Oof, it’s times like these where I feel like it’s a good choice to anticipate the good in life, rather than spend too much time being dwelling on the frustrating and terrible aspects of the present. Granted, there are extremely serious things going on in the world right now and sometimes being able to make the choice to set that aside is more of a privilege than we might recognize, but I’d like to at least give it a try. And what better way to do so than to talk about brand new seasonal anime? Honestly, my awareness of this new season has been less than optimal, since I’ve been dealing with a lot of real-life stuff. But there are tons of resources out there that have helped me get up to speed and have reignited my interests to the extent that they’re able to be reignited.
Yes, I know the season has already started. Like, really really started. But I still haven’t begun watching any new anime (because life has just been… so much), so technically as far as this site is concerned, this is still timely. And technicalities are how we manage to keep our heads above water (or manage our sanity).
Note: As usual, this list comprises the new anime that sound interesting to me personally and is not meant to be comprehensive nor complete. Anime that sounds interesting from a description may not pan out, and something unassuming might turn out to be a hidden gem. For a more complete picture of the season as a whole, might I suggest the following resources (which I have also used):
- My Anime List – Spring 2020
- Livechart.me – Spring 2020
- Anime News Network – Upcoming Anime List (constantly updated, so may be out-of-date depending on when you’re reading this)
- Random Curiosity’s Spring Anime Preview
I will also be using the officially-translated English language title, if available, so that people are more likely to find official streaming versions if they go looking.
Tower of God
Streaming: Crunchyroll
Airing: April 1st, 2020
As anime becomes more and more international, it’s interesting to see which productions draw from unusual source material. This obviously isn’t the first Korean Manhwa adaptation that a Japanese studio has produced, but it seems to be a fairly high-profile one. And with Crunchyroll, an American company, on the production committee (and advertising the heck out of the series, as you would expect them to), it represents a truly interesting combination of factors that I’m expecting to see more in the coming seasons.
As far as the series itself goes (boy chases after girl, boy undergoes a series of increasingly-difficult trials on the journey to do so), I don’t necessarily think the story itself is that unique. That’s not really an issue, but I also admit the show’s production situation is more interesting to me than the content. But it does have a very unusual visual style, with settings and creatures that feel drawn from a very different visual language, and that’s usually enough to keep me interested interested, if not for the long haul, at least briefly.
BNA – Brand New Animal
Streaming: Netflix (late-cast in the US)
Airing: 6 episodes released to Netflix Japan on March 21st, 2020. Japanese TV broadcast begins April 8, 2020
Because American Netflix wants me to suffer, I’m adding this to my seasonal preview simply as a formality; we won’t be getting the show in Spring (or maybe even in Summer, who knows?). But I still want to watch it.
Studio Trigger’s output has always been variable, but I tend to think they’re more successful when they put their specific stylistic talents toward original stories instead of adaptations of others’ work. This is an original series, directed by Yoh Yoshinari, which makes me hope it’ll be more Little Witch Academia than When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace. It also has the distinction of being yet another anime with anthropomorphic characters (or, I suppose, human-anthro hybrids), which, as someone who appreciates the furry fandom, appeals to me.
The style of the series seems unabashedly Trigger, with whip-tight animation and cute, stylized characters. Story-wise, though, it also seems like the show might attempt to tackle some bigger themes, racial discrimination being one of them. I’m interested, and yet a little cautious; Trigger’s stories often hit with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, and certain social issues require a bit more delicacy to avoid becoming offensive. Still, it looks like a really fun ride, and I hope that, at some point in the near future, Netflix will get a clue about how to release their anime.
Gleipnir
Streaming: Funimation
Airing: April 5, 2020
So… I’m almost positive that this show is not my thing. I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with “hype” anime that just ends up being violent and misanthropic, and I have extremely strong suspicions that this is what Gleipnir is. But it’s admittedly difficult not to be curious about an anime when its key art is riddled with images of a giant, terrifying mascot suit. The animation in the trailer looks really sharp, also.
While series about angry boys lashing out just aren’t my favorite, I do take a lot of interest in stories about people with hidden lives and feelings, even if those aspects are dark and uncomfortable. We all have our secrets and they aren’t always flattering. I can’t claim that my hidden frustrations are quite as distinctive-looking as a toothy, grinning hell-beast, but who knows how they’d physically manifest, and what horrors they might commit?
