Any way you look at it, Fall 2022 is a different sort of season than what we’ve seen recently. Superficially the numbers look normal enough, even a bit thin for a fall season – about 45 series, depending on how you count Netflix shows and split-cours. My hit rate for the preview is a little higher than its normal one-third – I’m previewing 17 series – but not dramatically so. When you start to dig beneath the surface and get into specifics, though, it soon becomes clear this is not business as usual:
- The two biggest commercial prospects since Tokyo Revengers – Spy x Family and Chainsaw Man – going head-to-head.
- Six series which have appeared on year-end top 10 lists at LiA, half of them multiple times.
- Two series (Mob Psycho 100 and Boku no Hero Academia) which would have been in my top 25 series of the 2010’s.
As if that weren’t enough Fall also sees the return of one of the shounen “big three” with the new Bleach series (which I’m not even covering), and a remake of a true chestnut in Urusei Yatsura. It’s highly unusual to have more than half of the preview series in the top two expectations category, as I do this season. One thing’s for sure – my “Definitely Blogging” list is going to be longer than it’s been for a good while.
It strikes me that we’re seeing a distinct class system in new anime productions becoming ever-more calcified. Big shounen titles always get adapted. Then you have a high hit-rate with prestige manga like BokuYaba (yatta!), Sousou no Freiren, and Dungeon Meshi (finally). But a huge percentage of new titles – more than ever – are the generic genre plonk usually produced on the cheap. Isekai LN adaptations are estimated to be 12-15% of all new anime productions, for starters. Add in CGDCT series and you can probably double that, or close. That means a quarter of all new anime basically fall into two genres. I love seeing those prestige titles get picked up, but that can’t be healthy.
In the larger anime world, Chainsaw Man is no doubt the biggest buzz property of the season. It presents a fascinating dichotomy with Spy x Family as they tussle for commercial supremacy – two very different fanbases demographically and temperamentally. SxF has already hit pretty close to as big as I predicted (very big indeed) and it’s going to be interesting to see how CSM compares. These two series are different enough that there’s room for both of them to be kaibutsu, but one can’t help but wonder which will be the bigger kaiju.
For me, though, it would be hard to top Mop Psycho 100 in terms of personal hype. This season should see Mob’s story through to its conclusion, and even with Tachikawa Yuzuru stepping back into a “chief director” role (presumably to focus on the Blue Giant movie), Bones has always shows MP100 so much love that it’s hard to imagine anything short of greatness here. It’s going to be a busy season for Bones, but with their multi-studio structure and relatively progressive management they’ve always been able to cope with that better than most.
As always the LiA preview comes with a video companion (also embedded at the end of this post). If you enjoy that or any of my videos I would be enormously grateful if you’d consider subscribing – helping me reach that magic 1000 number is a great way of helping out LiA reach sustainability. I look forward to your feedback – please share your thoughts either here or over on YT. And as always, my sincere thanks for your support.
Let’s move on to the preview. As usual, the poll is in the sidebar – please go vote!
Highest Expectations:
Mob Psycho 100 III – Bones: (PV) It’s an odd thing. Although Made in Abyss and Vinland Saga both made my 2010’s Top 20 list and Mob Psycho 100 did not, when all three sequels were announced within weeks of each other it was this one I found myself most looking forward to. I don’t think my ranking decisions were wrong, even in hindsight, so I’m not sure why that was. Maybe because this season will see Mob Psycho to its completion and I have strong faith in ONE to deliver the goods in that respect. And of course the truth is, if that had been a “Top 22” list MP100 would have made it for sure. And both seasons would have been my #1 series some years – just not the years they were released.
The recipe for success here is pretty straightforward. Two incredible main characters in Mob and Reigen (and Ekubo isn’t far behind), a great supporting cast, clever premise, and a superb adaptation by a superb studio. Bones usually delivers the goods but from the beginning it’s been clear that they hold this project in special affection. Their top director – Tachikawa Yuzuru – has been in charge, and the animation has been consistently stunning. Yuzuru has switched to the chief director role, leaving relative unknown Bones veteran Hasui Takahiro in charge, but I’m not worried. Bones loves this show too much not to give it the platinum treatment.
I haven’t read any of the manga chapters the final season will adapt, but those who have generally seem to consider this the strongest part of the series. Mob is an incredibly relatable and interesting lead with a tremendous character arc, and it’s always satisfying to see those through to their conclusion. It would be wonderful if all great manga got the sort of treatment Mob Psycho 100 has, but of course that’s not really realistic – certainly not in 2022. For my part I’m going to make sure I take the time to appreciate just how lucky fans of this series truly are that it’s one of the fortunate ones.
Golden Kamuy 4th Season – Brain’s Base: (PV) Golden Kamuy was my top series of 2020 (and it wasn’t close), and all three seasons finished comfortably in my top ten. In most seasons, certainly, it would be my most highly-anticipated series and one of the most anticipated generally. It’s highly successful bot critically and – surprisingly for me – commercially. It’s not the only show I’ll say this about, but it’s testament to what a hype monster this season is that Golden Kamuy is a little overlooked.
The big question mark hanging over this fourth and presumably final season is the change of studio and director. Geno isn’t typically anything special and things started off a bit rough (who can forget the CGI bear), but by the end Nanba Hitoshi had the golden touch with the material (pun intended) and with success came the budget to deliver solid production values. There was a time when Brain’s Base was possibly my favorite studio but that was long ago – at this point their track record is pretty inconsistent. New director Sugahara Shizutaka is experienced and did helm both seasons of a show I quite liked, Kyoukai no Rinne. But it’s anybody’s guess what the fit will be like here.
It will also be interesting to see whether this season does conclude the story and, if so, whether it’s two cours. They’d be hard-pressed to cram everything into one, though Geno did take several chapters and move them to OVAs. Given all that, then, there’s more uncertainty than I’d like there to be with a series I ranked as a #1. But I have an awful lot of faith in Noda Satoru, and it’s reassuring that writer Takago Noboru is the one big name in the staff carrying over from the first three seasons.
Mairimashita! Iruma-kun 3rd Season – Bandai Namco Pictures: Not many series have raised themselves more in my esteem from humble beginnings than Mairimashita! Iruma-kun. I always liked it, but for a while dismissed it as kind of a pleasant trifle. By the end of the first season I’d come to realize what a gem it was (and what a mistake I’d made in stopping my coverage of it). By the end of the second season it was comfortably a year-end top 1o series, and only the intense competition fall seems likely to bring causes any doubt that the third season will be too (in 2023).
