Lenlo: Welcome all, to the early days of the Spring season! Boy time sure does fly. And I still haven’t caught up on a lot of my projects. Jesus christ adulting is hard… Let this be proof I haven’t forgotten about them though! Anyways, we have a lot of shows to talk about, most of them looking terrible… So I’m going to skip them and only talk about things that caught my eye! That of course means some things won’t be on this list, from sequels I either haven’t seen the previous season for, like Yuru Camp S3 and Reincarnated as a Slime S3, to ones I actively don’t care about and think are bad, like Mushoku Tensei S2 Part 2 and The Irregular at Magic Highschool S3. There’s also some premiers that don’t get mentioned simply because they don’t look interesting, like The Fable. If something you’re curious about isn’t discussed, post about it in the comments! Tell me why you’re looking forward to it! I’ll keep it in mind when the season starts and I’m watching all the pilots. Until then though? You’ll have to settle for my taste and the shows I think have promise. Now without further ado, lets dive into them!
Category: Seasonal Previews
Winter 2024 Season Preview
Lenlo: It’s the end of the year everyone! I hope you’re staying warm and having a happy holidays. Personally, I have a metric shit ton to write before my next semester of grad school starts up mid January, so I am happy to announce that Wooper decided to make a short return and help me preview the Winter 2024 season for you all! We have a fair number of shows, some that will probably crash and burn like Fire Hunter Season 2, others that may actually be worth your time such as Dungeon Meshi and A Sign of Affection. Sadly though, there doesn’t appear to be anything too great to look forward to. Well nothing new at any rate, Undead Unluck and Frieren will still be going strong for a few weeks yet. And hey, who knows! Maybe something will surprise us like Migi & Dali did. Only time will tell. For now that, take a look at what you can expect from the next season!
Fall 2023 Season Preview
Lenlo: It’s time for another season folks! A bit of a more relaxed one I think, no huge returns like Jujutsu Kaisen, Bleach or Mushoku Tensei to take up everyone’s time. More like a bunch of small things for everyone to pick and choose their favorites and just relax, with a few sequels and standouts to spark some conversation. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some worth keeping an eye on however. Dr. STONE and Mahoutsukai no Yome both return to finish off their most recent arcs, while newcomers like Apothecary Diaries and Undead Unluck arrive to try and steal the show. Will they pull it off? We have no way to know just yet. One things for certain though, I’m going to be keeping an eye on them. Curious about what else is airing? Then read on, and see what else caught my eye this season! And if you think there’s something I missed? Make sure to put it in the poll below so everyone can know what you’re watching!
Summer 2023 Season Preview
Lenlo: It’s here folks, another season is on the horizon! You might notice something different about this one. It’s just me! Don’t worry, I just assume everyone is busy. That or this place is mine now. Whatever the case, there are a decent number of series worth keeping an eye on this season. From returning behemoths like Jujutsu Kaisen and Mushoku Tensei to new blood like Helck and Zom 100, not to mention some weird originals like Ayaka. On top of that you have all the Isekais that I either refused to engage with when creating this post or that I just legitimately over looked. Lucky for me I watch at least one episode of everything when a season starts, so anything missed will be covered there. For now though, lets dive into what I will be paying attention to this season. And don’t forget to vote below and let me know what you’ll be looking out for as well!
Spring 2023 Season Preview
Wooper: A few weeks ago, I messaged the other Star Crossed writers and signaled my intent to return for the start of the upcoming spring season. The reason? It looked like a promising crop of shows! Sure, there are five titles containing the dreaded I-word (the same number as last season), but there are also a plethora of new manga adaptations from sources both popular and acclaimed. They include two big-name shounen properties (one running in WSJ, the other in Jump+), a teenage romance set beneath the stars, a post-apocalyptic adventure series, an idol-themed revenge tale, and a uniquely compassionate take on high school life. There are plenty of sequels and spin-offs to look forward to, as well – we’re talking Demon Slayer, Dr. Stone, Gundam, KonoSuba, Ousama Ranking, and… Pokemon without Ash Ketchum?! I really am too old for this whole anime thing, huh? Still, the stuff at the top end of this season’s lineup was intriguing enough to rouse me from my slumber, so I’ll be helping out for the first half of April. First impressions will begin soon – in the meantime, let us know what you’re excited for this spring by voting in the poll below.