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!
Streaming: Crunchyroll
Airing: April 4th, 2020
I think as otaku we all hope that our arcane knowledge of anime-related minutiae will come in handy someday. The heroine in this series relies on that sort of expertise for her very survival. This take on the “reincarnated in another world” scenario doesn’t seem as though it really breaks the formula, but the setup does imply that the protagonist is a more active user of her inherent advantages as a genre-savvy otaku than someone who passively reaps their undeserved benefits. As someone who appreciates stories of smart people using their wits to problem-solve, the story of a former gaming using her knowledge and cunning to think her way out of a potentially bad situation appeals to me.
And as a long-time anime viewer, I just have a soft spot for clever, funny young women in these protagonist roles. At one time I considered myself one of them, but as I get older I’m more than happy to relive those (possibly imagined) glory days through the characters I like and admire in the stories that I enjoy.
Sing “Yesterday” For Me
Streaming: Crunchyroll
Airing: April 4th, 2020
I admittedly know very little about this one aside from what seems like a fairly mundane, low-key setting and premise. I think anime is a wonderful medium that can portray so many different types of stories, including the drama of human relationships. We might not always think of these stories when we talk about “Anime-with-a-capital-A” because the medium’s most iconic stories are flashy and visually-striking. But even stories that could just as easily be filmed in live-action can have a place in animation, so I feel drawn toward ones that choose the medium rather than require it.
This seems to be the story of people at life’s crossroads. While we associate that state of mind with early adulthood, I think it applies to all sorts of circumstances that we encounter throughout our lives – new jobs, new relationships, moving to new places, and growing our families, among so many other experiences. It’s good to have that kind of representation to look toward in media. The visual style of this series looks really interesting as well, with its rough lines and muted colors.
Kakushigoto
Streaming: Funimation
Airing: April 2nd, 2020
As adults, we all have our secrets. Perhaps not all of them are as large as having a career drawing lewd manga (or maybe they are, who am I to judge?). The difficulty of keeping that sort of thing a secret is compounded when children are in the picture, because kids are curious about everything. The protagonist of this series goes to great lengths to ensure that his young daughter doesn’t learn about his occupation until she’s of an adult age – a responsible thing to do, but perhaps something that’s more difficult than it seems.
I have a great fondness for the character designs of Koji Kumeta; I enjoyed watching Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei quite a bit, and loved the personality his character designs provided for The Eccentric Family. I’m more wary, however, of any story that involves a dad and his young daughter, especially if the subject matter strays into the sexual realm. The fallout from the second half of Bunny Drop has reached far and wide, unfortunately. Still, I’m looking forward to this and hope things don’t go sour.
The Millionaire Detective – Balance: UNLIMITED
Streaming: Funimation
Airing: April 9th, 2020
This series falls under the “I like to watch hot anime guys do things” category. There’s really not that much to it – I may not be that hot-blooded of an anime viewer, but I enjoy watching attractive characters do things that don’t completely offend my sensibilities otherwise. I also enjoy police procedurals, though that’s contingent more on the types of crimes that the series choose to focus on (I’ve yet to see any crime series handle any sort of sex crime in a sensitive way, for example). Really, cool dudes doing slick things is a genre that I can get behind, whether or not the specific anime series is spectacular or not.
The interesting thing about this specific series to me is its pedigree – it’s based on a novel by the author of The Girl Who Leaped Through Time, which is an anime film adaptation that I loved. It can be difficult to say how much of an author’s original work ends up in a piece of media adapted by someone else, so I suppose it’s hard to say how much of the author’s influence will end up in this anime’s final product, but it’s something to hold onto, in my opinion.
Appare-Ranman!
Streaming: Funimation and Hulu
Airing: April 10th, 2020
What happens when two Japanese men wash ashore in Los Angeles near the turn of the 20th century? Why, they participate in a cross-country automobile race, naturally. It’s difficult not to be intrigued by this small snippet of story; aside from the logistics of how one “accidentally” crosses the Pacific Ocean to arrive in North America without starving or dying in some other manner, this seems like the type of tale that’s so goofy, it just might work.
