May 2019 be a better year than this one was for anime.
That doesn’t strike me as an especially big ask, given that 2018 has probably been the worst year for anime since I began covering the medium. Given that 2017 wasn’t exactly stellar either, another clunker would be a really bad sign – and pretty much confirm the supposition that 2016 was an aberration and that we’re on a long downward slope that isn’t reversing until the production model fundamentally changes.
We can certainly peer into the crystal ball and make guesses about the coming year as a whole. I think it’d show us what looks like a mixed bag. We’d see a record percentage of generic series announcements – isekai, CGDCT, cellphone game adaptations. But we’d also see a few really interesting prospects too – stuff like Vinland Saga and Mix, among others. I see the potential for a better year here – at least in terms of the top tier, if not depth.
But the matter at-hand for now is Winter 2019, a season about which we obviously know more than we do about the year as a whole. That it looks fairly weak overall isn’t hugely discouraging, as winter seasons tend to be bottom-feeders anyway. I don’t see a ton of series here than excite me (the bulk of the schedule is as “same old same old” as it gets) but those I do see offer some serious potential. First and foremost that includes Mob Psycho 100 2 of course – a show that by any rubric I can use to set expectations looks like an absolute beast.
Actually, the first thing that struck me as I glanced through this winter’s lineup was that it looks like a particularly small season. Winter does tend to offer fewer shows than spring or fall, and I’m far too exhausted to actually count and compare with prior years (EDIT: there are 36 series on MAL’s list this time, as opposed to 50 in winter 2018 and 48 in 2017 – guess my obsessiveness is stronger than my laziness). But while the trend in recent years has been more shows produced on less budget, at least my impression is that this is the smallest season we’ve seen for a while in terms of number. That isn’t a bad thing in the sense that anime schedules have become too bloated generally – fewer shows but of higher quality would be a positive step. But the simple math dictates that fewer series give you fewer chances for exceptional ones.
If I’m to take any encouragement from the current state of events, there does seem to be a modest market developing for high-quality shows that aren’t innately commercial. Made in Abyss and Golden Kamuy, as an example, have sold quite respectably – well enough to get sequels – and there’s reason to hope Hi Score Girl might also sell OK. It’s by no means the massive numbers the usual crap iseakai and idol shows do and by no means is it universal (case in point: Planet With seems to have more or less tanked, sadly) but it’s enough to make these shows profitable or close to it – which of course means it’s that much more likely more of them will be produced in the first place.
As for the international model, it remains a small yet potentially significant factor. Netflix clearly isn’t going anywhere (for now) as their recent spate of announcements (Evangelion licensing, live-action Cowboy Bebop, 7Seeds adaptation, CGI Ghost in the Shell: SAC sequel) shows. But while all that is obviously significant in a macro sense, I’m still not seeing any evidence that it’s changing the day-to-day operation of the anime industry. When an average season is 50 series or more, Netflix or Amazon producing one or two doesn’t change things that much. And while studios love the financial and scheduling luxuriousness of a Netflix-funded project, there’s no evidence of change in the near-slave labor status quo for the young contract animators (and to an extent the veterans as well) the industry relies on for its dirty work.
So, taking all that into account, the fact that I’m only previewing 11 series is… normal? It may well be my smallest preview ever, but this winter might be the smallest season since I’ve been doing them. I’m previewing almost a third of the schedule, which is surely pretty close to my batting average over the last few years. There’s certainly nothing that cries out that a renaissance is at hand in this season, but if everything behaves as expected the season won’t be a disaster. 2018 has suffered dearly from a couple of my top tier shows crashing out, no question about that. But while I’ve not counting my chickens here, it’s just hard to see Mob Psycho 2 following that pattern. And if it’s as great as I hope, that alone would keep Winter 2019 from being a write-off.
With the preliminaries dispensed with, let’s get on the preview itself. As usual, the poll is in the sidebar – please go vote!