Why is that? Partly because, like many shounen titles, it starts off a little slowly before coming into its own. But it’s also because Iruma-kun is a show that slowly worms itself into your consciousness, and eventually you’re warn down by it’s cheeky humor and overarching positivity. It’s a series where the hero is an incredibly good and nice person, and good things happen to him as a direct result of that. And that, dear readers, is a lot rarer than you think. And my goodness, what a supporting cast. The cherry on top is the truly inspired way Sunrise has adapted the manga, using the power of anime to enhance the charms of the series beyond what’s possible on the printed page.
Mairimashita! Iruma-kun will no doubt be pretty overlooked by Western audiences this fall – even bigger names will be too, given the hype level attached to a few big titles. But kid yourself not – this is a massively popular series in Japan. It airs in an expensive time-slot (dinnertime on Saturday), has received immediate sequel announcements twice, and – in addition to the title itself generating really big manga sales – it now has a spinoff manga that’s doing very well. This is the shounen giant hardly anyone in the English-speaking fanbase talks about, but they should – it’s a deserving success story.
Chainsaw Man – MAPPA: (PV) Most of you won’t have heard of this one, it’s a real sleeper, but I think it might just make a splash…
There’s no denying the impact of Fujimoto Tatsuki is pretty remarkable for a 28 year-old. Chainsaw Man is already a massive hit as a manga, and stands to become one of the giants of the industry when the anime hits. His assistants are responsible for the likes of Spy X Family – ironically its only real commercial rival – and the extremely buzzy Dandadan (sure to get an anime within the year). His two one-shots (written during the hiatus between CSM parts 1 and 2), Look Back and Sayonara Eri, were both big sellers and critical darlings. He has the Midas touch at the moment, no question about it.
I find both one-shots to be very good rather than great (Sayonara Eri is the better of the two), but I confess I’ve not read either CSM or its extremely divisive predecessor, Fire Punch. As such I can only go based on reputation. That’s obviously pretty high, but my only reservation is that I tend not to grok with super-hyped properties. I’ve also found that hardcore Chainsaw Man fans can be a pretty rough lot to deal with – there are some toxic elements in the fanbase which can make discussion of the series a bit dodgy. I’m sure that fanbase will hold MAPPA to a very high standard here to say the least. MAPPA very much want this series to succeed and be their flagship property (and they already have a few of those), but you still have to pull it off.
It’s interesting that effectively a first-time director in Nakayama Ryuu has been chosen for the most high-profile adaptation in years. As to story, we have a guy named Denji who’s fused with his pet devil after being offed by the yakuza, and is able to turn parts of his body into a chainsaw. I know this series gets extremely edgy and dark, both existentially and thematically, and my suspicion is that it will have a harder time crossing over into the mainstream than S x F – but will have the more rabid fanbase. I certainly hope the show itself is great, but at the very least it’s going to be fascinating to see how it impacts both culturally and commercially.
Mid-table:
Boku no Hero Academia 6th Season – Bones: (PV) Of all the big names that get lost in the shuffle of this nutso season, none is bigger than Boku no Hero Academia. Hell, I’m guilty myself in ranking it “Mid-table” – theoretically how many monsters there are on a schedule shouldn’t impact that, but I did take it into consideration. I get it – there’s little denying that the fifth season was the weakest. It just sneaked into my top 10, but only because it was a weak year.
The thing is, though, that all of the reasons for that are pretty much absent this time. There’s no movie in production to dilute the anime’s talent pool. Director Nagasaki Kenji will probably be more directly involved. And while the material of S5 was problematical to adapt – which was compounded by reordering forced on it by the third film – this season’s should be quite straightforward. And while the current manga arc is highly controversial with fans, the “Paranormal Liberation War” arc is widely considered (including by me) as some of HeroAca’s best.
It seems odd to say BnHA will sneak up on people, but I believe that’s going to happen. It remains a monstrously popular series worldwide but with a distressingly negative fanbase, who oftentimes behave as if they’re rooting for it to fail. Anime fans are sleeping on Season 6, and I think it’s going to make a loud statement reminding them why HeroAca is one of the biggest franchises in the world.
Yowamushi Pedal: Limit Break – TMS: (PV) It’s been more than four years since Yowamushi Pedal has graced TV screens, hard as that is to believe. Mind you it did have a movie in that interim, and the manga continues to be a pretty big powerhouse. It doesn’t reach quite the commercial Himalayas of Haikyuu, but it’s a big success. It broke the record for most tables at Comiket a few years ago (that may have been re-broken since), which gives you an idea of how large – and devoted – the fanbase is.
For my taste, I always preferred Yowapeda to Haikyuu – not by a lot, but it just connects with me a little more. Onoda is a great protagonist (both characters that made Yamashita Daiki a star return this season), and while the series suffered a bit with the loss of the third-year students, throughout four seasons its level has remained pretty high. Yowapeda is a bit unusual among sports manga in focusing on a sport many people partake in even as adults – cycling — which makes it very relatable. Ironically, it may be lucky in being slightly less popular than Haikyuu – big enough to get sequels, not big enough for the production committee to screw it over in making a cash grab by opting to conclude it theatrically.
Spy X Family Part 2 – Wit/CloverWorks: (PV) It’s always a judgment call whether to include the conclusions of split-cours in the preview. But given the context it seems appropriate to have Spy X Family as part of the conversation. It’s another one of those series that could easily be in the “Highest Expectations” category. Certainly it, as expected, with the adaptation it’s achieved more commercial success than any franchise since Tokyo Revengers. It also represents the only true competition for Chainsaw Man for the status of top dog of the post JJK/TR debuts.
It’s where it is because while I like S x F very much, I don’t personally consider it a great series. There are some dips in quality in the writing, and when it reflexively falls back on Anya moe pandering too much it can become a bit of a bore. For the most part though this series is very good indeed, and the adaptation has been as good as you’d expect given the budget, studio, and director (Furuhashi Kazuhiro). I’d also say that broadly speaking, the material to come is better than the what first season adapted. Seeing master and assistant go head-to-head with CSM and Spy X Family is going to be absolutely fascinating.
