directors: Jun Yamazaki, Yohei Yaegashi
- Main Animator: Naoya Takahashi
- Costume Design: Erika Nishihara
- Prop Design: Ayumi Nagaki
- Color Design: Mai Yamaguchi
- Art Director: Hiroyuki Nemoto
- Director of Photography: Ruri Sato
- Technical Director: Yuya Sakuma
- CG Director: Jie Ren
- Editing: Daisuke Hiraki
- Sound Director: Akiko Fujita
- Sound Effects: Hiroki Nozaki, Airi Kobayashi
- Music: Takeshi Nakatsuka
Main Cast
- Hina Suguta as Marin Kitagawa
- Shoya Ishige as Wakana Gojo
- Atsumi Tanezaki as Sajuna Inui
- Hina Yomiya as Shinju Inui
- Atsushi Ono as Kaoru Gojo
The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity
- Premiere Date: July 5, 2025
- Confirmed Streaming Platform: Netflix
Based on the manga by Saka Mikami, this romantic drama follows Rintaro and Kaoruko, two high school students from very different worlds. While Japan will see the premiere on July 5, Netflix only confirmed a 2025 release and it’s possible fans worldwide will need to wait for a delayed release (as with Blue Box and SAKAMOTO DAYS).
The latest trailer features both the opening theme song “Manazashi wa Hikari” by Tatsuya Kitani and the ending theme song “Hare no Hi ni” by UshioReira.
Synopsis:
Chidori High is a boys’ school that takes in the dregs of society with the lowest grades. Next door stands Kikyo Girls’ High, where the wealthy, high-class families send their precious daughters. Chidori second-year Rintaro, who has a fierce face but a gentle heart, is helping at his family’s patisserie when he meets a girl named Kaoruko. The two hit it off right away…but this blissful peace is quickly disturbed when Rintaro discovers that Kaoruko is actually a student at Kikyo. Worse, she doesn’t seem to realize what a huge problem this really is! Will these two be able to forge a path for themselves, and sidestep the traps (metaphorical and literal) laid by their classmates? (Kodansha)
Staff
- Director: Miyuki Kuroki
- Assistant Director: Satoshi Yamaguchi
- Series Direction: Haruka Tsuzuki
- Series Composition: Rino Yamazaki
- Character Design & Chief Animation Director: Kohei Tokoka
- Sub Character Design & Costume Design: Manami Umeshita
- Cake Design: Yasuho Tamura
- Prop Design: Yuko Yoshida
- Art Director: Asuka Koki
- Art Setting: Yoshinori Shiozawa
- Color Design: Asuka Yokota
- Director of Photography: Yukiko Nagase
- 3D Director: Keita Watanabe (Sublimation)
- Editing: Kazuhiro Nii
- Music: Moeki Harada
- Sound Director: Takatoshi Hamano
- Sound Production: Magic Capsule
Main Cast
- Honoka Inoue as Kaoruko Waguri
- Yoshinori Nakayama as Rintaro Tsumugi
- Kikunosuke Toya as Shohei Usami
- Koki Uchiyama as Saku Natsusawa
- Hiiro Ishibashi as Ayato Yorita
- Aya Yamane as Subaru Hoshina
Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus
- Premiere Date: July 5, 2025
- Confirmed Streaming Platform: TBA
Adapting Volume 14 of the light novel series, the story will introduce the mini-skirt Santa. We will also get to see slightly older versions of the characters.
The latest trailer features both the opening theme song “Snowdrop” by Conton Candy and the ending theme song “Suiheisen wa Boku no Furukizu” by the characters Uzuki Hirokawa, Ikumi Akagi, Sara Himeji, and Toko Kirishima.
Synopsis:
IS THE REAL MINISKIRT SANTA IN A SEA OF FAKES?
Sakuta thought he’d already accomplished step one: Find Toko Kirishima. The next step was convincing her to help protect Mai, but that proved easier said than done. In the process, however, he makes a confusing discovery: There are multiple Toko Kirishimas! The Toko he knows may not actually be the person he’s looking for! With clues from his friends’ prophetic dreams, he gets closer to figuring out exactly what danger awaits Mai, but he’ll have to sort through the fake Kirishimas and determine who’s the real deal before it’s too late… (Yen Press)
Staff
- Director: Soichi Masui
- Series Composition: Masahiro Yokotani
- Character Design: Satomi Tamura
- Chief Animation Directors: Akihiro Sueda, Ran Naruse, Iori Nonoshita, Akihiro Sueta, Satomi Tamura
- Prop Design: Akane Ogawa
- Costume Design: Saori Yonezawa, Ran Naruse
- Art Setting: Yoshinori Shiozawa
- Art Supervision: Hiroshi Kato
- Art Director: Hirofumi Sakagami
- Color Design: Asuka Yokota
- CG Directors: Kengo Oda, Hazuki Tanaka
- Director of Photography: Xiaomu Yang
- 2D Design / Monitor / Special Effects: Saya Utsumi
- Editing: Akinori Mishima
- Sound Director: Yoshikazu Iwanami
- Music: fox capture plan
Main Cast
- Kaito Ishikawa as Sakuta Azusagawa
- Asami Seto as Mai Sakurajima
- Reina Ueda as Mini-Skirt Santa
- Yurika Kubo as Kaede Azusagawa
- Nao Toyama as Tomoe Koga
- Atsumi Tanezaki as Rio Futaba
- Maaya Uchida as Nodoka Toyohama
- Inori Minase as Shoko Makinohara
- Sora Amamiya as Uzuki Hirokawa
- Aya Yamane as Ikumi Akagi
- Konomi Kohara as Sara Himeji
- Manaka Iwami as Miori Mito
CloverWorks is not the only studio bringing hits in Summer 2025, romance or otherwise, with Gachiakuta, The Summer Hikaru Died, DAN DA DAN Season 2, Kaiju No. 8 Season 2, and Grand Blue Season 2 among upcoming shows. Make sure to vote for your favorite in our Summer 2025 most anticipated anime poll!
CloverWorks also has GROTESQUE in production, which is the tentative title of an anime project the studio is working on with Atsushi Nishigori as the director.
Featured image:
My Dress-Up Darling © Shinichi Fukuda / SQUARE ENIX, “Kisekoi” Committee
The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity © Saka Mikami / Kodansha / The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity Production Committee
Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus ©2024 HAJIME KAMOSHIDA/KADOKAWA/AOBUTA PROJECT
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