Highest Expectations:
Mob Psycho 100 II – Bones: (PV) If I had a “higher than highest” expectations category, Mob Psycho II would be in it. All signs point to “yes” in a big way with this one. The first season was great, manga readers say what’s coming is even better, we have the best young director (along with Matsumoto Rie) in anime at the helm, and the folks from Bones have been acting like the cat who ate the canary when they talk about this season. Production is ahead of schedule and the manga has recently ended, so there should be no issues with pacing or setting up a finale the way the author intended it. Let’s rock and roll.
Mob Psycho’s first season was #4 on my 2016 Top 10 list, and that was in the strongest year since 2012 – it would have been higher either last year or this. Mangaka ONE certainly deserves a ton of credit, because he’s crafted an insanely clever and inventive series with distinct and nuanced characters. But in Tachikawa Yuzuru Bones found the perfect director to take ONE’s innately weird vision and make it blossom on-screen. I like One Punch Man and I like what Madhouse and Natsume Shingo did with it, but for me MP100 is both the better manga and the better anime – deeper, more profound and emotionally powerful. After seeing what he could do with the masterpiece Death Parade my first choice would always be to see Tachikawa-sensei do another original series, but if he’s going to adapt Mob Psycho is about as fine a muse as one could hope for. Especially absent Murata Yusuke’s polish as a filter for ONE’s art, this series needed a lot of tweaking to work as an anime – and as great as the manga is, the anime is even better. It’s a perfect marriage of mangaka, director and studio – and that marriage should produce what has to be considered the early favorite for 2019’s best anime.
Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen – A-1 Pictures: (PV) There was a rumor going around that Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen was going to be adapted by SHAFT, but thankfully that bullet was dodged. It ended up at the fairly neutral A-1 (their productions tend to be as good as the commitment to the project) but with one of the best directors in the business, Omata Shinichi (Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, among others). I haven’t read Akasaka Aka’s manga, but all signs seem to be “go” here.
The usual caveats apply – ongoing manga with unknown episode count being prominent among them – and lord knows, my opinion and the general zeitgeist don’t always (often?) agree. But popular opinion definitely ranks this as one of the best contemporary romantic comedies in manga, and the fact that it’s a seinen gives my confidence level a boost. The story follows the too-perfect president and vice-president of the student council at a prestigious high school – a pair who have no romantic relationship and in fact get on each other’s nerves despite the school assuming they’re dating. The joke is that both have developed feelings for the other but are too proud to confess, and see it as a matter of pride to get the other to confess first. That gag has a lot of potential both for hilarity and insufferableness depending on how it’s handled, but absent any personal knowledge I just have to hope the consensus is right on this series. It certainly has the right director.
Doukyonin wa Hiza, Atama no Ue. – Zero-G: (PV) (Yes, the period is in the title) Any season which has two seinen for me to rank at the top of the preview can’t be all bad, and this manga adaptation looks like another winner. The story of a socially awkward (to the point of dysfunction) novelist and the stray cat who helps bring him out of his shell certainly isn’t a mass-produced model as far as anime is concerned, but that’s pretty much normal for seinen adaptations.
It’s worth noting that Doukyonin is published in Comic Polaris, a shoujo magazine, but one whose best series (including one of my favorites, that’s crying out for an anime adaptation, Shishunki Bitter Change) read like seinen to me (that line can be very fuzzy – just look at Orange). One cautionary note here is that the staff doesn’t look especially noteworthy – director Suzuki Kaoru’s most recent work of note was the Free! ripoff Dive!!. But screenwriter Deko Akao (who also works as a singer under her birth name Mieno Hitomi) has an outstanding track record with adaptations.
Mid-table:
Dororo – Tezuka Productions/MAPPA: (PV) Dororo isn’t one of Tezuka Osamu’s best-known works, but where he’s concerned that’s relative – any Tezuka adaptation is a matter of significance. Dororo has received an anime adaptation before, almost exactly 50 years ago, but for all intents and purposes this new version will introduce the material to the modern anime audience. Director Furuhashi Kazuhiro (Rurouni Kenshin, more recently Shoukoku no Altair) is certainly a well-known name to old-school anime fans, and with Tezuka Productions and MAPPA behind it, one should expect Dororo to be fairly faithful to Tezuka’s manga.
