Winter 2019 was a season I was expecting to be pretty decent – it looked better than most of 2018 on paper anyway. And so far, so good – the shows I was expecting to deliver have mostly done so (though one of them is very much on the bubble), and a couple have exceeded expectations (with caveats). But on the whole it’s a damn good start – especially considering that in any given year winter is a decent bet to be the weakest season.

If what we want are a few great series as opposed to a bevy of pretty good ones (it’s certainly nice to get both, but let’s not be greedy), then this season is starting out on-point. All the usual caveats apply, mainly that it’s early and this all may change (though Mob Psycho 100 II is as safe a bet as you could want). But to have a few series that seem to have genuine shots to be special after three weeks is a very good feeling.  If every season could match that (which experience says won’t happen) you’d have yourself a pretty good year, even if the overall number of good series was modest.

I can’t say I’m really seeing any thematic trends here, except that the top tier all seem to have a fantasy element to them.  Comedy is minimally represented (the one I had highest hopes for is a mild disappointment so far), which represents a definite trend, and there’s not much in terms of sports series (though they tend to be scarce in winter generally).  And unsurprisingly, the top tier are all manga adaptations, in a year that has a number of intriguing ones already on tap.

With that, to Winter 2019:

The Elite

Mob Psycho 100 II
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: A
Comments: I expected nothing less than sheer brilliance from Season 2 of Mob Psycho 100, and that’s exactly what it’s delivered.  Tachikawa Yuzuru has taken a relatively low-key approach so far, the first three episodes being effectively “establishing shots” centered on Mob’s character and where he is on his turbulent journey through adolescence.  They’ve been no less great for that – ONE writes that sort of material with astonishing sensitivity and perceptiveness.  Now, things are about to pick up and Tachikawa-sensei is about to “go big”.  And when he goes big, anime better duck and cover.

Dororo
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: A
Comments: After a year in which not a single show ranked in the “Elite” category in four check-ins (yes, I made sure) it sure tastes sweet to have not one but two of them do so right out of the gate in 2019.  Mob Psycho was expected – Dororo was not.  I had high expectations for this show, but not this high – Furuhashi Kazuhiro and the anime team have blown them out of the water.  Furuhashi’s comfort level with the material here is almost unfair, and every decision he’s made in adapting one of Tezuka’s lesser-known manga to the screen has clicked – so far.  It’s series like Dororo that made me an anime fan in the first place, and almost unbelievably, it’s giving Mobu-kun and Co. a serious run for their money.

Outstanding

Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue.
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: A-
Comments: No question there were seasons in 2018 when Doukyonin was Hiza would have been the top series in the check-in post, and it’s only a reflection of how good the two above it are that it places third here.  Each episode has been better than the last, and Doukyonin seems like a “slow build” sort of series anyway – it wouldn’t shock me to see this show close the gap with the elite pair before the season is over.

Very Good

Yakusoku no Neverland 
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B+
Comments: If there’s any sure sign of what a different sort of season this is from the prior few, there’s only one show in the “Very Good” bucket (Fall had five).  I’ll take that if it means the two “Elite” series with no complaints, but it does reflect the trade-off of quantity for quality.  As for Yakusoku no Neverland, it’s indeed very good – largely faithful despite some accelerated pacing and character tweaks.  This series is destined to be a monster hit, a true cultural phenomenon – and while I like it a lot I do think it’s a bit overrated on the whole.  But it’s pretty daring, really clever in concept and not a “House of Pies” special, so the better it does the happier I’ll be, because encouraging the production of more series that break out of the usual commercial Chain Jail is a positive thing.

Worthwhile

Boogiepop wa Warawanai
Episodes Watched: 5
Grade: B
Comments: Not being much familiar with the original Boogiepop anime (and not at all with the light novels, among the first ever) it took me a while to get into the rhythm of this throwback anime sci-fi.  But the last two episodes have been a marked improvement, and it’s growing on me.  I’m also nuts for Yuuki Aoi’s performance as Boogiepop, and I hope we get to hear it more frequently in upcoming eps.

Domestic na Kanajo
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B
Comments: Without any shadow of a doubt, Domestic na Kanojo is the biggest surprise of the season for me.  I totally expected to hate it.  I totally expect to hate it at some point in the future.  But right now, it continues to defy gravity and the sheer offensive inanity of its own premise and be really interesting and entertaining.  No matter what happens in the future this series has established in its first three episodes that it can present complex and interesting characters whose dumb decisions seem quite believable, and inspire empathy rather than disgust.  Of course, that will just make it much painful if it does implode in a white-hot rain of stupidity.

Ueno-san wa Bukiyou
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: B-
Comments: I guess Ueno-san wa Bukiyou would have to go down as the second-biggest surprise of the season, since I had basically zero expectations of it whatsoever.  This is one short (half-length) that’s probably well-served by the format – its ecchi, silly gag comedy works better in small doses.  All I can say is, tasteless as it is, Ueno-san consistently makes me laugh, especially Tanaka-kun’s quiet and affable psychotic behavior.  Also, Inoue Kazuhiko going off as the narrator – I mean, come on.  Are you listening, Kaguya-sama?  That’s how narration should be done.

Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B-
Comments: If you’d bet me before the season started I’d have Domestic Girlfriend and Ueno-san ranked ahead of Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai, I’d have given you any odds you asked for – but here we are.  2018 was the year of high-expectations series crapping out for me, and I feel as if that’s the direction we’re headed with this one (though I haven’t quite weighed anchor yet).  After Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu I’d have signed up for anything with Hatakeyama Mamoru’s name on the masthead, but he’s just basically doing one of his old Shaft shows here.  The one true disappointment of the winter so far.

Fukigen na Mononokean Tsuzuki
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B-
Comments: Pretty much straight on-target for season 2 of The Morose Mononokean.  I rather like this little Shinto fantasy, though it’s never quite able to inspire me to write about it.  The season has been right on-par with the first in overall quality, and I’m not expecting much to change in either direction.

Still Watching

None.  If the paucity of shows in the “Very Good” category was a clue about what sort of season this is depth-wise, this one being empty is surely the clincher.

Incomplete

Piano no Mori Season 2
Episodes Watched: 0
Grade: N/A
Comments: Well, it hasn’t premiered yet so I guess that’s about as incomplete as it gets.

Dropped:

Gotoubun no Hanayome, Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari, Egao no Daika, Grimms Notes The Animation, Kemurikusa

So with that, here’s this season’s blogging prospectus (quality over quantity):

Monday:
Definitely Blogging: Dororo, Mob Psycho 100 II

Tuesday:
Definitely Blogging: Piano no Mori Season 2

Wednesday:
Definitely Blogging: Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue.

Thursday:
Definitely Blogging: Yakusoku no Neverland

Friday:
Probably Blogging: Boogiepop wa Warawanai

Saturday:
Definitely Blogging: Hinomaru Zumou, Radiant
On the Bubble: Domestic na Kanojo, Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen

Sunday:
Definitely Blogging: Gegege no Kitarou (2018)

Manga: Otoyomegatari, Hunter X Hunter (hiatus)

Watching For Now: Captain Tsubasa 2018, Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken, Fukigen na Mononokean Tsuzuki, Ueno-san wa Bukiyou