Spring anime season is almost here, which means it's time for me to make a list of the shows that I want to watch. Much like Spring 2022 there is a ton of interesting stuff available. Unlike spring 2022 I'm not going to risk my sanity by trying to do weekly spoiler discussions on everything I watch.
Below are the shows that I hope to keep up with. Everything will get a three week keep or drop trial, and only what holds my interest will get the full spoiler discussion treatment. I'm marking what I think I'll be doing those for, with a goal of doing on each evening. With that out of the way, let's see which anime have caught my eye.
1: The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Drama, Supernatural, Slice of Life
Platform: Crunchyroll
Release Date: Thursday April 6th, 2023
Spoiler Discussions: Yes
Season 2 shows much promise with Chise and Elias heading to an Alchemist Academy to further her training. I really loved the bond built between these two characters in season one, but given some of the issues that lead to that season's ending, I feel it's very important for Chise to enter an environment where she will be able to make more friends.
Given how people tend to treat Chise since she is a sleigh-beggy and attracts magical energy like a magnet, it will be interesting to see what kinds of hijinks she, Elias, and their friends will get up to. Season 1 of The Ancient Magus Bride did a good job of building the story through a variety of settings with characters appearing and reappearing throughout the season to hold it together. I wonder how much travel and exploration we will get here, and how much more interesting plot and character growth opportunities a magic school will be able to grant.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Mystery, Supernatural
Platform: Crunchyroll
Release Date: Saturday April 1st 2023
Spoiler Discussions: Yes
Convicted man goes on quest to gain a pardon and return to his wife is a premise I can instantly get behind. I was impressed with the overall mood and visuals when I saw the trailer for this, and once I understood what the core of the story was about, it instantly jumped way up there on my list.
I've also heard that this is part of a trinity of darker shonen series, with the other two being Jujitsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man. So that definitely helped, considering that I've enjoyed both of those.
Last, and definitely most silly and subjective, I'm a sucker for anime men with white hair. There. I said it. You can have a good chuckle. But I wouldn't be being honest if I didn't list it. 😍
Platform: HiDive
Release Date: Wednesday April 12th 2023
Spoiler Discussions: Yes
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life
This one has been a block of ice that has been thawing on me for about a week. When I first saw a piece of artwork from it I immediately clicked because I love the vibrant colors. I then heard the part where a fanboy is gonna be some idol's gynecologist and went "NOPE!". (For reference, I was mentally imagining Mineta, from My Hero Academia. 😅)
But then I started watching videos of what others are planning to cover this season and Oshi No Ko kept being there. I found out more about what the show is actually focused on. I continued to still feel kinda squicked over my own first impression. But the idea of the dude being reincarnated as the idol's son, and hints that we will be exploring the darker side of stardom have drawn me in.
Both my initial revulsion and my inevitable interest are likely tied to the fact that I performed music competitively for nearly two decades of my life. And while I'm aware that Japanese idol culture is different than what I dealt with here, I still feel empathetic toward the issues this show could likely explore. So, I'll give it a shot.
Platform: HiDive
Release Date: Sunday April 2nd 2023
Spoiler Discussions: Yes
A strange boy obsessed with death and the macabre, who spends his days fantasizing about the ghastly things he would like to do to his classmates. A beautiful young girl, the school 'idol', who has invaded the library he views as his santuary.
What will happen when, as he gets to know her better, he begins to realize that he actually wants to protect her? Is she who she claims to be? Is he?
This anime is way up there on my want to watch list because the weird factor has me intrigued. I'm a sucker for a villain in fantasy anime, but a little creeper like this doesn't show up in romantic comedy very often and I'm curious to see what they'll do with him. And how or whether they'll give her some quirks to ensure he doesn't totally steal the show.
Platform: Crunchyroll
Release Date: Monday April 10th 2023
Spoiler Discussions: Yes
I keep hearing about these villainous anime and I am intrigued. This is a bit different, since it's a girl reincarnated as a side character who is fated to be killed and who, obviously, wants to change her fate. Considering that we have three guys listed who are gonna get tangled up with her, not counting her presumably murderous ex-fiance, we appear to have a bit of a reverse harem here.
That could be a hit or a miss for me. I don't mind a bunch of guys (or gals in a traditional harem) being around if the main character eventually has a solid connection with someone. But a love triangle (or more) that simply goes on forever becomes something I tend to find shallow and pointless. Not gonna lie: this is one of the two shows I'm covering because the weeknight they land on was lookin' kinda blank. But as ever, I will do my best to give it a fair shot.
