For a list of new and continuing shows we’re going to be watching (or at least giving the ol’ 3-episode look) this coming Spring 2023 season, check out our Anime List here.
Category: Lists
Winter 2023 Season Guide (Updating)
Fall was a relatively cut-and-dried season, as we only dropped two shows and picked up two shows not on our original list. The first season of 2023 will be a little trickier. It’s packed both with sequels to huge titles, intriguing new shows, Fall carryovers. Whittling it down to our usual 10-13 shows won’t be easy, but we’ll do our best! Here’s what we’ll be initially taking a look at.
LAST UPDATED 23 Jan 2023 – * = Series Added
Braverade
Vinland Saga S2 (Sequel)
sesameacrylic
Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro 2nd Attack (Sequel)
Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible *
The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague
Spy Classroom
Tenten Kakumei (The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady)
Urusei Yatsura (Fall 2022 Carryover)
MagicalChurlSukui
BOFURI 2 (Sequel)
DanMachi IV Part 2 (Sequel)
The Eminence in Shadow (Fall 2022 Carryover)
In/Spectre Season 2 (Sequel)
Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World *
The Misfit of Demon King Academy II (Sequel)
To Your Eternity S2 (Fall 2022 Carryover)
Fall 2022 Season Guide (Updating)
New Season, new shows, new seasons of old shows, new seasons of very old shows, etc. Here’s what we’ll be initially taking a look at.
LAST UPDATED 3 Dec 2022
Braverade
Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War (Franchise)
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (Franchise)
Spy x Family S2 (Sequel)
sesameacrylic
Fuufu Ijou, Koibito Miman. (More than a married couple, but not lovers.)
Urusei Yatsura (Re-Imagining of 1981 Original)
MagicalChurlSukui
To Your Eternity S2 (Sequel)
Golden Kamuy S4 (Sequel)
Summer 2022 Season Guide (Updating)
Oh, hello there! We’re now in Week 11 and quickly approaching Week 12 of the Spring 2022 season, which means saying goodbye to a bunch of one-cours and nearing the midpoint of a couple of two-cours.
It also means, of course, that a whole mess of new Summer series and sequels await us in just a couple weeks’ time. We’ll try to make sense of the onslaught of new and familiar names, and hopefully whittle our watch list down from 14-15 to 8-10 shows (including carryovers).
LAST UPDATED 8 Jul 2022
Braverade
Overlord IV (Sequel)
Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer
sesameacrylic
A Couple of Cuckoos (Spring 2022 Carryover)
Rent-A-Girlfriend S2 (Sequel)
MagicalChurlSukui
DanMachi Season IV (Sequel)
The Devil is a Part-Timer! S2 (Sequel)
Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun (Sequel)
Summertime Render (Spring 2022 Carryover)
Spring 2022 Season Guide (Updating)
UPDATE 17 APR 2022: We’ve just about nailed down the 11-to-12 shows we’ll be reviewing. We look forward to watching and hope you look forward to reading. Happy Easter!
With Spring comes a whole mess of shows, including the highly-anticipated latest seasons of some massively popular series and a number of “copycat” series. We’ve picked out the eighteen that look the most interesting from the MAL seasonal anime page. It will prove hard to balance the sequels with the new stuff, but as always, we’ll do our best to find a way!
—RABUJOI STAFF
LAST UPDATED 17 Apr 2022
Braverade
Birdie Wing: Girls’ Golf Story
Black★★Rock Shooter: Dawn Fall
Spy x Family – Top Pick
Koi wa Sekai Seifuku no Ato de
Love After World Domination
sesameacrylic
Aharen-san wa Hakarenai
Aharen Is Indecipherable
Heroine Tarumono!: Kiraware Heroine to Naisho no Oshigoto
Heroines Run the Show
Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Ultra Romantic – Top Pick
Kaguya-sama: Love is War Season 3
Kakkou no Iinazuke
A Couple of Cuckoos
Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san
Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie
Komi Can’t Communicate 2nd Season
MagicalChurlSukui
Gaikotsu Kishi-sama, Tadaima Isekai e Odekakechuu
Skeleton Knight in Another World
Kono Healer, Mendokusai
This Healer’s a Handful
Kunoichi Tsubaki no Mune no Uchi
In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki
Magia Record: Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica Gaiden (TV) Final Season – Asaki Yume no Akatsuki – Complete
Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story Final Season
Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road
The Executioner and Her Way of Life
Summertime Render – Top Pick
Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari Season 2
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2
Winter 2022 Season Guide (Updating)
This might be the latest (as in most tardy) season preview we’ve done, except for the early years when we’d just watch whatever whenever. It looks to be a full season full of new and old faces and a couple of bombshells. But let us not tarry: read on!