Dororo is the story of a samurai whose father sold his organs to 48 demons, but who survived thanks to the inventions of a strange medicine man, and grows up to track down his body parts and confront his father. But even more it seems to be the story of the titular character, a child thief the samurai meets on the road who becomes his traveling companion. I’m a bit embarrassed to say I know nothing of the story beyond that, but with Tezuka behind it my expectations are naturally pretty high.
Yakusoku no Neverland – CloverWorks: (PV) It’s been apparent for a while that Shirai Kaiu’s manga was going to be Weekly Shounen Jump’s “Next Big Thing”. That usually means a kid gloves anime treatment, and though CloverWorks is no Bones (let’s be honest, “Neverland” is no BnHA) they are a part of a well-established production machine in A-1 and I think we can reasonably expect a one or two-cour season to start things off to avoid burning through the source material too quickly. We’ve also got a very established creative team in director Kanbe Mamoru and writer Oono Toshiya (who’s been largely a disappointment to me since Tsuritama, but never mind).
A WSJ series on NoitaminA is certainly a development I never expected to see. To be honest I’m still not sure why I’m seeing it, as Yakusoku no Neverland has nothing about it that seems to fit any established NoitaminA criteria (though that doesn’t mean what it used to). I do enjoy the manga a lot, though my take on it has always been that it’s a great premise with middling execution. I also think it’s been largely spinning its wheels since the first major arc ended, but that of course has no bearing on the first series, which is likely to focus on that arc exclusively. Look for this series, like HeroAca, to get a complete adaptation with 1-2 cour breaks between seasons. How long that might take I don’t know, but Kaiu has suggested that the manga might be closer to ending that most fans would expect.
Piano no Mori 2nd Season – Gaina: In dropping the “x” Gaina has officially cut any links with Gainax, but to be honest there was no tangible connection anymore in any case. There’s nothing special about the production values behind Piano no Mori, but it remains a very interesting series, especially if one loves classical music. Since I do, I suppose I’m part of the (minuscule) target audience.
Modestly Interested:
Boogiepop wa Wawaranai (2019) – Madhouse: (PV) Hard to believe it’s been almost 20 years since the original Boogiepop anime aired. To be honest, I’ve somehow managed to whiff on this franchise completely – never seen a single episode. It was Madhouse then and it is now too, and the excellent Natsume Shingo is directing. In fact the staff looks really good here generally, and I know this franchise has its share of fans. The story centers around the titular phantom, “an “Angel of Death” that may or may not be involved in a series of disappearances of female students at a high school.
Egao no Daika – Tatsunoko: (PV) Original series are always a crapshoot, especially with a writer (Inotsume Shinichi) whose resume consists almost entirely of adaptations. I’m basically taking a flyer on this one, which sails dangerous close to a cute girls doing cute things premise but doesn’t quite come off as generic. Egao no Daika seems to be a sort of sci-fi/fantasy hybrid, the story of two girls (a princess and a soldier) living in fantasy-type settings on distant planets. Expectations are pretty modest here but I’m curious enough to give it a shot.
Fukigen na Mononokean Tsuzuki – Pierrot Plus: (PV) No one was more surprised than me when this modest little series about a magical doorway from a high school clubroom to the Underworld turned out to be a split cour. I modestly enjoyed the first season – not enough to blog it to the end, but enough to watch it. If you’re a fan of stories that focus on youkai-human interactions there’s enough here to keep you entertained, mostly likely. I suspect this season of Fukigen na Mononokean Tsuzuki will be like the first in that I’ll probably just watch rather than cover it, but I’ll keep my options open in case it surprises me and surpasses the first by a substantial margin.
Revisions – Shirogumi: (PV) Taniguchi Gorou is certainly a substantial figure in sci-fi, going all the way back to Planetes and his work on the Gundam franchise (he created Code Geass, too). Working with Shirogumi here my assumption is that Revisions is going to be a full CGI show, and the previews bear that out. Plot-wise we’re looking at four high-schoolers transported to a Shibuya several hundred years into the future, a dystopian nightmare (of course) where huge mecha terrorize the surviving humans as they wait for the walk signal at Shibuya Crossing. Not much in terms of expectations for me here, but the curiosity factor is enough to deal me in for an episode or two.
