Category: Season Previews

Summer 2020 Season Guide (Updating)

Poem by Empress Jitou from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse, Hokusai, c. 1839.

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 Jul 2020

Braverade

Deca-Dence
No Guns Life S2
SAO: Alicization: War of Underworld S2
The God of High School
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T

Fugou Keiji – Balance: UNLIMITED—Resuming from Spring
Gibiate—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 2nd Season
Re:Zero S2
The Misfit of Demon King Academy

Lapis Re:LiGHTs – Dropped

Spring 2020 Season Guide (Updating)

Cherry Blossoms at Yoshino, Hokusai, c. 1833

Here we are, at it again. We’re halfway through Winter, so its time to prepare for Spring by taking a gander at what’s headed our way when the weather starts getting warmer.

There are were many huge shows returning (now postponed due to covid-19) and quite a few intriguing new ones airing. Only four sequels are locks so far: Railgun T Part 2, Kaguya-sama: Love is War 2, Food Wars 5, and Fruits Basket 2. We are currently reviewing 11 shows, right around usual.

—RABUJOI STAFF

LAST UPDATED 30 Apr 2020

Braverade

Gleipnir
Tower of God
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T—Winter Carryover
No Guns Life Season 2—Postponed Indefinitely

sesameacrylic

Appare-Ranman!—Postponed Indefinitely
Kaguya-sama: Love is War Season 2
Kakushigoto
Wave, Listen to Me!
Shokugeki no Souma 5—Postponed Indefinitely
Sing “Yesterday” to Me

MagicalChurlSukui

Arte
Fruits Basket 2nd Season
Hamefura
Princess Connect! Re:Dive
Shironeko Project: Zero Chronicle—Dropped
Hachi-nan tte, Sore wa Nai deshou!—Dropped
LISTENERS—Dropped

Winter 2020 Season Guide (Updating)

Koishikawa in the Morning after a Snowfall, Hokusai, c. 1830-1835

It’s right up there in the site description: Purveyors of Fine Anime Reviews and Ratings Since 2010. That means 2020 will be our tenth year in operation (technically our eleventh, but we didn’t start in January 2010). A decade might as well be a century on the interwebs, and all we can say is we’ve been both blessed and cursed with the time and the means to do this as a hobby for so long.

We’ve watched a lot of shows in the last decade—the 100 best of which we’ll probably be posting listicles for in due time—but before that, it’s time to do our thing we do when the current season is around half-over: present the shows we’ve penciled in for viewing next season, which will also mark Decade Number Two.

Those shows are below. We’ll update this list as we add or drop shows. Leave any recommendations you might have in the comments and we’ll take them under advisement!

—RABUJOI STAFF

LAST UPDATED 19 Feb 2020

Braverade

Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia (Fall Carryover)
ID:INVADED
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T
Darwin’s Game
Infinite Dendrogram
Kuutei Dragons

sesameacrylic

Chihayafuru 3 (Fall Carryover)
Isekai Quartet 2nd Season
Jibaku Shounen no Hanako-kun
A3! Season Spring & Summer
Dorohedoro
Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na!
Rikei ga Koi ni Ochita no de Shoumei shitemita.

MagicalChurlSukui

Bofuri
In/Spectre
In/Spectre (Kyokou Suiri)
Magia Record: Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica Gaiden
Somali and the Forest Spirit
Kabukichou Sherlock (Fall Carryover)

Fall 2019 Season Guide (Updating)

“Autumn”, by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798 – 1861)

Lots of huge sequels/continuations air this Fall, which will make it tough for us to check out all-new shows. Here’s what’s on our radar so far. Chances are we’ll stick with most of these, and we’ll see if there’s any time for more.

—RABUJOI STAFF

LAST UPDATED 23 Aug 2019

Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia (Absolute Demonic Front)
Fire Force (Summer Carryover)
Psycho-Pass 3
Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld
Vinland Saga (Summer Carryover)

sesameacrylic

Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai 2 (We Can’t Study 2)
Chihayafuru 3 
Kabukichou Sherlock
Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yo (Are You Really the Only One Who Likes Me?)
Shokugeki no Souma: Shin no Sara (Food Wars: The Fourth Plate)

MagicalChurlSukui

Assassins Pride
Beastars
Choujin Koukousei-tachi wa Isekai demo Yoyuu de Ikinuku you desu! (CHOYOYU!: High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World!)
Shinchou Yuusha: Kono Yuusha ga Ore Tuee Kuse ni Shinchou Sugiru (This Hero is Invincible but “Too Cautious”)

Summer 2019 Season Guide (Updating)

Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Sudden Shower in the Summer, c. 1849-1851

Spring is almost over, and with the warmer weather comes a fresh batch new anime, including some very familiar franchises (Fate, Index, DanMachi). We’ll be watching and writing about some of those shows when July comes around.