—RABUJOI STAFF
LAST UPDATED 16 Jan 2022
Braverade
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku-hen
Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc
Koroshi Ai
Love of Kill
Sabikui Bisco
Rust-Eater Bisco
Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season Part 2
Attack on Titan: Maybe The Kina-Sorta Final Final Season But Who Knows Anymore, Maybe the Anime Will Never End, Part 2
Tokyo 24-ku
Tokyo Twenty Fourth Ward
sesameacrylic
Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san 3
Master Teaser Takagi-san
Akebi-chan no Sailor-fuku
Akebi’s Sailor Uniform
Hakozume: Kouban Joshi no Gyakushuu
Police in a Pod
Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru
My Dress-Up Darling
MagicalChurlSukui
Fantasy Bishoujo Juniku Ojisan to
Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout
Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu
The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt
Orient
Orient
Princess Connect! Re:Dive Season 2
Vanitas no Karte 2nd Season
Princess Connect! Re:Dive Season 2
Fall 2021 Season Guide (Updating)
The leaves haven’t come close to changing or falling and there’s probably still a heat wave or two in the offing, but that isn’t stopping us from plucking fifteen of the fifty or so anime that will air in the Fall and adding them to out tentative watchlist, as we tend to do this time of year. Aside from 86 and Mushoku Tensei’s second season, there’s a lot of all-new stuff to check out.
—RABUJOI STAFF
LAST UPDATED 8 Oct 2021
Braverade
Gyakuten Sekai no Denchi Shoujo
Rumble Garanndoll
Sekai Saikou no Ansatsusha, Isekai Kizoku ni Tensei suru (Ansatsu Kizoku)
The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat
sesameacrylic
180 Byou de Kimi no Mimi wo Shiawase ni Dekiru ka?
Can I Make Your Ears Happy in 180 Seconds?
Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu.
Komi Can’t Communicate
Shin no Nakama ja Nai to Yuusha no Party wo Oidasareta node, Henkyou de Slow Life suru Koto ni Shima
[Sighs, takes deep breath] Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside, AKA I Was Kicked out of the Hero’s Party Because I Wasn’t a True Companion so I Decided to Have a Slow Life at the Frontier
Taishou Otome Otogibanashi
Taishou Maiden Fairytale
MagicalChurlSukui
Deep Insanity: The Lost Child
Spring 2021 Carryover
Mieruko-chan
Spring 2021 Carryover
Mushoku Tensei 2nd Season
Jobless Reincarnation S2
Saihate no Paladin
The Faraway Paladin
Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu
Moon, Laika, and the Bloodsucking Princess
Summer 2021 Season Guide (Updating)
Summer Comin’. As usual, we’re a little late in listing out the series we’ll be taking a look at. As you can see, there’s plenty of choices, and many of the titles are as long as the days are going to get.
Assuming 86 and Tokyo Revengers take a season off before their second cours, only MagicalChurlSukui will be watching carryovers of existing shows or sequels to existing ones. Both Braverade and sesameacrylic’s Summer lists contain all-new shows; no sequels or spinoffs.
We don’t know if that’s ever happened before, but as usual, we’ll be trying to whittle our total watchlist down to around a dozen, which means dropping seven or eight of the titles below if they’re not worth watching or otherwise redundant to our anime needs of the moment.
As usual, bold titles below are the shows to which we’ll be paying particular attention, and titles may be added or subtracted as needed. That means non-bold shows aren’t guaranteed to be reviewed, just checked out.
—RABUJOI STAFF
LAST UPDATED 1 Sept 2021
Braverade
Genjitsu Shugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki – Skipped
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom
Meikyuu Black Company – Dropped
NIGHT HEAD 2041 – Dropped
Scarlet Nexus – Dropped
Sonny Boy – Picked Up
Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru. – Dropped
The Detective Is Already Dead / Tanmoshi
Tokyo Revengers– Dropped
Spring 2021 Carryover
sesameacrylic
Bokutachi no Remake
Remake Our Life!
Kageki Shoujo!!
Remake Our Life!
Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid
The Duke of Death and His Maid
Shiroi Suna no Aquatope
Aquatope of White Sand
Uramichi Oniisan
Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan
MagicalChurlSukui
To Your Eternity
Spring 2021 Carryover
TenSura 2nd Season Part 2
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Sotsu – Skipped
Higurashi: When They Cry – SOTSU
Peach Boy Riverside
Tsuki ga Michibiku Isekai Douchuu
Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy-
Vanitas no Carte
The Case Study of Vanitas
Spring 2021 Season Guide (Updating)
We’ve approached the halfway point of the Winter 2021 anime season, which is usually the time for us to start taking a gander at what’s on the horizon for the Spring. The biggest title on our list so far is the third and final season of Fruits Basket, which should be something.