Fumetsu no Anata e Season 2 – Drive: (PV) Brains Base picks up one big-name sequel in Golden Kamuy and loses one in Fumetsu no Anata e. I don’t know a lot about Studio Drive to be honest – they don’t have an extensive track record – and director Sayama Kiyoko’s extensive 20-year resume doesn’t include much in this role. The first season’s production values with a bit inconsistent, and generally in the “fine” category – frankly it’s hard to know what to expect in that department this go-around.
In terms of To Your Eternity itself, I’ll say this much – it had as wide a range between its best and worst episodes as any series in a long time. That too makes it very hard to know what to expect going forward, because the most likely explanation is simply that the manga material is responsible for that, and the anime is at the mercy of what it’s adapting. That whole “silk purse from a sow’s ear” thing.
For those reasons, Fumetsu no Anata e Season 2 may be the biggest wild card on the fall schedule. S1 snuck into my Top 10 list on the strength of a sublime first episode, great last episode, and one outstanding arc in-between. But that was only because 2021 was a pretty weak year depth-wise, and there was a lot of chaff mixed in with the wheat – the 6-episode Jananda arc was shockingly bad on every level, and that exacts a price. I would have had no idea what to expect from a second season even at the same studio with the same staff – now I’m truly at a loss. We’ll find out soon enough.
Cool Doji Danshi – Studio Pierrot: (PV) We’re all the way down to the 9th series on the list before we get to one that isn’t a really big name. This web manga adaptation is certainly well under the radar against this competition, but I’ve heard quite good things. It’s a series of semi-connected stories about a bunch of guys who look cool but are basically awkward dorks putting on an act. Which, in my experience is pretty much what most guys who look cool are.
Kon Chiaki is one of those directors who’s hit-or-miss for me, but there’s no denying her talent. With strong source material (again, I hear this basically is) I’m confident she can do a job. You wouldn’t expect a Pierrot series to be flashy or lavishly-produced, but they tend to do very well in narrative terms when they do adaptations, and Play it Cool, Guys doesn’t strike me as the sort of series that needs that kind of production anyway. If Boku no Hero Academia can qualify as a sleeper, this series certainly can. The one qualifier here is that this series’ runtime is – oddly – 15 minutes.
Blue Lock – 8bit: (PV) One of the things you’ve heard me prattle on about lately is sports anime for people who hate sports. It’s an odd sort of sub-genre to have arisen but it absolutely has – this is a thing now. Maybe it’s simply a matter of the industry wanting to find more angles to exploit, and there’s a sizable percentage of anime fans (and non-anime fans for that matter) who don’t like sports and don’t watch them. And Blue Lock fits the bill perfectly.
Bored with soccer? A series about the JFA locking Japan’s best teenaged strikers up in a prison camp and pitting them against each other in a survival game may be just the thing for you. Personally I find this concept kinda stupid on paper but I’m one of those people who finds soccer interesting, so that probably follows. There’s no question the manga is very popular and the anime enters the arena with a lot of buzz, so I’ll be following it with a fair amount of curiosity.
Modestly Interested:
Tiger & Bunny 2 Part 2 – Bandai Namco Pictures: (PV) There’s no doubt a Netflix series faces a steeper hill to claim to really grab my interest. I just don’t typically consume my anime the way they dispense it, and especially in a season as packed as this one looks a show I get to whenever I find the time is easy to overlook. I liked the first cour – it was more or less on par with the long-ago first season, quality-wise, and I’m no less fond of Koutetsu as a protagonist – though I think an opportunity to further explore his challenges with age and fatherhood has largely been missed. The second half was where Season 1 kind of dropped the ball – we’ll see how this one fares.
Urusei Yatsura (2022) – David Production: (PV) Reboots of old chestnuts have become something of a boom in anime lately. Some make more sense then others to be sure. For me, it only really makes sense to do this under a few circumstances. First, the original adaptation left the work unfinished. Second, it’s such a timeless and beloved property that it demands a new incarnation every generation (Touch would be long overdue in that respect). Third, the original adaptation was such a disaster that the fans have an unsated appetite to see justice done.
To be honest, none of those apply to Urusei Yatsura. I like it fine, though it’s not Takahashi Rumiko’s best work IMHO. It was quite popular back in the day but hardly a series many people would cite as an all-time favorite, and largely forgotten now. It got almost 200 episodes along with a bunch of OVAs and movies. So why did we need this? Beats me. But back it is, with what looks like a nice budget and a ridiculously loaded cast. It’s quite the trope fest – perverted teen protag, alien love interest, lots of misunderstandings. If nothing else it’ll be interesting to see how a modern audience responds to those tropes being presented by a series that was instrumental in popularizing some of them.
Koukyuu no Karasu – Bandai Namco Pictures: (PV) Sunrise is pretty busy this season, after what feels like a pretty quiet couple of years for them. Koukyuu no Karasu looks like kind of an interesting wild card this season. It’s based on a series of novels (actual ones, not light or web) about intrigue and romance at a Chinese imperial court, with a strong fantasy thread running through it. At the heart of the story is a mysterious woman called the “Raven Consort”, rumored to have magical powers. Interestingly enough Gintama director Miyawaki Chizuru is in charge, which seems like a bit of an odd fit.
Seiken Densetsu: Legend of Mana – The Teardrop Crystal – Graaphinica/Yokohama Animation Lab: (PV) I don’t have any specific reason to be optimistic about this adaption of a Square Enix RPG. And indeed, RPG adaptations are generally pedestrian (or worse). But the staff isn’t bad and I have a hunch this fantasy might be halfway decent.
Do It Yourself! – Pine Jam: (PV) It takes a lot to get me interested in a CGDCT show – though having (possibly) coined the term I sometimes feel as if I should periodically follow one just for decorum’s sake. I’m modestly interested here – Pine Jam is an interesting and innovative studio (though their productions have often been troubled), and the previews for DIY have been pretty eye-catching. The plot is utterly generic to the genre – a bunch of high school girls in their club being adorable as they make stuff. But the director is the superb Yoneda Kazuhiro and – as is often the case with A-list directors – he’s assembled a crack staff. Maybe the visuals will be enough to keep me from dozing off.
Shinobi no Ittoki – TROYCA: (PV) The presence of so many sequels and monster hype adaptations means this season is light on original series – this is the first one in the preview, in fact. Shinobi no Ittoki is a story about the feud between the two great ninja clans, Iga and Kouga, which used to be a fairly popular theme for anime. Certainly a bottom-feeder but despite the apparent isekai element, I’ll give it a punt out of affection for historical anime.