As usual, Bold titles mean we’re watching that show; non-bold means TBD, and crossed-out means dropped/skipped. Additional Spring 2019 shows may carryover; we will add them to the list below if/when their Summer cours are officially confirmed.

A reminder: we don’t read any manga, novels light or dark, or video games the below shows may be based upon—RABUJOI is an anime-only blog. This list will be updated as needed. If you think we’re missing something, let us know in the comments.

Thanks! —RABUJOI STAFF

LAST UPDATED 12 Aug 2019

Enen no Shouboutai (Fire Force)
Kanata no Astra (Astra Lost in Space)
Katsute Kami Datta Kemono-tachi e
Lord El-Melloi II Sei no Jikenbo: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note
Vinland Saga

sesameacrylic

Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo. (O Maidens of the Savage Season)
Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru? (How Many Kilograms are the Dumbbells You Lift?)
Carole & Tuesday (Spring Carryover)
HenSuki (Would you love a pervert as long as she’s cute?)
Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san 2 (Skilled Teaser Takagi-san)
Tejina-senpai

MagicalChurlSukui

BEM
Cop Craft
DanMachi II (Is It Wrong That I Want to Meet You in a Dungeon)
Fruits Basket (Spring Carryover)
Isekai Cheat Magician
Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator
Tsuujou Kougeki ga Zentai Kougeki de Ni-kai Kougeki no Okaasan wa Suki Desu ka? (Do You Like Your Mom? Her Normal Attack is Two Attacks at Full Power, Okaasan online)

Spring 2019 Season Guide (Updating)

Tsuchi-yama, Spring Rain, in The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido Road, c. 1834

Winter is almost over, and with the (hopefully) warmer weather comes a fresh batch new anime, including some very familiar titles. We’ll be watching and writing about some of those shows when April comes around.

As usual, Bold titles mean we’re watching that show; non-bold means TBD, and crossed-out means dropped/skipped. additional Winter 2019 shows may carryover; we will add them to the list below if/when their Spring cours are officially confirmed.

A reminder: we don’t read any manga, novels light or dark, or video games the below shows may be based upon—RABUJOI is an anime-only blog! This list will be updated as needed. If you think we’re missing something, let us know in the comments.

Thanks! —RABUJOI STAFF

LAST UPDATED 21 Apr 2019

Braverade

Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2
Dororo (Winter carryover)
Magmel of the Sea Blue
Rising of the Shield Hero (Winter carryover)

sesameacrylic

Midara na Ao-chan wa Benkyou ga Dekinai (Ao-chan Can’t Study!)
Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai (BokuBan)
Carole & Tuesday
Joshikausei
Kono Yo no Hate de Koi wo Utau Shoujo YU-NO
One Punch Man Season 2
Senryuu Shoujo

MagicalChurlSukui

Fairy Gone
Isekai Quartet
Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin
Sarazanmai
Shoumetsu Toshi

Winter 2019 Season Guide (Updating)

Winter is almost here, and so are a host of new shows. We’ll be watching and writing about some of those shows. As usual, Bold titles mean we’re watching that show; non-bold means TBD, and crossed-out means dropped/skipped. This list will be updated as needed. As always, hit us up in the comments if you think we’re missing something, because we probably are. Thanks! —R.S.

LAST UPDATED 4 Mar 2019

Braverade

Boogiepop wa Warawanai
Egao no Daika
Dororo
Ingress
Sword Art Online: Alicization (Fall carryover)
Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari

sesameacrylic

3D Kanojo: Real Girl 2nd Season
Domestic na Kanojo
Kaguya-sama: Love is War

MagicalChurlSukui

Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka
Toaru Majutsu no Index III (Fall carryover)
TenSura (Fall carryover)
Yakusoku no Neverland

Fall 2018 Season Guide (Updating)

LAST UPDATED 7 Sept 2018

Summer is almost over. Sucks, right?! It’s back to school time, or at least back to half-school, if you’re in one of the east coast cities experiencing high heat and humidity. In a couple weeks Summer will be officially over but the heat will likely linger.

