The Fall Anime 2025 Preview Guide - With You, Our Love Will Make it Through

When high schooler Mari bumps into a fellow tardy student, she's surprised to find out he's a beastfolk who's to attend her school. After all, it's not rare for beastfolk to coexist alongside humans, but it's still uncommon, with the prejudice and all. Nervous to meet one at first, Mari soon learns there's more to him than his furry exterior. In fact, the more she gets to know him, the more she finds herself drawn to him, his steadfastness, his kindheartedness, and…his body…

With You, Our Love Will Make it Through is based on a manga series by Chihiro Yuzuki. The anime series is streaming on Crunchyroll on Tuesdays.

Who is ready to get super defensive about whether or not they are furry? As an unapologetic furry myself, I was very much looking forward to this show, despite not knowing many details beyond it seeming like a typical slice-of-life setup with beastfolk. The idea of different groups of people integrating into another society is always interesting, especially when viewed through the lens of adolescence. Adolescence is already a time when characters are going through physical and psychological changes, so adding societal pressures is a great way to generate drama. I'm also curious about how exactly the beastfolk will be used allegorically and thematically.

We're already seeing that with the setup, as these beastfolk are prejudiced against in some way, although it seems as if a lot of prejudice comes from the inherent mystery around them. I'm shocked that the story takes the approach that beastfolk are not only somewhat recent but also the result of experiments. I'm not sure how I feel about that, because it could imply a hierarchical relationship between the beastfolk and regular humans, but we also don't know how the beastfolk came to be. There aren't many of them, and it seems humans are relegating them to a very specific area out of fear. I feel like a lot of the background information we were given implied a darker underbelly than how the rest of the story plays out.

The romance itself seems fine, it's just very typical. We have Tsunagu Hidaka, a big guy who's pretty sweet and soft-spoken, but because of how he looks, he gets judged and teased. Mari Asaka is the only one who sees that goodness in him, and they end up forming a special bond. If it weren't for the beastfolk angle and the above-average presentation, this wouldn't stand out as much. I'm sure the fake-out at the end isn't actually Hidaka trying to devour Mari, as I think the show is probably leaning more towards arousing results. There is clearly a connection here, but how far the show wants to take it is a different story. For now, I'm more invested in the world than in the relationship, but I can see a reality where these two interests overlap in a way that elevates the product as a whole.

Look, I'm not going to be able to comment at all on the fetish aspect of this anime. If furries are your thing, I have no idea if this is what you're looking for or not (though, given the lack of similar anime, it's probably the best you're going to get in this area outside of BEASTARS). However, as an allegory, I have plenty to say about With You, Our Love Will Make it Through.

Outside of the final few moments of the episode, it really doesn't matter to the story and themes if Tsunagu is a “beastfolk” or not—all that matters is that he's not ethnically Japanese. This is the story of a foreigner coming to Japan and the cultural challenges (and outright racism) he encounters. As a white guy who has lived in Japan for over two decades at this point, to say I can empathize is an understatement.

Sure, I've never been locked in a storage room; however, have I ever walked into a room and had everyone stop and stare at me simply because of the color of my skin? Have I ever had people refuse to sit next to me on a train because they were afraid of me? Have I ever heard strangers cursing me out behind my back simply for existing and being different—and had to ignore it so as not to reinforce negative stereotypes? Yes to all of these—and far more than just a single time.

More than just the overt stuff, this anime does a good job of capturing the more unintentional racism in Japan. The asking of rude questions and having people assume stereotypes are true is super common as well. There's no ill intent, but it does come off as dehumanizing at the very least.

In a homogeneous nation like Japan, what's different is equal parts fascinating and scary. Some people are drawn to it, and some people shun it. It takes time and patience to cut through all the cultural baggage and really get to know each other on a personal level. Even one episode in, Tsunagu and Mari are already making solid headway in this area. So even if the furry aspect isn't your thing, there seems to be plenty here worth watching.

As with the first episode, this second episode of With You, Our Love Will Make it Through is both well-thought-out allegory and straight-up fetish-bait.

On the allegory side of things, we continue our look into racism in Japan. There's an old Japanese saying, “The nail that stands up gets hammered down.” It means that if you stand out in society, you will be forced to conform to social norms. But what happens if you can't fit in—if you're taller, stronger, or have a different skin color (or are a blue, furry beastman)? Do the social norms expand to include you, or are you simply forced out of society itself so that everything once again conforms to how it use to be.

Aida represents the former end of this spectrum. He sees that his way of viewing the world has been upset—and feels that this is a good thing. He is eager to travel into the unknown and explore his new social surroundings.