-
- We’ll be watching and reviewing all Bold titles below.
Crossed-outtitles have been dropped or skipped.
- We’ll be watching and reviewing all Bold titles below.
—RABUJOI STAFF
LAST UPDATED 21 Apr 2021
Braverade
86
SSSS.Dynazenon
Tokyo Revengers
Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song
Mars Red
sesameacrylic
Don’t Toy With Me, Nagatoro-san
Higehiro
Osamake
Those Snow White Notes
Zombieland Saga: Revenge
Combatants Will Be Dispatched!
Koikimo
MagicalChurlSukui
Fruits Basket: The Final
To Your Eternity
The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent
Slime 300
Full Dive
Jouran: The Princess of Snow and Blood
Tensura Nikki
Winter 2021 Season Guide (Updating)
We’re about to enter our twelfth year on the interwebz, and it will be hard to top the eleventh for pure strangeness. We’re not sure if we’ll get much snow this coming Winter (we didn’t get much last Winter) but the metaphor of a fresh blanket of snow providing a blank canvas for the year still fits.
As usual, we’re simply listing shows that are either from franchises we follow or new shows that look interesting based solely on the promo art and talent involved. As such, we’ll surely be adding and subtracting from this list as we draw closer to showtime. Recommendations are welcome!
—RABUJOI STAFF
LAST UPDATED 1 Feb 2021
Braverade
Attack on Titan
Demon Slayer (Spring 2019)
Jujutsu Kaisen
Kemono Jihen
Otherside Picnic
Ex-Arm (NOPE)
Hortensia Saga
sesameacrylic
Horimiya
Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun
The Quintessential Quintuplets 2nd Season
Vlad Love (Resumes 14 Feb)
Wonder Egg Priority
Jimihen!!: Jimiko wo Kaechau Jun Isei Kouyuu!! (Skipped)
Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san (Skipped)
Ore dake Haireru Kakushi Dungeon (Dropped)
MagicalChurlSukui
Higurashi: When They Cry – Gou (Fall 2020)
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
The Promised Neverland 2nd Season
Re:Zero 2nd Season Part 2
TenSura 2nd Season
Fall 2020 Season Guide (Updating)
So far it’s slim pickings this coming Fall—not surprising considering the state of the world. Only a handful of new anime are listed on MAL’s Fall 2020 list, and some of those are sequel seasons to shows we’ve either never seen or are too far behind to attempt to catch up.
Regardless of the number of shows we’ll ultimately be watching, we’ll be implementing an all-new 5-star rating system more akin to Anime News Network than the MAL’s 1-10 scale:
While some among the staff have long been proponents of the 1-10 scale, in practice there are rarely any episodes we’d rate 1-5, since it only takes one or two such episodes to cause us to drop the show entirely. We’ll see how it goes.
This list will be updated if and when we pick up or drop any additional shows. If you have any recommendations, let us know in the comments and we’ll take them under advisement. And as always, thanks for reading, and take care!
—RABUJOI STAFF
LAST UPDATED 1 Oct 2020
Braverade
Akudama Drive
Assault Lily: Bouquet
Golden Kamuy 3rd Season
Warlords of Sigrdrifa
sesameacrylic
Adachi & Shimamura
Great Pretender (ONA)
Ikebukuro West Gate Park
Sleeping Princess in the Demon Castle
Talentless Nana
TONIKAWA: Over the Moon For You
MagicalChurlSukui
DanMachi III
Higurashi: When They Cry – Gou
Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World
The Day I Became a God
Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina
Summer 2020 Season Guide (Updating)
We usually come out with a new season guide roughly halfway through the current season, so we’re running a little late. Depending on the state of Japan (and incidentally, the world) in July, many of the shows on this list may be further delayed or postponed…or they may all air on time! Only time will tell.
For now, here’s a brief look at the shows that have piqued our curiosity. We’ve only listed shows that have been confirmed to air or carry over this Summer. While sequels to heavy hitters like Re:Zero, SAO and Oregairu are set to (finally) air, we’ll also be checking out as many new and original shows as time allows.
This list will be updated periodically. If you have any recommendations, let us know in the comments. And as always, thanks for reading!
—RABUJOI STAFF
LAST UPDATED 27 Aug 2020
Braverade
Deca-Dence
No Guns Life S2
SAO: Alicization: War of Underworld S2
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T
Fugou Keiji – Balance: UNLIMITED—Resuming from Spring
Gibiate—Dropped
The God of High School—Dropped
sesameacrylic
Appare-Ranman!