So, is there anything hot to look forward to in the world of Fall 2018 anime? We guess…provided you like one or more of three things: Sequels, Spinoffs, and Shows with Obnoxiously Long Titles (or SOLTs). We’ll be checking out representatives from all three columns and let the cream rise to the top.

As usual, Bold titles mean we’re watching that show; non-bold means TBD, and crossed-out means dropped/skipped. This list will be updated as needed. As always, hit us up in the comments if you think we’re missing something, because we probably are. Thanks! —R.S.

Last Updated 15 Oct 2018

Braverade

Goblin Slayer
Golden Kamuy (2nd Season)
Ingress
Radiant
Sword Art Online: Alicization

sesameacrylic

Ore ga Suki nano wa Imouto dakedo Imouto ja Nai
Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai
Yagate Kimi ni Naru
Zombieland Saga

MagicalChurlSukui

Banana Fish (Continued)
Iroduku: The World in Colors
Toaru Majutsu no Index III
TenSura
Tokyo Ghoul:re (2nd Season)

Summer 2018 Season Guide (Updating)

LAST UPDATED 27 July 2018

Spring is flying by, and you know what that means……The season that comes after Spring will soon be here. You know, that time when most if not all of the anime you’re watching end and are replaced with an entirely new batch. Here is that batch.

There are two huge titles that stand out: FLCL and Titan. There are also such far-flung premises as yakuza getting gender-reassignment surgery to become idols, a girl walking to school but never getting there, the inner workings of the body depicted as groups of human workers, and of course, vampires.

This is a big list, and it will be whittled down before the Summer is out. Bold means we’re watching; non-bold means TBD; crossed-out means dropped or skipped. As always, hit us up in the comments if you think we’re missing something.

Braverade

Steins;Gate 0 (Continued) ✓
Attack on Titan Season 3 ✓
Island
Overlord III ✓
Planet With

sesameacrylic

Asobi Asobase
Back Street Girls
Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro (Chio’s School Road)✓
FLCL Progressive (Only English dub available)
Hanebado! ✓
Grand Blue ✓
Hataraku Saibou (Cells At Work)
Sunoharasou no Kanrinin-san (Miss Caretaker of Sunohara)

MagicalChurlSukui

Banana Fish ✓
Happy Sugar Life ✓
Kyoto Teramachi Sanjou no Holmes (Holmes of Kyoto)
Phantom in the Twilight
Shichisei no Subaru (Subaru of the Seven Stars)
Tenrou: Sirius the Jaeger ✓

Spring 2018 Season Preview (Updated)

Winter is half over? As Neo once said, Whoa. But it’s true. Honestly it’s been a pretty decent season for all three of our authors. Aside from the confirmed carryovers of FranXX and Cardcaptor Sakura, Spring will be a clean slate.

But with that clean slate come a lot of big and/or familiar faces, chief among them Steins;Gate, SAO, Persona, Food Wars, and even The Legend of Galactic Heroes, which none of us has ever seen. This season has the potential to be HUGE.

That being said, we ultimately intend to limit our total show load to a baker’s dozen as always. So without further ado, here’s what’s on our respective radars for Spring 2018.

17 Apr 2018 Update: We’ve chosen our eleven twelve shows for Spring 2018. They’re the ones ✓ checked below. Dropped/skipped shows are crossed out.

Braverade

Darling in the FranXX (13-24) ✓
Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Die Neue These – Kaikou
(The Legend of the Galactic Heroes: The New Thesis – Encounter)
Juushinki Pandora (Unit Pandora, The Next)
Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online ✓
Steins;Gate 0 ✓

sesameacrylic

Hinamatsuri (Hina Festival) ✓
3D Kanojo: Real Girl ✓
Shokugeki no Souma: San no Sara – Toutsuki Ressha-hen (Food Wars! The Third Plate 2nd cour) ✓
Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai (Tada Doesn’t Fall in Love) ✓
Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii (It’s Difficult to Love an Otaku/WotaKoi) ✓

MagicalChurlSukui

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card (12-22) ✓
Devils Line
Golden Kamuy ✓
Mahou Shoujo Site
Nil Admirari no Tenbin: Teito Genwaku Kitan
(The Scales of Nil Admirari ~The Mysterious Story of Teito~) ✓
Persona 5 the Animation
Tokyo Ghoul:re ✓

Winter 2018 Season Preview (Updating)

Winter approacheth with haste. Here’s what we’ll be taking a look at (so far) come January! Shows, statuses, and authors subject to change. We’ll be updating this list to reflect current conditions.