Eternal Boys – Lidenfilms: (PV) The other original on the schedule, Eternal Boys takes on the idea of a bunch of “middle-aged” (which by anime standards usually means about 25) dudes deciding to become idols. It has the expected all-star cast and a pretty good staff, and I had a notion that it might be a sleeper. But the caveat is that there are unconfirmed reports that it could be a short, which would obviously pretty much torpedo whatever hype level it has.
Will Definitely Blog: Mob Psycho 100, Golden Kamuy, Mairimashita Iruma-kun, Chainsaw Man, Boku no Hero Academia, Fumetsu no Anaya e, Spy X Family, Yowamushi Pedal – and that’s the longest list in years (with no less than seven sequels)
Sleepers: This gets interesting. Boku no Hero Academia – which may be the first time a show has appeared both in WDB and Sleepers (yes, I’m putting it here – it’s going to exceed a lot of expectations) – Cool Doji Danshi, Koukyuu no Karasu
OVA:
Made in Abyss: Retsujitsu no Ougonkyou Mini Anime – 10/25/2022: Only the BD/DVD bonus mini-ep of MiA keeps this dying category from being a total washout. These sorts of things are normally trifles but Kinema Citrus has done a good job with them (and everything else about the adaptation), and at least theoretically it might be our only chance at seeing Marulk for the foreseeable future.
Theatrical:
Summer is usually the big season for theatrical anime but it was kind of down this year, and fall actually has a pretty decent roster of notable titles.
Boku ga Aishita Subete no Kimi e/Kimi wo Aishita Hitori no Boku e – 10/07/22: (PV) This is an interesting project – two sci-fi romances based on novels by Yomoji Otono, from different studios and released on the same day. As this is a parallel world premise, each film takes on one of the interconnected timelines. A novel idea to be sure (no pun intended) – no idea if it will work but credit for innovation. Also of note is that Kimi is directed by Kasai Kenichi, one of the old lions of anime who hasn’t done a whole lot in recent years.
Bokura no Yoake – 10/21/22: (PV) Sci-fi set in 2038 about a space-loving kid and his robot cat who turns into an alien ship. How can that possibly go wrong? It’s also adapted from a seinen manga, which improves its odds of being good. Nothing super exciting here in terms of staff or studio (Zero-G) but Bokura no Yoake could be an interesting one.
Suzume no Tojimari – 11/11/22: (PV) Any new Shinkai Makoto film is the main event of a film season to be sure. He’s the biggest draw outside the kaiju shounen franchises and possibly Miyazaki Hayao, a worldwide commercial phenomenon who it’s probably fair to say changed the way anime films are viewed internationally with Kimi no Na wa. Not bad for a guy who was basically making movies solo on his Mac when I first discovered him.
As trite as it sounds, I do miss something of the unpretentious authenticity of those early Shinkai films. As he’s become increasingly popular he seems to be more concerned with making what people expect a Shinkai movie to be than anything else. His last two films have still been gorgeous but have both played as a little calculated to me. As for Suzume no Tojimari who knows, but it certainly strikes one as being in the same vein as Your Name and Tenki no Ko. This time it’s a teenaged girl and a mysterious boy who shows up in her Kyuushuu town looking for a door in the mountains, which starts weird door-related things happening all over Japan.
This sounds like pretty classic Shinkai – teen protagonists, magical realism, the disaffection of young people with modern Japanese society. Expect lots of pretty scenery, soft-pedaled romance, and clouds and trains – as for the bittersweet ending, it may be that Shinkai no longer finds those commercially viable. It will be a Shinkai experience for sure, and that’s nothing to scoff at – he’s one of the most gifted artists anime has ever produced. As to whether the story will be impactful that’s less certain.
The First Slam Dunk – 12/03/22: (PV) Inoue Takehiko’s legendary basketball franchise returns with a new film. The most interesting element here is that Inoue is directing himself, which is very cool except that I’m not that keen on anything that keeps him too busy to finish Vagabond (which of all his series is the most deserving of an anime adaptation, and has received bupkis). I’m not actually a huge Slam Dunk fan oddly enough, and this being all or mostly CGI is kind of a buzzkill, but an Inoue-directed movie of his own work is certainly a major deal.
Kagami no Kojou – 12/23/22: (PV) Hara Keiichi has never equalled the sheer brilliance of Colorful in my view (and Summer Days With Coo is not that far behind), but he’s still one of Japan’s greatest directors (he’s done live-action as well as anime). I’d go so far as to say he’s the most overlooked too – he should be mentioned in the same breath as Shinkai and Hosoda at least, but rarely is. None of his films have found great commercial success overseas but serious anime fans know just what an auteur Hara-sensei is.
Kagami no Koujou is an adaptation of an acclaimed novel by Tsujimura Mizuki. The story follows a group of seven young hikikomori in Tokyo who travel through a mirror into a fantasy realm which appears to be a refuge and playground, but hides a sinister truth. I haven’t read the novel (or the manga adaptation) but it’s an award-winner with a great reputation. I love seeing Hara direct his own stories, but The Lonely Castle in the Mirror seems like a perfect canvas for him to work his magic upon. It will be a major surprise if this film is anything less than excellent.
sonicsenryaku
September 15, 2022 at 8:04 amI think it’ll be a 50/50 coin toss on whether you find yourself gravitating to what Chainsaw Man is selling. As someone who has read the manga, I think it’s a great piece of work, one of the main reasons being that the story feels as if it was crafted by a person who understood before writing it how they wanted everything to play out narratively and thematically. This is further corroborated by the fact that Fujimoto bookends part 1 as the end of a story arc. It’s clear when reading Chainsaw Man just how much of a fan Fujimoto is of arthouse films and how it influences the creative liberties he takes with his story, particularly the way he frames ideas, satire, social commentary, and emotions using the physical medium itself to manifest these details. As a matter of fact, I’m wondering how the anime is going to try to translate some of the cool ways Fujimoto panels certain moments in the story; hell, if it will even bother to replicate any of those stylings at all. All that being said, I guess what its all gonna come down to is whether or not you empathize with the characters or find them engaging; I get the feeling you will for one particular character, but it’ll probably be a 50/50 toss up for Denji. I found Chainsaw Man a delight and I’m curious to see how you’ll respond to it, whether positively, negatively, or straight up neutral.