Ochi, on the other hand, is opposed to the change. He wants things back as they were. He talks like his goals are pure. Tsunagu's dangerous and he's upset order in the school by being physically superior to normal humans. Thus, he's a disruptive influence to be expunged. Of course, his true reasons are far more selfish (whether he realizes it or not). He used to be at the top of the school hierarchy. With Tsunagu around, he feels inferior—and so he lashes out to feel better about himself. All in all, it's a solid look into the hows and whys of racism in Japan.

As for the furry fetish stuff, the back half of this episode is all about laying down the rules. Can beast people mate with humans? Yes. Do they go into heat? Yes. Is Tsunagu a rare case who doesn't know how to handle his urges? Yes. What is it that caused Tsunagu to lose control? Mari's pheromones when she thinks about her crush on Tsunagu.

And, of course, we learn this final point by locking them together in a room again and having them test it out—only for things to go too far when Aida is unable to get into the room and separate them… so, yeah. Gotta get that bit of beastman-on-woman titillation every episode it seems.

All in all, this is a show with a strong thematic core that I would normally recommend wholeheartedly. However, now that the status quo has been firmly established, I feel compelled to say that, unless you're sexually attracted to furry dog men, you'll probably want to skip it.

Using fantasy racism as an analog for real-world discrimination is the oldest trick in the book, and With You, Our Love Will Make it Through has absolutely zero shame about using it. In this world, scientific experiments have resulted in the existence of a few thousand beastfolk, human-animal hybrids who live in their own walled-off society. When Mari's high school announces they'll be piloting a program for young beastfolk to integrate into mainstream classes, she and her peers are apprehensive. After all, beastfolk have a reputation for being dangerous.

From there, the story plays out exactly as you would expect. Mari has a surprise encounter with Hidaka, the new wolf-boy student, where his kindness and gentleness challenge her assumptions. She finds herself drawn to him, even as their classmates make insensitive remarks at best and bully him at worst. It even culminates with the old chestnut of him straddling her on the ground as he shields her from falling objects when other students trap them in the PE equipment shed. It is completely predictable every step of the way.

But… isn't it sad that this is so predictable? Hidaka's behavior is exactly what people who are visibly “other” try to do in order to keep themselves out of danger: keep your head down and don't stand out more than you already do. Even if someone tries to provoke you, you can't retaliate because you'll just be confirming people's suspicions that you're inherently violent and dangerous. Like I said, the show isn't subtle about its allegorical nature.

Despite doing the obvious, it's remarkably well-executed. Other than some mild animation snafus that most people probably wouldn't even notice unless they were searching for them (such as a walk cycle that doesn't quite match the speed the character is moving at), it's quite lovely to look at. Mari and Hidaka have believable chemistry, in no part due to Takuya Eguchi's performance as the soft-spoken wolf boy. Although… how does one kiss a boy with a snout?

Despite it all, it kind of broke down for me at the episode's ending, when Hidaka held Mari down and started licking her. While I understand the kink at play here, that his bestial nature is always lurking under the surface, it's at odds with the anti-discrimination message. It makes me wonder if the series will be able to square these two elements.

This past week, I learned that With You, Our Love Will Make it Through originated as erotica, and I can't say I am the least bit surprised. Although the plot differs (it features a human woman who enters the beast people village), Chihiro Yuzuki's two-volume Hana and the Beast Man takes place in, if not the same world, a very similar one and prominently features a human woman and an anthropomorphic dog-man having sex.

Like its predecessor, With You, Our Love Will Make it Through is a fetish series. That's not necessarily a bad thing! While I'm sick and tired of male-oriented fetish series that reduce the female characters to cheap stereotypes, it's great to have something out here for the girlies. In this case, it's for the other girlies, because even if anthro didn't merit a firm “no thanks” for me, “barely controlled animal instincts” certainly does. While Tsunagu and Mari's mutual attraction can't be denied, beastfolk have a distinct mating season during which their bestial urges become harder to control.

Even if it's not my thing, I can recognize that it's well-done and sexy if it matches with your proclivities. Plus, Tsunagu and Mari actively experiment with their boundaries, albeit with some meddling with by their friend Aida. It's a good way to explore the domination fetish without going into full-blown rape kink – perfect for an audience of teenagers who are still figuring out what they are and aren't into (many of whom may be starting to negotiate consent and boundaries in their real lives). While I don't demand or expect all or most kink fiction to lead by example, it's certainly nice that it exists.

However, this makes me leerier about the discrimination element going forward. The other students' hatred of Tsunagu doesn't tie into the sexual menace element thankfully; they just resent him for being different and naturally stronger. While their bullying tactics are very real, as is Tsunagu's desperation to do as little as possible that makes him stand out, it may be best not to try to think super hard about finding an analogue, considering there are genuine biological differences that aren't just pelt-deep.

With You, Our Love Will Make it Through doesn't ring my bell, so I likely won't watch any farther. Still, I'm glad it exists. And if it appeals to your kinks, congratulations on having such a well-made series for you.