Gotoubun no Hanayome – Tezuka Productions: An interesting stretch for Tezuka, a manga adaptation about an antisocial high school boy who winds up tutoring a rich transfer student and getting involved with her four friends. It sounds incredibly generic to be honest, but the manga seems to be pretty well thought of and there isn’t much (as usual) in the romcom department this season. Staff looks halfway decent as well.
Will Definitely Blog: Mob Psycho 100 II, Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen, Doukyonin wa Hiza, Atama no Ue., Piano no Mori 2nd Season.
Sleepers: This is a category that’s really tanked this year, and I think it’s a function of the increasingly all-or-nothing nature of anime schedules these days. Can I in good conscience call Doukyonin a sleeper, when it’s on my top expectations list? If not I guess I would have to go with Egao no Daika, though truthfully my expectations for it are pretty modest.
OVA:
As usual these days,. what little that’s interesting here comes from the ranks of special episodes of TV anime. I’m not blogging either but I am watching Gaikotsu Shotenin Honda-san and Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken, both of which have have OVA episodes coming.
Boku no Hero Academia: All Might – Rising The Animation (Special) – 02/13/19 – This short to be included with the Blu-ray release of the “Futari no Hero” film offers an extended look at All Might’s early days as a hero in California and his friendship with the inventor David Shield. I’m quite interested in seeing what Horikoshi-sensei comes up with here, actually, though given the length my expectations are relatively modest.
Golden Kamuy Second Season (OVA) – 03/19/19: Another special ep of Golden Kamuy, as we wait for the first to be subbed.
Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii: Youth (OVA) – 03/29/19 – The excellent romcom Wotakoi gets an OVA, which I’m guessing is based on the high-school versions of Tarou and Hanako.
Theatrical:
Made in Abyss Tabidachi no Yoake/Hourou suru Tasogare – 01/14/19 – 01/18/19: (PV) Two compilation movies to tide Made in Abyss fans over until the arrival of the second season (the date of which has not yet been announced). I’m not a big fan of compilation movies myself (what’s the point, really?) but I don’t begrudge anyone trying to make a bit of money off this magnificent – if squirrelly – series.
Osomatsu-san The Movie – 03/15/19: (PV) As many (including myself) predicted when the second season of Osomatsu-san came to an end, a theatrical film was the most likely next stage. One would surmise that such a movie might tend towards the more serious side of the Osomatsu canon, and that appears to be the case based on the synopsis and preview, which features the boys going to a high school reunion and seeing how far behind their classmates they’ve fallen. But with Osomatsu-san looks can be deceiving, and the bubble of earnestness is liable to be popped at any time.
DP
December 12, 2018 at 8:01 pmIt’s fine to say, “Personally, I think 2018 was a lousy year for anime,” but to make sweeping pronouncements about the downfall of the whole industry based on your own taste is kind of narrow-minded, isn’t it? I mean, no less a source than The New York Times named “A Place Further Than The Universe” as one of the ten best international TV series of the year (not ANIMATED series, but ALL series!), which is kind of a pretty rare accomplishment for anime. I guess you didn’t like/didn’t watch that show, but I think creators in Japan can be pretty proud of having made something that attracted such attention, and it really irritates me when I read these broad statements baselessly decrying the quality of an entire year’s worth of production.
Guardian Enzo
December 12, 2018 at 8:21 pmYou’re free to be irritated by whatever you want, but fundamentally this site has always been about me expressing my opinion. And it never ceases to surprise me when people take issue with that, since I never represent it as anything else.