Nice to see Mob Psycho III at the top of your “highest expectations” list as it’s also my most anticipated fall show. As I’ve said before, I find this last stretch of the story to be the narrative’s strongest; this mostly comes down to its thematic conclusion and ONE’s writing style having become more polished and nuanced than it already was over time. At this point, ONE had been writing Mob Psycho for 92 chapters, and it showed in just how much of a grasp he continued to have over what makes it a great piece of fiction. The evolution in ONE’s storytelling and the level of conscientious character work accumulated over the course of the story are explored in logically compelling ways while never forgetting to inject his brand of humor as an accompanying piece to the proceedings. While this final stretch doesn’t have as many moments of spectacle as the sections of story covered in season 2, it’s the coming-of-age character drama we’re all here for (plus the spectacle we do get is unique and wonderfully integrated). Mob (the character) is probably at his most flawed in this season, but he displays emotional intelligence, and we’ll get to see that all come to head in a spectacle of a climax by season’s end. If the rumors are true that one of the episodes has an animation frame count of over 20,000, I have a strong feeling I know which part of the story this is being relegated to and just…..hot damn it’s gonna be a doozy. I’m inclined to believe the leak, as well as the fact that season 3 is all wrapped up production-wise and ready to go. When you have an opening fully ready 3 to 4 months in advance and an ED with difficult animation techniques ready before airing, that tells me your show’s got a super solid production schedule. Anyway, enough yapping from me; fall season is gonna be bananas
Guardian Enzo
September 15, 2022 at 1:52 pmI have no evidence to base it on really, but I also feel like CSM is going to be 50-50 with me. I only have hearsay to go on, and the one-shots – both of which I thought were very good, albeit not quite worthy of the hype they got (especially Look Back). You can definitely see that Fujimoto is a huge talent, very thematically ambitious and innovative in his paneling – amazing for a 28 year-old. I’m just not sure he’s really grown into his raw talent yet, and I guess CSM will go some way towards me forming an opinion. And I’ve heard enough about Fire Punch to make me think I should probably steer clear of that one.
I have no doubts about Mob, apart from the tiniest as regards Tachikawa stepping back. Whatever the material has to offer I suspect Bones will, as always, make the absolute most of it. My preference with Mob is almost invariably the character-driven material over the spectacle (which was why I slightly preferred S1 to S2) so if nothing else I hope S3 leans in that direction.
Simone
October 5, 2022 at 1:20 amFire Punch is definitely way messier than CSM, it has the same unhinged creativity but it probably could have used an editing to shape it a bit more. With CSM imo the thing is, the beginning, while good, isn’t the strongest material it has. The best thing it does is sheer existential horror mixed with some straight up surrealism, but that only slowly ramps up throughout the story.
Jindujun93
September 15, 2022 at 5:52 pmI’ve unfortunately given up hope at Inoue finishing Vagabond, and if I’m not mistaken, hasn’t he himself stated that he’s unlikely to return to it (something about growing out of the violence part iirc). I know Vagabond had an art exhibition years ago that displayed what is essentially the conclusion for the story, so he might just consider it done at this point. Which would be a huge shame, because I’ve really wanted to see it concluded properly (it is my #2 manga after all, and the only reason it’s not at the top despite being objectively better than my #1 is because Hourou Musuko is more dear to me in a personal way, haha), but after 7~8 years without anything new, I’ve sort of given up hope for it.
But man, what a packed season. I’ve grown used to only picking up 2~3 new shows per season in recent years so I’ve been struggling to even make a top 10 by the end of the year, but this one? Yeah, this one has a lot. As a manga reader for both, Mob and Golden Kamuy are going to be absolute winners of course – Golden Kamuy absolutely needs 2 cours to finish the story, since we’re just about exactly 60% through the manga material at this point and the pacing was already speedy as is, so I’m curious about whether they’ll finish it here or not. There would be a suitable stopping point for a split cour at the very least. And Mob… it’s Mob. Knowing the material, it would take a disaster of the highest proportion for it to underperform.
I’ll pick up Chainsaw Man and Spy x Family, but… hm, I’m not even sure what my expectations are. For Spy x Family at least, I know I enjoyed the first four episodes the most and after that it didn’t quite catch the same spark again, but maybe S2 will hook me in again. Urusei Yatsura is something I’ll most likely give a try, at the very least. And probably the new Gundam anime just to have some mecha in my season.
Beyond that, it’s kind of dependant on my time and motivation – some more sequels I could pick up if I can bother to watch missing prequels before then. I’m still missing two seasons of YowaPeda before I could tackle S5, Iruma-kun sort of interests me but I haven’t watched either season yet.
Guardian Enzo
September 15, 2022 at 6:01 pmThe thing is, if you know anything about Musashi’s life, the part that’s untold by the manga is just that – a rejection of violence and a pursuit of other means of existence. It makes absolutely no sense to stop here if that’s the reason. That said, though, I’ve never seen the quote you’re referring to.
Lem
September 15, 2022 at 6:50 pmShinto Natsume never worked on HeroAka though.
Guardian Enzo
September 15, 2022 at 6:59 pmYeah LOL, that was a brain fart, meant Nagasaki Kenji.
Lem
September 15, 2022 at 6:58 pmI just hope new Gundam will be interesting enough, though Okouchi being in charge of writing makes me worried.
Eniid
September 15, 2022 at 10:01 pmChainsaw man is heavily influenced by series very much to your taste, Gainax stuff and also by one of your favorites from the 2010s (I won’t say which one for possible spoilers), but despite that I don’t think you’ll like it.
Guardian Enzo
September 15, 2022 at 10:18 pmWell, as I said in the video Fujimoto himself referred it as a kind of “dark FLCL” (which is sort of funny as FLCL is pretty dark), and that certainly recommends it to me. I guess we’ll find out when we find out.
Otcho_Shogun
September 16, 2022 at 4:26 amStacked season for sure. Only thing missing is an elite original and it would be perfect.
Really looking forward to Chainsaw man and if it will live up to its immense hype.
Other than the ones you mentioned I’m incredibly excited for a new Gundam series after such a long time. I know that you’re not that big of a Gundam/Mecha fan, but this may just be the only interesting Original anime this season. And the staff is a promise, that it could either be very good or plain terrible, But with that writer it for sure won’t be boring!