Braverade

BEATLESS  (Dropped)
Darling in the FranXX ✓
Fate/Extra Last Encore ✓
Overlord II ✓
Violet Evergarden ✓

sesameacrylic

Citrus ✓
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens (Dropped)
Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san ✓
Koi wa Ameagari no You ni ✓
Sora yori mo Tooi Basho ✓
Takunomi. ✓

MagicalChurlSukui

3-gatsu no Lion 2nd Season ✓
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card ✓
Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku (Dropped)
Devilman Crybaby (Dropped)
Kokkoku (TBD)
Mahoutsukai no Yome ✓

Tally as of 31 Jan 2018: 

  • 11 Keeps
  • 1 TBD
  • 4 Drops

Fall 2017 Season Preview

Summer is over halfway done. It was a little rough at first, but once we found some more good-to-great shows to watch (Abyss, Classroom) things picked up. Still, now is the time to start glancing on what’s to come next season. Below is a list of shows we’ll be taking a look at this October.

We’re excited about a third helping of Food Wars, a second season of Kekkai Sensen and 3-gatsu no Lion, and a Kino no Tabi re-imagining. You know the drill (unless you don’t): click on a title to learn more about a show over at MAL.

As always, shows and authors are subject to change. We’ll be updating this list as we explore Fall 2017 shows.

Update-3 Oct 2017: Watching Shokugeki no Souma 3. Juuni Taisen TBD. Black Clover and Osake wa Fuufu ni Natte kara skipped.

Update-4 Oct 2017: URAHARA skipped.

Update-5 Oct 2017: Just Because! TBD. Ousama Game skipped.

Update-6 Oct 2017: Watching Kino no Tabi. Dies Irae and Net-juu no Susume TBD.

Update-7-8 Oct 2017: Watching Kekkai Sensen & Beyond and Mahoutsukai no Yome. Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou TBD.

Update-9 Oct 2017: Watching Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau. Imouto sae Ireba Ii. TBD. Houseki no Kuni TBD.

Update-11 Oct 2017: My Girlfriend Is ShoBitch TBD.

Update-12 Oct 2017: Watching Iyunashiki.

Update-13 Oct 2017: Dies Irae. dropped.

Update-16 Oct 2017: Watching 3-gatsu no Lion S2. Imouto sae Ireba Ii. dropped.

Bold = Watching
* = TBD
Crossed out = Skipped/Dropped

Last Updated 16 Oct 2017

Braverade

Dies Irae
Houseki no Kuni*
Inuyashiki
Juuni Taisen
Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou

sesameacrylic

Boku no Kanojo ga Majimesugiru Sho-bitch na Ken*
Imouto sae Ireba Ii.
Just Because!*
Net-juu no Susume*
Osake wa Fuufu ni Natte kara
Shokugeki no Souma: San no Sara
URAHARA

MagicalChurlSukui

3-gatsu no Lion 2nd Season
Black Clover
Kekkai Sensen & Beyond
Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World (2017)
Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau
Mahoutsukai no Yome
Ousama Game The Animation

Summer 2017 Season Preview

Summer is almost here! While all of us at RABUJOI are looking a bit pale and are in need of Vitamin D, there’s a huge batch of new shows on the way, in addition to the second cours of three Spring shows. We’ve perused the Summer list and have made some tentative choices.

Note that as always, the presence of a show on this list does not indicate we’ll be reviewing that show regularly yet, we’re just taking some initial looks.

Aside from a new entry in the now massive Monogatari series and a Fate spinoff, it’s a fairly sequel-free Summer (at least for us), so there are a lot of unknowns on this list. We look forward to sussing it all over in the next couple of weeks!

Braverade

Fate/Apocrypha
Jikan no Shihaisha (Chronos Ruler)
Shoukoku no Altair (Project Altair)
THE REFLECTION
Re:Creators (Spring Carryover)
Shingeki no Bahamut: Virgin Soul (Spring Carryover)

sesameacrylic

Hajimete no Gal
Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun (Cleanliness Boy! Aoyama-kun)
Koi to Uso (Love and Lies)
Netsuzou TRap
Owarimonogatari 2nd Season
Tsurezure Children
Youkai Apartment no Yuuga na Nichijou

MagicalChurlSukui

Battle Girl High School: Battle Girl Project
Clione no Akari
Isekai_Shokudou (Restaurant to Another World)
Knight’s & Magic
Sagrada Reset (Spring Carryover)

Oigakkosan