I’m certainly not going to deny that a lot of people are making a lot of money off anime. Again, that’s one measure of the health of the medium but one I choose not to use. Not only because of the reason stated below, but because the people who aren’t making much money are the studios and – especially – the people who physically make anime. They’re basically living as wage slaves, for the most part working 80+ hour weeks for the equivalent of about $1000/month or less. In my view – which is the only one I can render in this forum – the production committee system is killing anime creatively by making it harder and harder for anything but formulaic series to be made. From my perspective it’s been an uninterrupted downward trend in quality since 2012, with only 2016 interrupting the pattern. Too many shows, the vast majority of which fall into one of three or four rigidly defined commercial boxes.
If you care to equate popularity with artistic merit that’s fine – it’s one way to measure it. I don’t happen to find it an especially useful one so I choose not to. As to the show you specifically mentioned, I did watch it for a while and tried to “get” what all the buzz was about, but frankly it just never struck me as anything that special. Didn’t hate it or anything but the emotions never came off as authentic to me – the whole thing seemed rather mannered and self-aware.
DP
December 13, 2018 at 6:50 pmIn no way am I offering a defense of anime creators being underpaid and overworked. But I don’t think that has much to do with whether 2018 was a good, bad, or indifferent year for the content produced by the medium. People were presumably as underpaid in 2016 as this year, but that year you deemed a good one, anyway.
Really, my only point is that that, unsustainable production model aside, every year has a handful of really good shows and a whole passel of mediocre and awful ones. It’s fine that you didn’t like “Universe,” but I don’t think it’s fair to completely dismiss a show that has received such a positive reception outside of the insular anime community. You may have found it “mannered,” but this isn’t a show that found a broad audience based solely on cool titans.
Heck, why not celebrate the fact that if someone wanted to name the top half dozen best young anime directors in 2018, at least half of them would be women?!
I don’t think anyone in the English-speaking anime community is thrilled with the fact that the people who make the shows they watch are being mistreated. But that’s a separate issue from the fact that this year, like all years, in my opinion, has several shows worth praising, and yes, far more worth condemning.
It’s obviously fine that you want to express your personal disappointment in the year just gone by. But I hope you aren’t actually angry that I expressed my irritation at the “get off my lawn” attitude that they just don’t make shows like they used to!
Guardian Enzo
December 13, 2018 at 7:21 pmNo, not angry – just surprised. I mean, not only is this strictly a “one man’s opinion” website, but I think I’ve been pretty transparent in my views about this year in my posts as it’s progressed.
tasogare
December 14, 2018 at 8:05 amHonestly, opinion or otherwise, if you can’t handle Enzo’s apocalyptic doomsday proclamations about the demise of anime every season, you should probably find another blog to read. There’s always a touch of melodrama to these previews.
Miyu Fan
December 15, 2018 at 9:52 pmEnzo speaking about the industry as a whole, and if you noticed recently the production committee kind of scrapping the barrels for LN and manga to adapt as an anime – the LN titles that I saw greenlighted for anime adaptation raise my eyebrow for a few times already. We are suffering from a lack of truly original, risky anime nowadays with production committee preferring to make a remake of a old popular anime (unfortunately Osomatsu-san’s success pushed a lot of this), mobile games adaptation, idol anime etc. “A Place Further Than The Universe”, while an original anime which should be applauded, still has a cast full of girls (with popular female seiyuu too). If the director had decided to do a mixed gender cast, you do wonder if the anime would have been greenlighted at the first place.
Guardian Enzo
December 15, 2018 at 10:17 pmYes, that’s a fair question. If you’re going the original route, an all-girl cast is the “safest” path from the POV of a risk-averse production committee.
I think the barrel has pretty much been scraped clean through and they’re hitting bedrock at this point, TBH. Look at Hachinan tte, Sore wa Nai Deshou! for crying out loud – Jeebus.
Jindujun93
December 12, 2018 at 8:27 pmOverall I’ve already got 6 titles I’m most likely going to watch – which is already more than the previous two years, where I only had 4 titles each per season. Now I actually have to hope that they deliver, though for at least two of them, I’m not worried at all.