Guardian Enzo
September 16, 2022 at 7:38 amI have liked Gundam shows, but no, I’m not a huge fan of the franchise. I’m sure I’ll watch the premiere but this season will be so packed I may lose track of some series – let me know if it turns out to be really good.
Marty
September 16, 2022 at 5:07 amGenuine Question: What are your thoughts on the Big 3 Era of Shounen Jump? From what I can gather from previous comments and replies, you weren’t necessarily a big fan of any of the Big 3 series. Could this time period be considered like a valley, tucked between the mountains of YYH and HxH in the past, and MHA in the present?
Guardian Enzo
September 16, 2022 at 7:42 amYou are correct, I’ve never gotten into any of the big three (so-called) myself. Doesn’t mean they aren’t worthy, just never clicked with me.
I’m sure most people wouldn’t consider it a valley, but I suppose there was a stretch before HeroAca that I wasn’t following a lot in the mag. It’s also worth noting that there were other WSJ titles outselling some of the big three during parts of their reign – certainly HxH outsold Bleach & Naruto for much of its commercial peak.
Rita
September 16, 2022 at 8:48 amAs someone who finished the manga for Chainsaw Man the only way I’ve ever really been able to describe it is ‘idiosyncratic’. I certainly liked it well enough, but as with a lot of Fujimoto’s works for me personally what I walk away with is more a feeling of ‘huh that was different’ than extreme positive or negative emotions. It reminds me a lot of art house movies in that sense.
Chainsaw Man in particular gave me this vibe- and I really don’t know how to explain it other than it felt like a nihilistic story written by a guy who absolutely didn’t believe in nihilism. It definitely was unique and didn’t care for story convention and I wouldn’t have been able to predict where several of the plot beats were going- but if you’re familiar with the trope ‘shaggy dog story’ I kinda felt like that at the end of it. But leaving a work feeling conflicted is still miles better than leaving it feeling apathetic, and I don’t think I’ve ever left a Fujimoto work feeling apathetic.
But 100% my most looked forward series is Mob Psycho 100. Like, I LOVE that series to death and back and it’s one of the truly rare manga series where I honest to god didn’t have any nitpicks about the final arcs and endings. It was rock solid all the way through and that’s just such a gem- even more so in this age of light novels (some of which I even like but almost none of which I ever feel like have a coherent plan for how they want to END their work).
I think the ONLY ding against Mob in anime form so far I’ve had was season 2’s pacing for one of my absolute favorite arcs (Mogami’s) being crammed into one episode when it really needed 3. But if it can stick even a fraction of the landing in anime form as well as it did in manga form, it’ll be a masterpiece in my mind
Guardian Enzo
September 16, 2022 at 10:04 amAll this is why I decided to just hold off on the manga and let the anime wash over me. It should be an interesting experience. I have an interesting twist planned for the CSM coverage, too – I think people will like it.
fripp
September 16, 2022 at 10:58 amChainsaw Man (Part 1) is one of those series that is enormously entertaining (in my opinion), outrageous, violent, and silly. And I do think the characters are interesting and have fantastic chemistry, especially as the events unfold. That said, I do not believe it stands up very well to analysis or critical viewing, there’s just not a whole lot of thematic depth (anyone who thinks there is, is really reaching) and I sort of believe all of it was just world building for Part 2. Nevertheless, I haven’t seen a series that was this cool and this much fun in a long while. Part 2 of the manga actually feels like it has more to say and has slowed the pacing way down, as if Fujimoto has hit his stride. But Part 1 is best enjoyed purely for its spectacle.
Guardian Enzo
September 16, 2022 at 12:29 pmThanks for the insight. Part 1 is obviously all we’ll be seeing in anime form for a good while, anyway.
sonicsenryaku
September 16, 2022 at 1:12 pmI disagree wholeheartedly with the sentiment that Chainsaw Man (Part 1) lacks a lot of thematic depth, let alone it’s a reach to think that depth exists. Fujimoto calls it “a dark FLCL” for a reason and I can definitely see the trappings of those influences thematically and artistically within the story. It sure as hell acts like a better successor to OG FLCL than the sequels that released in 2018 ever did (crazy we’re getting two more sequels in 2023), but hey, I guess we can get into more discussions about that when CSM actually starts airing
fripp
September 16, 2022 at 2:37 pmYour disagreement, absent any actual insight, doesn’t do anything to change my views though. Hopefully you’ll leave some when the episodes air.
The comparison to FLCL is not doing CSM any favors. FLCL was a series I watched as a teen, rewatched again in my 20s, and while I still love it, I don’t exactly revere it or anything (unlike, say, Evangelion or Gunbuster if we’re talking Gainax). Having themes and symbolism and allegory isn’t the same as having depth – FLCL isn’t moving to me or thought-provoking. Tell me again what it means that Naota pulls stuff out of his head portal.
CSM Part 1 is essentially a battle manga with some extremely cool imagery and ideas. It’s not as though there AREN’T themes. I just do not find them very meaningful. What you see and enjoy on the surface is very much front and center. As a weekly reader, I’m exposed to all sorts of discussion on the reddit and twitter, none of which has enhanced my enjoyment, or even made me react strongly. Though, again, if you read an amazing essay about CSM, I’m happy to check that out and see what I’m missing. The only thing that moved me were the relationships between the main cast, but that hardly requires much examination or contemplation. Just watch their interactions.
I think Part 2 is where there is a lot more potential and it already looks very promising so far. But I’m just repeating myself now.
Enzo tends to take a more analytical approach to watching anime than me, but if he wasn’t overly impressed by Fujimoto’s recent one shots, which are held in high regard and much more grounded/conceptual (ie, not reliant on action/fights), I highly doubt he’s going to find the subtext in CSM Part 1 all that mindblowing. I’ll be interested to read his impressions though.
Guardian Enzo
September 16, 2022 at 2:47 pmWell again, I do like both those one-shots. And I do think Eri is kinda deep, in the sense that Fujimoto asks some interesting questions. But I don’t think he’s really interested in answering them – indeed, I don’t think he knows the answers. Which is, you know, fine – asking questions as an author and leaving te answer to the audience’s perception is certainly valid.
As for FLCL I won’t go fully down this rabbit hole after having done so so many times over the years, but I absolutely think it’s got depth out the ying-yang.