Oregairu S3
Rent-a-Girlfriend
Uzaki-chan wa Asobitai!
Great Pretender (Netflix ONA)—Awaiting Remaining Episodes
Dokyuu Hentai HxEros—Dropped
Shokugeki no Souma 5—Dropped
MagicalChurlSukui
Cardcaptor Sakura (1998)
Fruits Basket (2019) 2nd Season
Re:Zero S2
The Misfit of Demon King Academy
Lapis Re:LiGHTs – Dropped
RABUJOI’S Top 10 Anime of Winter 2020
10. Magia Record
The style, atmosphere, and whimiscal visual language of the original Madoka are there, but the narrative depth (not to mention novelty) are notably absent. Questions are often answered with more questions in a story that remains stubbornly opaque, the very Madoka-esque MC Iroha’s central quest leads to a dead end, and there are probably more magical girls introduced than needed. That said, it’s not terrible, and probably a must-see for Madoka completionist. Hopefully its second season will improve upon the shortcomings of the first.
9. BOFURI
It’s full title—i don’t want to get hurt so I’ll max out my defense—is its general premise, but the devil’s in the execution, details, and above all tone, and BOFURI excels at all three and kept me coming back, where a similar VRMMO game, Infinite Dendrodragon, lost me in its opening minutes. In addition to being cute as all get-out, Maple represents a bright (light-wise, not smarts) ball of optimism who values making friends and having fun together over winning…though she wins plenty!
8. Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun
While there are times when calling this “animation” is generous, the lushness of the painterly stills that suffuse Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun more than make up for the occasional lack of complex motion. Unlike other Lerche entries, it also benefits from a much smaller cast and an optimistic outlook that brightens its darker corners. Nene, Hanako, Kou & Co. are all beautifully drawn and voiced and easy to root for.
7. ID:INVADED
Drawing from a dizzying array of sources from Sherlock Holmes to Blade Runner, ID:INVADED makes up for it’s lack of solid resolution and occasionally scattered ideas with slick character design, a smattering of likable (or at least sympathetic characters with clear motivations, and some truly weird dreamscapes.
6. In/Spectre
A show that celebrates both traditional and modern forms of storytelling, Kyokou Suiri is anchored by it’s surpassingly spunky, takes-no-prisoners, pint-sized supernatural detective extraordinaire, the one-legged, one-eyed Kotoko. There’s a lot of talking in this show, but it’s almost never not thrilling, and often accompanied by just the right amount of action and comedy. Your mileage may vary when it comes to her likability or the show’s structure (half monster of the week, half final showdown), but I loved In/Spectre’s tendency to march to the beat of its own drum.
5. Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T
We’re only nine episodes into a planned 25-episode series, but Railgun T marks a return to character-driven, (relatively) straightforward storytelling and planting a firm spotlight on the titular uber-heroine Misaka Mikoto, frightening and adorable in equal measure, depending on her mood. She finds herself and her friends in the middle of a squabble between factions of her city’s underworld, but (perhaps) with her sparkly-eyed frenemy Misaki she looks poised to make life inconvenient for all of them.
4. Fate/Grand Order: ADF – Babylonia
An “It’s All Down To This/Us” pervades every episode of F/GO, but while the future of human civilization is taken to the absolute brink, there’s never the slightest sense of nihilism or fatalism in its narrative. That’s thanks to the dogged bravery of its two leads Ritsuka and Mash and their galaxy of awesome-looking gods, goddesses, and kings doing increasingly awesome things by their side. A feast for the eyes with the capacity to warm the heart.
3. Chihayafuru 3
Chihayafuru manga and anime fans alike probably found a lot to like about the long-awaited third season, arriving six years after the second with a lot to do. The primary gripe, then, is that we may have to wait another few years to return to this quirky world of intensely competitive karuta players more often than not finding the game a haven of clarity from their tangled relationships, emotions, and futures.
2. Somali and the Forest Spirit
Can a human child survive in a world that hates (and eats) humanity? More importantly, does her golem guardian love her? Yes and yes, as explored in a sumptuous fantasy anime packed with gorgeous painterly settings and equally colorful (and morally diverse) characters, in which the destination of the last human colony takes a backseat to the journey, which is educating for father and child alike.
1. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
An deeply satisfying and heartwarming anime about three startlingly different yet equally lovable young women coming together to create something amazing. A Yuasa Maasaki love letter not just to anime, but the creative process itself. Any other challengers for Anime of the Year will face an uphill climb: Eizouken is in the stratosphere.
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