Out of these two, Boogiepop is the first one. I’ve absolutely loved the old 2000 anime (later I found out that it was completely original material, so this time we’re getting an actual adaption of the source material for the first time), and recently bough myself the omnibus re-release of the first three novels by Seven Seas. I didn’t read all of it yet, but what I did read I liked a lot – so it’ll be just fine in Natsume’s hands, considering his track record. I think the closest thing you could compare it to, anime-wise, would be Baccano in that it keeps jumping back and forth in the timeline, leaving you with the pieces of the puzzle to put them together on your own. It works pretty well, so I hope you’re going to be able to enjoy it too! I’ve waited god knows how many years for another anime, so I’m super excited for this one.
The other obvious contender is Mob Psycho, because let’s be honest – S1 was great, the staff is back, and in general I feel like Mob is truly where ONE has hit his stride as a mangaka (similar to how you think that Mizukami has hit it with Spirit Circle), so I’d be very surprised if this doesn’t end up high in my end of the year list despite three more seasons following after winter.
As for the rest, I’ll be focusing on Dororo, Doukyonin wa Hiza, Atama no Ue. , Fukigen no Mononokean Tsuzuki, and Promised Neverland. For Fukigen I already watched the first season shortly after it aired – it was okay, even if it never truly caused the same spark for me as Natsume Yuujinchou did. But I’m gladly taking it over a lot of alternatives the season might offer. Dororo I have no idea what to expect, but it’s Tezuka material so that alone intrigues me. Doukyonin seems one of those titles tailor-made for my preferences, so I want to be hopeful too, even though Zero-G didn’t really deliver for me so far (which is a shame, looking at you Battery). And as for Promised Neverland, the interest is not as big actually, but it’s one of the next bigger WSJ titles, so of course there’s some curiousity involved (though frankly I’m looking forward more towards Yaiba later this year despite having read neither of them).
Under normal circumstances I *might* have considered Kemono Friends 2 as well – I know you’re going to roll your eyes at this one, but the first season was pretty enjoyable for all it mattered, despite being on a low-budget, probably because one could tell that it was a labor of love by the team rather than the mass-produced model. Surprisingly wholesome too. After the whole staff controversity and drama about the sequel though, I lost a lot of my excitement for it, considering the foul play involved by Kadokawa there. Oh well.
I want to be hopeful for the year though. In terms of quantity I don’t expect it to be any better than previous years, but it has a fair share of announcements already for me to be excited about. Vinland Saga is a big one, and I mentioned Yaiba, but there’s also a decent amount that technically don’t have a set date yet, but might be reasonably expected for 2019 – like Uehashi’s Shika no Ou (I absolutely loved Moribito and Erin, so I’ll gladly take more from her) and especially Dorohedoro. Plus a few sequels. Hero Academia (though S4 will be weaker, I think), Yuru Camp, Railgun, and assuming it actually hits in ’19, Made in Abyss too.
Guardian Enzo
December 12, 2018 at 8:31 pmI feel much the same way about 2019. This far out hard to say, but right now I’m not expecting an increase in the quantity of good shows, but I do think the good ones will be better than they were this year. Or so I hope.
Boogiepop is the big random for me this season. I’m going in pretty much cold turkey.
Jindujun93
December 12, 2018 at 10:00 pmTo be fair, I’m pretty happy with the top group this year as far as quality is concerned – between Planet With, Lupin, Bloom Into You, Yuru Camp and Megalo Box, the year has been putting out some great stuff. Golden Kamuy too, even though I personally prefer the manga in this instance (though the anime is still very good beyond some hiccups on the animation side, but let’s not beat that dead horse here, I’m just as tired of it as you are). It’s the good but not quite great group that was a bit sparse in quantity for me this year, the only ones I can really think of are… Major and Hinamatsuri, I think? Oh, and High Score Girl. So not even enough to fill a top 10 with those titles (since Hozuki unfortunately had a much weaker year for me this time around).
kk
December 12, 2018 at 8:56 pmHad no idea you read Shishunki Bitter Change! Despite how tired I am of Japan’s obsession with high school, it’s one of the titles I always rush to read upon release. Really great, distinct mood. Here’s to hoping it ends well…
The season looks solid. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Mob, which is guaranteed to be good, and Dororo, which is new to me as well.