As for me being analytical in watching anime, if I am, it’s a direct result of writing about it. It’s changed the way I watch it, which was inevitable. And I don’t think you can (or at least should) do what I do without watching from an analytical perspective.
sonicsenryaku
September 16, 2022 at 9:32 pm“Your disagreement, absent any actual insight, doesn’t do anything to change my views though. Hopefully you’ll leave some when the episodes air.”
That’s exactly why I said this is a discussion best saved for when Chainsaw Man actually starts airing. I am curious though; what defines meaningful themes/depth for you? I’m well aware that just symbolism or being an allegory for something isn’t depth; it’s about how you use it comment on ideas and the insight born from said commentary, hence why I’d argue that what makes FLCL stand the test of time IS how meaningful its themes are and the way the series espouses on them so eloquently in just 6 episodes, both visually and through its script. The symbolism and allegorical text comment on Naota’s worldview, showing empathy for the confusion he experiences as a youth wanting to be more than just a kid, but also pointing out the hypocrisy of his behavior of trying to be an adult so soon; because yea, it just proves how much of a kid he still is, and why he has to come to accept that by series’ end. All of this is interwoven into the tapestry of FLCL’s narrative and commented on with such insight through its multiple storytelling mechanics; in that sense, FLCL is thought-provoking, particularly in how it uses its allegories to represent Naota’s depression while exploring his feelings in a meaningful way.
fripp
September 17, 2022 at 3:19 amI think my tone came off as a bit harsh so first I apologize for that.
I don’t want to disparage CSM or FLCL, these are both works that I have a lot of affection for and that I feel are both worthy of praise.
Maybe saying “thematic depth” is just semantically not hitting the mark of what I’m trying to express. Is there substance to both series to analyze, and are they both trying to say something? Well, yes, I can give them that. But to me, what makes a series feel like it has true depth and staying power in my mind is when that analysis actually enhances my enjoyment, affects me emotionally, and somehow makes me feel like I’ve taken some new perspective away from the work. When that impact is lacking, I feel like both the allegory and the resulting analysis are just exercises in cleverness.
FLCL and CSM Part 1 both kind of fall into that second category. I primarily watched/read and enjoyed them for the things I could see and hear, not the thoughts they left me with. To put it bluntly, I came for the action and stayed for the action. I can disengage my brain and enjoy it just as fully. They’re stimulating and visually inventive. You could mute the dialog and it would be fine to me. One could certainly write an essay about either of those works but I’d probably be left thinking, “okay then.” So maybe this is just an area where we have to respectfully differ. Maybe they impacted you more than they did me.
In contrast, there are other shows where I feel being mentally present for the dialog and observing every symbolic detail really does enhance the experience. If you’d like some examples, three that come to mind are Evangelion, Ping Pong, and Rakugo Shinju. And with Ping Pong and Evangelion there actually ARE a ton of stimulating action sequences but the pathos of the characters’ experiences supersedes all of that for me, to the point where I feel it’s the antithesis of FLCL and CSM. You could eliminate the action and I would feel just as invested.
sonicsenryaku
September 22, 2022 at 1:56 amWhat you’re saying certainly makes sense to me; for you, if your experience with a piece of work doesn’t arouse contemplation about its mechanics in relation to its intellectual and emotional musings, then you’re more likely to be of the opinion that the work is lacking depth. From your general point of view, if a work of art had depth, then any analysis, whether from you or someone else, would enhance your enjoyment and appreciation of it by a significant margin. In that regard, I can see the logic behind that kind of reasoning.
Depth, as I alluded to before, is about insight; the skill to convey discernment and understanding about ideas, both simple and multi-faceted, and how significant that insight is to unraveling truths about the nature of the topic being analyzed. Depth is a spectrum and doesn’t exist in black and white terms: the more tools a work of art is using to explore ideas in insightful and comprehensive ways, the more depth it possesses. Depth in media can also be presented in a variety of ways, whether its stylistic, thematic, or emotional. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “style over substance,” and while I understand the general idea of what people mean when they use this saying, I also think it’s been misconstrued by the very people who periodically implement it in media criticism. Style IS substance; it contrasts with emotional or thematic substance for sure, but it’s substance nevertheless. All these elements play into the spectrum of depth that a work can possess. I find that a work has depth when you can identify multiple details, provide empirical evidence for their significance to the works broader meaning, and corroborate how those details expand on, linger on, and unravel those elements in a concerted fashion. In the world of science, we are more likely to accept a hypothesis as being valid when multiple schools of evidence with SIGNIFICANT results point to the same truth; I find that depth in media analysis works that way as well.
Now don’t get me wrong, I think you’re absolutely right that at times, trying to find depth in certain works ends up being an exercise in cleverness rather than pointing to something that exists meaningfully. Human beings have a propensity to create their own narrative, grasp at straws, and even fool themselves into believing whatever rhetoric they desire; such is the flaw of beings who possess abstract thought. You have people who will swear a work is emotionally or cognitively deep simply because intrinsically thought-provoking stuff is espoused as opposed to those ideas being dissected with insightful measure and reflected on through the characters’ actions and psychology. This is why its important to hone one’s critical thinking and to be aware whenever bias and self-validation is acting in opposition to your ability to discern, test, extrapolate, and certify information.
At the end of the day, it’s fine if you think chainsawman has no thematic depth. I didn’t disagree with you because for confrontational reasons; I just didn’t agree with the assessment. Chainsaw man’s stylistic substance is definitely at the forefront of its quality and I completely understand if that holds your attention way more than the emotional or thematic; I don’t blame you because I would say Chainsawman has more stylistic substance in part 1. I just find that the thematic and emotional stuff is still a conscientious focus of the work on Fujimoto’s part and it all builds in a meaningful way by the end of part one. But i guess we’ll talk about it more once the show starts airing
Guardian Enzo
September 16, 2022 at 2:41 pmLow bar though…
sonicsenryaku
September 16, 2022 at 9:39 pmLow bar indeed; and considering I wanted to believe so hard that the team behind the sequels would understand how to make a FLCL successor, the fact that it came out so mediocre stings even more. Do I dare hold out hope that they may have learned something from this failure and do better with Grunge and Shoegaze????……..???????
Guardian Enzo
September 17, 2022 at 12:56 amNo, you don’t dare that. All but confirmed garbage, surely.
Orion Taylor
September 16, 2022 at 1:42 pmI’m so excited for the final season of MP100. It’s one of the few series that manage to really stick the landing. It’s gonna be great.
