Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night

Night in Shibuya sets the mood: crowds, lights and young people who feel slightly outside it all. Four of them, an illustrator, a former idol, a Vtuber and a composer, start making things together without revealing who they are.

This is a music and creative-life drama more than a showbiz story. The pace is steady, and the focus stays on wanting to make something and be seen for it, with coming-of-age feelings front and center along with LGBTQ+ themes. The cast is mostly teenagers, so the worries feel immediate, and the band and drawing storylines give it a lively, creative texture that the quiet slice-of-life framing keeps grounded.

At twelve episodes from Doga Kobo, it is easy to finish over a long weekend. More than sixty thousand people have it on a list and they rate it well, so it is hardly obscure, but it deserves to come up more often in conversations about recent music anime. It is a good fit for anyone who likes bands, art projects and the awkward, hopeful business of figuring out what you enjoy. You can stream it on HIDIVE, iQ or YouTube.