This poll is no longer accepting votes
Winter 2023 Season Preview
Lenlo: Merry Christmas everyone! Or, depending on when you read this, Happy New Year! Some of you might be wondering why I am the only one on this preview this time. I’m wondering that to. Everyone’s pretty busy, yet I’m the one attending weddings and shit. Lazy bastards. Anyways, I won’t lie, this season isn’t looking to exciting. Part of that is that nothing would look exciting after that Fall season. From Mob Psycho to Gundam Mercury, Bleach to SpyxFamily, lots of big stuff there. Even things I don’t personally like, such as Chainsaw Man, are blowin up the internet. Suffice to say, Winter can’t match that. But it does have a few gems sprinkled in to at least make it worth checking out. Vinland Saga returns for its long awaited 2nd season, while Nier and Trigun are both making long awaited returns to the medium. On top of that, there’s a number of new contenders that have the potential to be great. Will any of them reach that potential? Probably not. But I can dream damnit! Enough with the preamble though, lets dive into some series shall we?
This poll is no longer accepting votes
What the Hell
My Life as Inukai-san’s Dog
Studio: Quad
Director: Takashi Yasudo
Series composition: Unknown
Source: Manga
The Premise: Man who is horny on main gets turned into a dog so he can be pampered by his crush.
Lenlo: Now look… I will admit that this is purely on the list because of horny. It’s just curiosity I swear! I want to know just how horny this thing can get. Considering the PV has her stripping in front of him and putting her between her legs to bathe him, I’m imagining a lot. But can we go even further. Why do they blush? Why do they get all flustered? Are they going to fuck this dog? I don’t know! But I kind of need to know. I need to see just how god damn degenerate anime can get. Because the original creator for this series is a hentai artist. They make doujins, that’s all they do. So how the hell this got picked up for an anime I will never know. But I want to know… Fuck… Am I the degenerate now?
Middling Expectations
Spy Classroom
Studio: feel.
Director: Keiichirou Kawaguchi
Series composition: Shinichi Inozume
Source: Light Novel
The Premise: Conflict-ravaged nations now deploy covert waifu operatives instead of missiles. Follow a team of absolutely hopeless girls as they try their best to complete… the Impossible Mission.
Lenlo: I won’t lie, this looks like your pretty standard “What setting can we throw cute girls into this time” sort of show. The opening PV seemed more intent on making sure we knew all of our available waifu options than it did introducing any kind of plot or narrative. On top of that, it doesn’t even look that good visually. Lots of dark shots, flat lighting, standard anime designs. The only reason it’s on this list is because I like spies, and I think the spy setting has a lot of potential that anime isn’t really tapping into with all of these shows. Maybe, in some hope against hope, Spy Classroom will do something cool. But I’m not holding out much hope for it to be frank.
Fall 2022 Season Preview
Wooper: Rare is the anime season that gets me interested in upwards of ten shows, but Fall 2022 seems to have managed it, even while packing itself full of shounen series. These aren’t your average battle manga adaptations, though – we’ve got the return of a former “Big 3” WSJ property, the third season of a fabulously-animated Bones show, and the TV premiere of what’s probably the hottest manga in the world at present. These shows are so big that I don’t even need to list their names (though you can find our thoughts on them down below), but there’s plenty more anime to enjoy starting this October, including continuations of megahits like Spy x Family, blog favorites like Golden Kamuy, and oddballs like Pop Team Epic. Fans of pop cultural institutions like Gundam and Urusei Yatsura can look forward to new series as well, for the first time in 6 and 40 years, respectively. I’m just scratching the surface here, but I can’t list every noteworthy new show in the intro when we’ve got the whole season preview to go! Let us know which of this fall’s many offerings you’re most excited for by voting in the poll below, and read on to see how we’re feeling about the last quarter of 2022.
This poll is no longer accepting votes
Middling Expectations
Urusei Yatsura (2022)
Studio: David Production
Director: Takahiro Kamei, Yasuhiro Kimura, Hideya Takahashi
Series composition: Yuuko Kakihara
Source: Manga
The Premise: A flirtatious high schooler tries to score with every woman he sees, except for the alien princess who lives with him.