This series also seems to have loads of visual style. The characters certainly don’t adhere to any kind of actual Old-West aesthetic, incorporating all sorts of anachronistic design elements into their character presentation. I love their goofy getups and wild color schemes. The atmosphere gives off a very “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 2” vibe as well, which I’m definitely here for.
Arte
Streaming: Funimation and Hulu
Airing: April 4th, 2020
This series is almost a no-brainer for me. It stars a young woman who confronts expected gender roles in a time period where this was difficult to accomplish. She does this by choosing a vocation that’s close to my heart – fine art. Set in Firenze, Italy during the Renaissance, the series seems filled with potential for historical commentary and robust culture, in service of an inspirational story.
My one potential beef is that the gender element to the story seems like it might be a bit ham-fisted. This isn’t to say that there aren’t people out there who need the mere concept of gender-equality knocked into them with a blunt instrument, but the subject itself is full of complicated feelings and nuance (at least for me) that the story of one (white) woman overcoming some obstacles really doesn’t tell the whole story of the challenges that women have faced when attempting to enter into traditionally male spaces. But let it be know that this is a teeny, tiny, extremely negligible complaint. I’m just happy that this sort of story exists in a medium that I love.
Listeners
Streaming: Funimation and Hulu
Airing: April 3rd, 2020
Anime and music are two great tastes that taste great together, and there are lots of really memorable anime that incorporate music in creative ways. This original series revolves around music, or really the lack thereof – the characters fight an antagonistic group called the “Earless” in some music-less post-apocalyptic landscape. Somehow things must change, as the trailer involves some pretty rockin’ guitar riffs and the visual motifs (including some aspects of some of the characters) recall things like guitar amps and such. The details of the story are a bit fuzzy to me, but it looks cool.
This series has been conceptualized by Dai Sato, who’s a fairly respected writer (though sometimes known to be pretentious – I recall some essay or interview he game many years ago decrying the fact that anime fans don’t seem to be interested in substance or challenge in their entertainment – while I prefer to watch things that require a little bit of analysis, I get a little tired of people who believe that’s the only way one should consume entertainment). For what it’s worth, I just tend to have an affinity for original anime projects, so I’m excited about this one.
Wave, Listen to Me!
Streaming: Funimation
Airing: April 3rd, 2020
The setup for this series reads like a cringe-worthy personal horror story – a young woman goes on an angry rant that’s subsequently played over the airwaves. Yikes! I’d be embarrassed. Yet, when she confronts the radio stations personnel, she somehow stumbles into a job as a radio talk-show host. Funny how life works out, isn’t it?
This is one of the few comedy-forward series I’ve been interested in for a while. The trailer alludes to both situational comedy and some completely over-the-top physical comedy, both of which I can get behind (as long as it’s not too cringe-y). I’m also curious because the author of the manga on which the show is based also created Blade of the Immortal, and it fascinates me how someone who could pen something so famously violent might also create a story that’s so comedy-focused. The tonal whiplash is fascinating to me.
Woodpecker Detective’s Office
Streaming: Crunchyroll
Airing: April 13th, 2020
This series marks another of Crunchyroll’s new featured co-productions, joining the new Tower of God and others yet to come. Really, the appeal to me of this series should be obvious to anyone who’s read this entire post so far – attractive anime guys doing detective work is my jam. This also takes place during an interesting point in Japan’s history, so the historical backdrop adds another layer of flavor that really appeals to me.
I know that low-key anime without much action are anathema to many viewers, so this is one of those anime series I don’t expect to be all that popular with the fandom at large (I’m getting vibes similar to last season’s Jeweler Richard, which I’ve enjoyed so far but which many if not most folks probably find pretty boring). As someone who compiles a mental list (and then, eventually, an official list) of anime that might appeal to “grown-ups” or at least non-traditional anime fans, it’s great to see stories like this being produced.
That’s about it for my list. I’ve somehow avoided most other reviews of the initial episodes of these series, so please try not to spoil me! I like to go in fresh, even if it’s really (really) late. Apologies to the bloggers who I follow whose wonderful posts I haven’t interacted with because I’m so behind!
In any case, I’m as excited as I can be about a new anime season; even when the outside world does its best to depress us, at least there’s some fresh escapism waiting for us on the internet!