HIDIVE's Summer 2025 Strategy
“Beating Titans with Curation & Dubs”
The anime season of Summer 2025 is poised to become one of the most competitive and densely packed broadcast periods in recent memory. It's one of the few times where I’ve thought to myself, if the summer is bringing so much heat, no pun intended, how will the Fall measure up? The landscape is dominated by an extraordinary convergence of blockbuster sequels to globally recognized franchises, with titans like My Dress-Up Darling, Kaiju No. 8, and Dandadan all returning for highly anticipated new installments.
This deluge of established hits, primarily concentrated on streaming giants Crunchyroll and Netflix, creates an environment of intense saturation where viewer attention is the most valuable and fiercely contested commodity. In such a market, dominated by volume and pre-existing fan bases, the strategies of smaller, more specialized platforms become crucial. A few notable examples come to mind, such as RetroCrush, Amazon Prime, or It's Anime, which is powered by REMOW (the latter is also available on YouTube). Despite providing a much-needed service, these players often remain under the radar, much like HIDIVE, a service offered by AMC Networks.
Rather than attempting to match the sheer quantity of its larger rivals, HIDIVE's Summer 2025 strategy focuses on deliberate curation, targeted value, and a $1 price increase. The platform is focusing its resources on a small, hand-picked slate of exclusive simulcasts, anchored by a major returning favorite. More significantly, it has launched the "Summer of Dubs," a comprehensive initiative designed to deliver a continuous stream of high-quality English-language versions of both new and recent series. I’m sure you’re thinking, "Is that all they can do?" and apparently, the answer is yes. HIDIVE is the type of service you hate or love. You hate it because of its terrible UI, and from what I've heard, the app. I don't use the app, but I honestly abhor the fact that you can’t delete shows you’ve watched from the currently watching section. I mean, I don’t think it's a proprietary feature owned by its competitors. Nevertheless, you love the service because of what it offers: catering to niche tastes and showing more uncensored anime than its competitors.
Their choice is likely the best they could do, but I'm not sure if their lineup is the best they can achieve. However, we’ll go with it. Having said that, what does HIDIVE have to offer this summer?
Call of the Night Season 2
The undisputed centerpiece of HIDIVE's Summer 2025 simulcast lineup is the return of a beloved fan favorite. Call of the Night Season 2 is confirmed for an exclusive premiere on HIDIVE on Friday, July 4, 2025, at noon EDT (16:00 UTC). This premiere date was strategically aligned with the Anime Expo 2025 convention, where HIDIVE will host a panel and provide a sneak peek of the second episode to maximize industry and fan buzz.
The series picks up three years after its popular 2022 debut, continuing the atmospheric supernatural romance between Ko Yamori, a disillusioned teen who wishes to become a vampire, and Nazuna Nanakusa, the freewheeling vampire with whom he must genuinely fall in love to achieve his goal. Season 2 is set to deepen the stakes significantly, introducing the persistent threat of vampire-hunting detective Uguisu Anko, who is closing in on Nazuna. The narrative will also explore Nazuna's mysterious and forgotten human past, a key weakness for vampires that she must confront.
Animation production is once again handled by LIDENFILMS, the studio responsible for the first season's distinctive and moody visual style, which significantly contributed to its critical and popular success. The series is slated to air in Japan on Fuji TV's legendary Noitamina programming block, a slot historically reserved for artistically ambitious and critically acclaimed anime such as Psycho-Pass and Erased.
Bad Girl
Bad Girl is positioned as a lighthearted and accessible new exclusive. The new high school comedy series Bad Girl (stylized as BADGIRL) will premiere exclusively on HIDIVE on Saturday, July 5, 2025, at 11:30 AM EDT (15:30 UTC). Mirroring the strategy for Call of the Night, HIDIVE hosted a world premiere screening of the first two episodes at Anime Expo on July 4, aiming to generate early positive word of mouth.
Based on the seinen manga by Nikumaru, Bad Girl is a gag comedy centered on Yu Yutani. Despite her intimidating appearance—sharp eyes, piercings, and flashy hair—Yu is, at heart, an incredibly kind and well-meaning honor student. However, she is smitten with the beautiful and popular Atori Mizutori, who happens to be the head of the student disciplinary committee. Convinced that the only way to get Atori's attention is to be a troublemaker, Yu decides to become a "bad delinquent." The series's humor is derived from the constant, uproarious gap between Yu's tough-girl facade and her genuine, gentle nature.
The series is produced by Studio Bridge, a studio with a varied catalog that includes both action and comedy titles. It is most notable for two of my favorite series: Talentless Nana and the Shaman King series, released in 2021 and 2024.
Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentosho
Serving as the crucial link between the Spring and Summer seasons, as well as between the simulcast and dub lineups, is the continuation of this epic fantasy, Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentosho, a supernatural historical fantasy that began its run in the Spring 2025 season, will air its second consecutive cour as part of HIDIVE's summer simulcast lineup. The subtitled simulcast for this second part is scheduled to begin on Monday, July 14, 2025, at 11:00 AM EDT (15:00 UTC).
The series chronicles the sprawling, century-spanning journey of Jinta, a demon hunter sworn to protect a shrine maiden in the village of Kadono during the Edo period. After an encounter with a mysterious demon who speaks of a far-future threat, Jinta embarks on an epic quest that spans multiple eras of Japanese history, culminating in the modern Heisei period. The second cour will continue this long-form narrative, building upon the world, lore, and character arcs established in the first half of the series.
Part II: Unpacking the "Summer of Dubs:" HIDIVE's Core Value Proposition
While its simulcast lineup is limited, the centerpiece of HIDIVE's strategy for Summer 2025 is its "Summer of Dubs" initiative. This multi-month programming event is the platform's primary value proposition for the season, designed to solidify its reputation as a premier destination for fans who prefer or exclusively watch English-dubbed anime. The dub premieres are not released all at once but are staggered monthly throughout the quarter: Flower and Asura in July, Call of the Night Season 2 and Rock is a Lady's Modesty in August, and Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentosho Cour 2 in September.
HIDIVE's "Summer of Dubs" campaign, announced in late June before Anime Expo 2025, promotes new and exclusive English dubs for summer and recent simulcast titles. This initiative aims to establish English dubs as a core feature of HIDIVE, targeting Western anime fans who prefer dubbed content. The initiative is anchored by four major new English dub premieres, each targeting a different genre and audience segment.
Flower and Asura
The dub will premiere on July 16, 2025. This slice-of-life drama is set on the picturesque island of Tonakijima. It follows Hana, a young girl who enjoys reading literature aloud to the island's children as her favorite pastime. Her exceptional narration skills catch the attention of Mizuki, the president of the school's broadcasting club, who invites Hana to join, setting her on a journey of self-discovery.
Call of the Night Season 2
The English dub is scheduled to premiere in August 2025. This is arguably the crown jewel of the entire initiative. As the only Summer 2025 simulcast confirmed to receive a dub within the same broadcast season, it represents a significant investment in a flagship property. The near-simultaneous release of both subbed and dubbed versions demonstrates a commitment to serving all fans of this major title with minimal delay.
Rock is a Lady's Modesty
The English dub is set to premiere in August 2025. This coming-of-age music drama, which initially premiered as a simulcast in Spring 2025, centers on Lilisa Suzunomiya. Now the daughter of a real estate tycoon, she attends an elite all-girls' academy, where she is forced to abandon her love for rock music to fit in. Her passion is reignited when she discovers a skilled drummer in the old school building, and together they challenge the academy's stuffy conventions.
Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentosho Cour 2
The English dub for the second cour is set to premiere in September 2025. The arrival of the dub for the second cour serves as the grand finale for the "Summer of Dubs" event. Its placement in September ensures a strong, high-value release at the end of the quarter, rewarding viewers who have followed the series in either its subbed or dubbed format and providing a powerful incentive to remain subscribed through the entire season.
Complementing the monthly tentpole premieres is a consistent, reliable stream of weekly content for dub viewers. HIDIVE has confirmed that it will continue to release new English-dubbed episodes for three popular ongoing series every Wednesday throughout the summer. 2.5 Dimensional Seduction (Rom-Com, Cosplay) I'm Living with an Otaku NEET Kunoichi!? (Rom-Com) Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentosho Cour 1 (Historical Fantasy) For the Dub-First, Variety-Seeking Viewer: This significant portion of the anime community will find exceptional value in a HIDIVE subscription during the Summer 2025 season.
Ultimately, HIDIVE is not attempting to be the "Netflix of Anime" or a direct one-to-one competitor with Crunchyroll. Instead, it is successfully carving out a sustainable and highly valuable niche. It is positioning itself as the premium, boutique streaming service for fans who prioritize a less overwhelming, more carefully curated selection of shows and, most importantly, have a strong preference for high-quality English dubs delivered in a timely and consistent manner. The Summer 2025 anime season presents an apparent dichotomy for viewers: for the Sub-First, trend-focused viewer, a HIDIVE subscription for Summer 2025 is a highly targeted choice. If Call of the Night Season 2 or the comedy Bad Girl are personal must-watch titles, then the service is essential. However, for viewers whose primary interest lies in the season's biggest shonen action hits and most-hyped new premieres, the bulk of that content resides on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