Wooper: Urusei Yatsura is a massive deal in Japan, being the first and most enduring series by legendary mangaka Rumiko Takahashi, with an anime adaptation by national treasure Mamoru Oshii. It’s also the progenitor of a zillion romcom tropes, not least of which is the Magical Girlfriend, embodied here by the tiger bikini-clad Lum. Though most western anime viewers will probably recognize her iconic design, this 46 episode reboot will be their proper introduction to Lum and the rest of series’ expansive cast. Should we count ourselves fortunate that Urusei Yatsura is being remade at all, let alone by this particular team? That remains to be seen, but personally, I’m not feeling terribly optimistic – this is the arm of David Pro that worked on 2.43 Seiin Volley-bu, one of our least favorite anime of last year, plus the pose-heavy JoJo Part 5, the rigidity of which is completely opposed to Urusei Yatsura’s ideal look and feel. The 1980s show is characterized by total freedom of movement, with male lead Ataru’s contortions and Lum’s flight patterns being unbound by the demands of a typical anime production. That sort of flexibility is critical to selling the series’ crazy developments: spaceships crash landing on Earth every third episode, hot babes of various mythological races appearing in Ataru’s neighborhood, alien technology interfering with the characters’ lives on a weekly basis. Some viewers will find these ideas dated no matter how they’re presented, but there are surely just as many who will accept them if they’re given a proper visual foundation. We’ll have to wait until October 13th for our first look at how sturdy that foundation will be.
My Hero Academia Season 6
Studio: Bones
Director: Masahiro Mukai with Kenji Nagasaki as Chief Director
Series composition: Yousuke Kuroda
Source: Manga
The Premise: Season 6 of My Hero Academia. You know the premise by now. Superheroes and villains meet for a climactic penultimate battle.
Lenlo: Let’s be honest here, you know what MHA is, so let’s cut straight to brass tacks. Content wise, this season is just one big battle arc. On the plus side, cool battles! On the down side, I no longer have confidence in bones and Kenji Nagasaki to give those battles the attention and production they deserve. Oh sure, we will get the occasional Nakamura cut or something, and those will be great. But outside of those I’m just going to find myself looking back at Horikoshi’s art and wishing it could have gotten better. Combine that with a general decline of the narrative content as he starts to lean more and more into basic shounen trappings, no idea why maybe weekly serialization is getting to him, and I just don’t have much energy to be excited for this season. I’ll watch it for sure. But I don’t yet know if I’ll enjoy it.
Summer 2022 Season Preview
Lenlo: And so ends one of the most packed seasons we’ve had in a while. From the drama and artistry of Dance Dance Danseur to the wholesomeness of Deaimon, the grand finale of Kaguya-sama‘s third season to the rising star that is SpyXFamily. It’s going to be hard to top that moving forward, but let’s turn our eyes to the future and see what is has in store for us. Like every season you have the usual batch of sequels, some big some small. Overlord returns for its 4th season of anti-hero Isekai while Made in Abyss will once again toe the line between tragedy and the grotesque. What is surprising though is the sheer amount of originals. Engage Kiss, Lycrosi Recoil, Bucchigire and Ongakutai Witches to name a few. For anyone wanting something new, you’re spoiled for choice. I just hope you don’t want anything good. And of course the big surprise of the season for me is RWBY actually becoming a real anime now. You hear that Reddit?! You can’t stop me from talking about it on r/anime anymore! Who has the power now?! ahem Like I was saying, there’s a lot of decent looking stuff this season. So join us and read on as we take a look at the ones that stood out to us. And make sure to vote on the poll below for what you’re looking forward to!
This poll is no longer accepting votes
Middling Expectations
Isekai Ojisan
Studio: Atelier Pontdarc
Director: Shigeki Kawai
Series composition: Kenta Ihara
Source: Manga
The Premise: An Isekai protagonist is transported back to Earth only to find 2 decades have passed, and now it is up to his nephew to help him fit back into the world.
Lenlo: The only reason I’m even remotely interested in this is because I think the concept is interesting. So many Isekai are just wish fulfillment for the young Otaku, pandering to the lowest common denominator. And while Ojisan still might be that, probably is to be frank, the idea of seeing him re-integrate with the real world after his Isekai adventure is one I’m very interested in. Very few Isekai actually tackle the implications of disappearing from the real world, with even fewer actually returning to said world. So while I expect this to be just another seasonal Isekai dumpster fire, I’m willing to at least give it a shot and see if it can’t do something more with this concept. On top of that it’s also Shigeki Kawai’s Directorial debut, so I’m always curious about a new talent getting their first shot at the big leagues. Who knows, maybe their desire to leave a mark will work out here!