Guardian Enzo
September 16, 2022 at 2:42 pmBasically anticipation levels off the charts. I wish Tachikawa were still directing but I just don’t think Bones will screw this up. They love this series and it shows.
Tony
September 16, 2022 at 7:11 pmI guess Trigger’s ‘Cyberpunk Edgerunners’ doesn’t qualify as Fall2022, being released mid-September. Are you planning to review it at some point?
Guardian Enzo
September 16, 2022 at 9:16 pmROFL, was wondering how long it would be before somebody asked me about that one. I plan to try and catch up with it as time allows, but that’s easier said than done. If I like it I’ll try and write something up.
sonicsenryaku
September 16, 2022 at 11:17 pmIf you get some free time, you should definitely check it out; it’s a good romp of a show and if I were a betting man, I suspect it might end up being the first Trigger production you end up genuinely feeling positive about, despite your opinions on Imaishi’s Imaishi-isms. Keep in mind though that this is a show in the cyberpunk genre; that’s all I’ll say so as to not spoil anything. I’d suggest you watch the first 2 eps together: they make a strong case for show’s heart and what’s ultimately going to scaffold the rest of your investment during its 10-ep run. If after those two episodes, you’re not convinced, I don’t think anything else the show has to offer will and you shouldn’t have to waste your time. I personally thought this show slapped; Edgerunners was one of few times when watching a trigger-produced series that i said to myself: “I’m getting vintage Gainax vibes;” take that how you may
Guardian Enzo
September 17, 2022 at 12:57 amWell, it certainly wouldn’t be that as I’ve had two Trigger series in my year-end top 10 lists.
Sonicsenryaku
September 17, 2022 at 2:12 amHahaha completely forgot you actually liked Gridman and Dynazenon. Ok so make that the third Trigger series you feel genuinely positive about
lHyDrAl
September 17, 2022 at 1:49 amHave you been keeping up with House of the Dragon Enzo? After season 8 of GoT I didn’t think they’d ever be able to pull me back in but 4 episodes in and
they’ve won me over.
Guardian Enzo
September 17, 2022 at 9:10 amI’ve watched three eps and I like it quite a lot (largely because Paddy Considine is delivering a really subtle performance of an atypical SoIaF character). Not enough to blog it when I’m already busy, but I like it. That’s about what I’d say about Rings of Power, too.
Bob
September 17, 2022 at 2:09 amWhy are you calling Shinobi an isekai? I haven’t seen a single iota of that setting in its promotional material.
Guardian Enzo
September 17, 2022 at 9:12 amJust how the premise reads to me.
Eugene T.
September 17, 2022 at 11:29 amI am also of the feeling Chainsawman might not be your cup of tea. I know it’s currently in the ‘Highest Expectations’ bracket but it might do well to temper them here lol, especially early on.
I’m personally not a big fan of how Geno adapted Golden Kamuy- especially when it came to keystone moments like the Tsurumi/Hasegawa reveal- so I’m hopeful even a past-its-prime Brain’s Base will do a better job.
Kinai
September 18, 2022 at 3:03 amI really don’t know what people see in Chainsaw Man.
Collectr
September 18, 2022 at 3:46 amWell, I see where the hype is this season. Personally, I am looking forward to season 3 of Iruma-kun, for its goofy good humor and its equally goofy great characters.
Krembo
September 18, 2022 at 10:32 pmI wouldn’t really label Urusei Yatsura as a “forgotten” series, it has influenced a lot of works after it came out (both directly and subtly, though I guess most of those other series are outside of your tastes), it’s still considered as an all time comedy classic and the animated material just kept going further for some years after the manga’s ending. Though it has definitely been overlooked in the west, especially compared to other Rumiko works, and the lack of material after the 2008 OVA kinda left it out of the spotlight for a while. It also didn’t help either that the original series hasn’t had a proper rerelease (home video or streaming) in several years or a full international dub, only the movies. It might be because of licensing issues, all of which made this series kinda niche outside of Japan. Though I must say, a while back I found out that UY is one of the biggest ever anime in Italy. Like, almost at WSJ Shounen juggernaut levels of big. That place / community absolutely adores Lum and her series and should definitely welcome the reboot with open arms. Anyway, I’m intrigued by this remake as the original adaptation has certainly done quite a few changes that apparently made it a bit of a distinct experience compared to the manga (Ooshi’s involvement in the Studio Pierrot material is the main reason iirc). Haven’t read the source material, but I marathoned close to the first 100 episodes of the original anime during the quarantine and had a lot of fun with it (would like to catch up someday), so I’m curious how “faithful” the remake will be in comparison.
Elia Notari
September 19, 2022 at 6:51 amYep, can confirm, it’s indeed popular here
Nadavu
September 24, 2022 at 5:17 amSilly me, I thought Touch already had at least two readaptations — Cross Game and Mix.
So, is Fall 2022 a potential successor to Spring 2012 and Spring 2007?
Guardian Enzo
September 24, 2022 at 9:08 amHeh, if you think that about Cross Game and Touch I can only assume you’ve never read/watched one or both of them. Mix is another matter because it’s a direct sequel to Touch, so it’s supposed to be reminiscent. It’s not a reboot or re-adaptation though.
In my view, no – I see close to a zero chance there’s enough very high quality shows on this schedule to come close to either of those seasons. It may match or exceed them in terms of overall hype, but that’s not the metric I focus on.
Nadavu
September 24, 2022 at 4:29 pm1. Just poking fun at Adachi’s repetitive art style and themse. I love all his shows on their own right
2. I guess a season whose best offerings are returning shows isn’t on the same level as a season with tons of new originals
1 + 2. When are we getting Mix season 2 🙁
Guardian Enzo
September 24, 2022 at 4:48 pmSometimes in ’23, presumably. There was no date announced but that seems very likely.
Raypa
October 10, 2022 at 11:32 pmSo you have absolutely no interest in Bocchi The Rock? It’s probably one of the best anime of this season, at least from it’s first episode.
Guardian Enzo
October 10, 2022 at 11:44 pmI watched the first episode, thought it was okay. Nice visual aesthetic, but the story was pretty boilerplate for anime these days. I just kept thinking about how unsubtle it was compared to something with really strong writing like Yofukashi no Uta, which explored a similar theme without having the MC give the audience a running commentary on what was happening at every moment.