Guardian Enzo
December 12, 2018 at 9:27 pmYesh, SBC is such a great take on what, let’s be honest, is kind of an overused trope. It really deserves an anime.
Marty
December 13, 2018 at 3:41 amMob Psycho 100 may be the better anime, but I cannot deny the fact that One Punch Man will bring the HYPE. Since both shows are slated for 2019, that’s just more good news for me.
This might be the pragmatist in me talking, but since life doesn’t give me as much free time as I once had, i don’t really mind having less quality shows to watch (I might actually get the chance to check some things off my “to-watch” list at this point).
Guardian Enzo
December 13, 2018 at 6:40 amThat element does occur to me sometimes, too. Though I think I’ve always valued quality at the top over quantity in the middle.
GC
December 13, 2018 at 7:30 amTensei shitara Slime Datta Ken is my choice for AOTS for Fall. Its just a fun and exciting series to watch.Yet it was not even on my radar when Fall started. I’m hoping this Winter season brings another good series out of nowhere.
Guardian Enzo
December 13, 2018 at 12:20 pmThat show is a lot of fun. Gobuta especially makes me laugh.
Mike
December 13, 2018 at 8:35 amReally excited for Mob Psycho 100. Yakusoku no Neverland is a title that looks really interesting so I’m definitely going to check it out. I’m also happy to see Piano No Mori and Kakegurui get a second season. This winter season is looking good.
wandering-dreamer
December 13, 2018 at 9:24 amThe Promised Neverland has to be one cour btw, Ikuhara’s new show is taking over the noitaminA timeslot in the spring.
Guardian Enzo
December 13, 2018 at 12:18 pmFirst season of BnHA was one cour too.
Bob
December 13, 2018 at 9:35 amDid you ever end up watching MHA: Two Heroes?
Guardian Enzo
December 13, 2018 at 12:19 pmI did. I thought it was better than most of its type. Very good on the whole.
Flower
December 13, 2018 at 6:36 pmDoukyonin wa Hiza, Atama no Ue. is def my most anticipated series for the winter season. Really looking forward to that one, and nothing comes close in terms of interest for a new series airing in Winter at the moment.
Mob Psycho s2 and the BoogiePop remake are next in line interest wise, and while Yakusoku no Neverland also looks promising, my feelings about the series are kinda similar – superb premise, writing could be better at times though? Or rather I feel that the story should have way may impact than it does in terms of overall effect, I guess. Like Made in Abyss does. (Maybe unfair to compare the two.) Be interested to see how the visuals will be – some … well … nvm – that could potentially get into spoiler territory.
There are also plenty of series which are question marks for me – somehow this winter season there are fewer offerings I am familiar with the source material for that I am interested (for example Kaguya-sama got less engaging for me after a while, though it had a strong start to be sure and a good cast and potential), so I am kinda flying blind for the other offerings and will try a few others to see if I am surprised.
Dororo looks promising. And nice to see a few interesting carryovers at least – Slime Tensei esp has received quite a nice adaptation so far, and there is, of course, Karakuri Circus.
Sleepers wise something about Kemurikusa has caught my attention for a while now (not quite sure why). Another is Grimms Notes – Fall’s Merc Storia has proven to be an unexpectedly pleasant and charming one (though nothing groundbreaking or “brilliant” or what not), and maybe part of me hopes Grimms Notes may be a similar success? Again – just a very dim intuition. My “sleeper guesser” has not been terribly accurate of late either! XD
Guardian Enzo
December 13, 2018 at 7:24 pmI did look at the info on those, but decided they didn’t quite make the cut for the preview – I’ll watch the premieres after reading this, though. There’s not much out there about the premise of Kemurikusa though – got any info?