Spring 2022 Season Preview
Lenlo: And so ends the first season of 2022! Will it be remembered as the strongest season in a while, bringing us the ending of Attack on Titan, Ousama Ranking, Sono Bisque Doll and more? Or did all of those fall flat for you like they did for me? Only time will tell. But the ending of one season brings us the beginning of another! And with it a whole new slew of series. Some are exciting, like the long awaited Spy x Family adaptation or the third season of Kaguya-sama. Others… Well lets just say we have a lot of “Middling Expectations” and leave it for you to find out. So without further ado, lets take a look at the Spring 2022 season!
This poll is no longer accepting votes
Middling Expectations
Ao Ashi
Studio: Production I.G
Director: Akira Satou
Series composition: Masahiro Yokotani
Source: Manga
The Premise: An unruly striker from a rural town catches the eye of a visiting soccer coach, who gives him an opportunity to try out for a J-League youth team.
Wooper: Ao Ashi isn’t the most hotly anticipated soccer anime of 2022, but it’ll be the first to hit the airwaves, giving it a temporary leg up on its chief competitor Blue Lock. The other advantage it possesses, and this one is far more significant, is that it’s being animated by Production I.G, whose track record with sports series is nearly untouchable. Haikyuu, Run with the Wind, Kuroko’s Basketball, Welcome to the Ballroom – all of these adaptations have been well-received by audiences, and I see no reason why Ao Ashi should be any different. The series director’s ears are still a bit damp, but one of the chief ADs handled half a dozen episodes of Haikyuu’s first season, and head writer Yokotani has prior experience on several sports shows. It’s the story that will likely determine whether Ao Ashi can leave a mark on this season, and I’m somewhat intrigued by its setting: a youth league with ties to Japan’s pro soccer scene, rather than yet another extracurricular middle or high school team. Will it eventually settle into traditional athletic rivalries and speeches about teamwork? Probably, but I’ll give it at least three chances to impress me before then.
Winter 2022 Season Preview
Wooper: Let’s be honest with ourselves. This season is going to be remembered for two things: the long-awaited conclusion of Attack on Titan’s TV run, and the continuation of Demon Slayer’s story beyond the material of its record-breaking film. Those two properties will attract nearly as many eyeballs as the rest of this winter’s offerings combined – titanic sequels aside, it’s not looking like the strongest start for 2022 in terms of anime. There’s the usual assortment of isekai and MMO-themed fantasies, a stressful three CloverWorks series airing all at once, and a trio of shows about lesser-known (and in one case, fictional) sports. Personally, none of that really speaks to me – my hopes are pinned on a pair of series that aren’t likely to make waves in otaku circles. One serves as the return of an acclaimed director and master animator after a 14 year hiatus; the other is an adaptation of a batshit insane light novel by a studio handling their first full production. Read on for more thoughts on those and a bunch of other anime, and let us know what you’re looking forward to in the poll below.
This poll is no longer accepting votes
Middling Expectations
Hakozume: Koban Joshi no Gyakushuu
Studio: Madhouse
Director: Yuuzou Satou
Series composition: Ryuunosuke Kingetsu
Source: Manga
The Premise: A disillusioned policewoman decides to stay on the force a while longer after meeting her beautiful new boss.
Wooper: Hakozume is destined to draw a lot of comparisons to You’re Under Arrest, the female-led police comedy from the mid-nineties, but having skimmed the manga and watched the PV, I doubt it will have the action focus that YUA did. We’re probably looking at a ‘moving manga’ adaptation here, not on par with 2021’s Way of the Househusband but definitely on the low end of the animation spectrum. Workplace comedies can make do with that sort of stiffness, though, as long as the characters are strong and the stories give insight into the occupation in question (2006’s Hataraki Man is perhaps the ultimate example of that possibility). Policewomen Mai and Seiko may well fulfill that first criterion, as their understated banter will probably be just as fun to hear as it was to read. I’m less sure about the second part, though a large percentage of Hakozume’s civilian population seems to view the cops as a blight on Japanese society, which is something of a unique angle. This series isn’t anywhere near the top of my watchlist for this winter (it’s not on the list at all, to be honest), but it features adults in the real world rather than teens who get transported to a make-believe one, so I figured it was worth a mention.