Flower
December 13, 2018 at 8:12 pmNot a whole lot … I think there were some short clips on the series floating around? I saw one and there were parts to it I thought might make for a potentially interesting story and other parts I kinda scratched my head about, but am still willing to give it a shot (though it is def a hunch and not a lot that is solid … for whatever that is worth). Apologies ahead of time if the intuitions turn out to be flops for you! XD
There was one other small thing in the Winter season I am looking forward to, and that is because this past year’s Cells At Work really clicked for me … there is a single ep tv special ep of it after Christmas iirc. That will be a nice treat to see. ^^
elianthos
December 14, 2018 at 1:40 amMob s2 (YAY!) , Dororo (Tezuka Tezuka Tezuka. Plus I’m liking the previews and trailers so far), Mr Writer And The Cat Muse: The Anime ( I really really hope this is gonna be good <3) . Bonus: The Aggretsuko Christmas episode! Hell yeah bring it on XDD .
Maybe the Osomatsu movie?
Everything else: ????/not interested. I'll be checking the reviews.
P.S.: I might have misglimpsed an ANN article earlier but I thought there is a BONES anniversary project coming soon (not EU7 related)?
Sam
December 15, 2018 at 1:09 amMob Psycho asides, I only know two shows from the list – Kaguya-sama and Gotoubun no Hanayome. Coincidentally both rather seemingly popular.
My issue with Kaguya-sama is its premise is based on one concept and it can be quite repetitive – especially when sometimes many chapters in a row do the slap stick gags based on that one concept. Having said that, it’s still fun. If it was no good, it couldn’t have lasted 131+ chapters and still ongoing while still remains popular. Gotoubun, not sure why I like it. It doesn’t offer much else I haven’t seen from this type of genre. It’s nicely produced, one of the better ones I’ve seen in a while. Not sure how it would be perceived in this site, but welp, it’s like a guilty pleasure for me and I like reading it for fun. Wouldn’t be surprised it being dropped here – or while not top 20, but taken rather well.
sonicsenryaku
December 15, 2018 at 2:15 amI’ve probably already said this before, but i wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if by the end of season 2, assuming they adapt the rest of the manga in this season, that this makes it on your (and other people’s list) favorite anime of all time list. 1. the content in this season really puts on display why mob is such a benevolent soul despite his insecurities and an overall good character you can’t help but want to root for and 2. the “gainax” in this season is going to be on full blast. It’s that good.
Guardian Enzo
December 15, 2018 at 8:58 amWelp, I think I made pretty clear that my expectations could hardly be higher than they are. Giddyup.
swallow
December 16, 2018 at 2:08 pmDokyonin no Hiza and Piano no Mori for me. (Do cats have a special place in Japanese culture or something? I’m starting to wonder why an anime with a dog as the animal of focus hasn’t been made.)
On the subject of Japanese culture, I’ve decided to catch up with my backlog and am currently being charmed by Tsukumogami Kashimasu. Reminds me of Holmes of Kyoto (which I watched when it aired)- old-world dignity mixed with modern-day tropes in a way that doesn’t jar (for the most part, anyway). Very good work by Enoki Junya and Komatsu Mikako, too.
Guardian Enzo
December 16, 2018 at 3:32 pmCats have a special place in Japanese culture to be sure. There have been lots of anime where dogs play prominent roles, but not so many as cats where they’re the actual focus. I do think the Japanese appreciate the more mysterious and independent nature of cats as character studies as opposed to the more straightforward nature of dogs.
Matti
December 16, 2018 at 2:40 pmMight catch Dororo and Boogiepop to see what all the fuss is about, but honestly, the only title here I’m looking forward to is Doukyonin wa Hiza. Quite like the manga (don’t share your love for Bitter Change, which I find either too fatiguing or too baiting) so will definitely give the first few episodes a try. Wonder how they’ll adapt it – will they dedicate half and episode to each character’s POV like in the manga chapters? Not sure how that’d work in animated form. Slim pickings again….
Yann
December 16, 2018 at 2:46 pmMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOB!!! 😀
This is going to be anime of the year for me… (unless there’s a second cour of Made in Abyss coming?)
I think I’m gonna binge the first season real quick to prep myself…
Even if that’s the only show I watch, that’ll still be a great season as far as I’m concerned… I’m so psyched! :p
Guardian Enzo
December 16, 2018 at 3:27 pmThere is a second cour of Made in Abyss coming, though no date has been announced. It could be summer or fall, or just as easily 2020.