Platform: HiDive
Release Date: Tuesday April 11th 2023
Spoiler Discussions: Yes
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
This looks like a pretty chill anime, which will be a nice shift from the majority of things that I plan on watching. As a night owl myself, I can empathize with these characters immediately. And the idea of meeting and getting to know someone in a potentially haunted astronomy tower sounds pretty cool.
To be clear: I don't think we're going to be seeing a bunch of scary supernatural goings-on here. It's only listed as romance and slice of life. But if it can tell a solid low-key love story while utilizing whatever is keeping these characters up at night, and what they will actually do about it, as a driving force I think it has enough of a hook to work with.
Platform: Crunchyroll
Release Date: Friday April 7th 2023
Spoiler Discussions: Yes
Light novel titles just keep getting longer and longer... Anyway! This is the last of the seven shows that I intend to do spoiler discussions about, and like Raelina, it's here because of what night it's coming out and we'll see how it goes.
The premise seems fairly solid. A fat guy is getting bullied by everyone. When his grandpa passes away, he is tasked with going to grandpa's house and sorting through his stuff. While there he discovers a magic door that leads to another world. And once he powers up in that world and comes home, he discovers that he has brought his powers and skills back with him.
I really like the door concept: it gives me Narnia vibes. I also think that it will be interesting to see what this guy will do with his new powers, back in his original world where everyone was treating him like human garbage. The main way I could see this fail for me is if it focuses too much on him getting with a billion different girls who are all differently shaded templates of braindead bimbo. This is the male audience answer to something like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast, though. And if it were to go that route, it would not necessarily be a fault of the show; rather, it would be that I'm the wrong audience. We shall see.
Platform: Creunchyroll
Release Date: Sunday April 9th, 2023
Spoiler Discussions: Undecided
Tanjiro is one of my favorite shonen protagonists of all time. He can be strong and bad ass. He believes in justice and strives relentlessly to save people. And yet his greatest strength, at least to me, is none of this. Rather, it is the massive amount of empathy that he feels for all around him--friend and foe alike.
I'm working my way through a second watch of season 1 and making sure that I get through season 2 before this airs. I actually just finished Mugen Train last night.
One thing I'll say about Demon Slayer as a whole is that I find it funny how often Tanjiro either needs his sword fixed or needs a new sword. I just finished watching him toss a sword into the back of a fleeing demon, and yet here we are again with serious damage to his weapon. 😊 Let's hope that can get fixed before too much shit hits the fan.
Platform: Crunchyroll
Release Date: Saturday April 8th 2023
Spoiler Discussions: Undecided
I wasn't all that impressed when I first saw someone mention Mashle. A world of magic where some dude is going to be the best because of physical strength. The magic user fan in me as kinda irked at that.
But then I heard someone describe it as One Punch Man goes to Hogwarts and that made me chuckle.
So I think I'll give it a shot. I'll have to wait and see whether the humor of the show, and how its premise is used, work for me or not. I suppose it doesn't hurt that it's a story of someone being persecuted for something they cannot control. That is a sure fire way to tick me off in pretty much any story. And then, of course, I end up curious what will be done to make that right.
Platform: Crunchyroll
Release Date: Sunday April 2nd, 2023
Spoiler Discussions: Undecided
I met my boyfriend Jay through a video game. It was 2008 and we were playing Phantasy Star Universe. So when I see an anime that deals with a relationship that happens via a game, it's probably not that surprising that I have a soft spot for the concept.
The premise for this show is that our leading lady Akane has just been dumped by her boyfriend. They played an MMO together and she is now thinking of quitting. Then she meets Yamada and ends up interested in him. But Yamada is interested in the game and the game ONLY. Can Akane get him to be interested in her outside of the game?
As a gal who's had a ton of nerdy guy friends throughout her life, this has the potential to be a comedic goldmine. I'm looking forward to seeing what they'll do with it. I just hope they don't make the dude too oblivious.
A Note About Spoiler Discussions:
I've chosen the shows I want to do spoiler discussions for based on three criteria.
- The show must be something I'm legitimately interested in watching. I am not a hate watcher.
- The series should all be on separate evenings so that I do not get overwhelmed.
- The series should ideally not have a ton of previous seasons. The only exception on this list is The Ancient Magus Bride season 2, which I'm excusing since it's my most anticipated anime for spring 2023.
I may or may not decide to do weekly roundup videos for other shows if I want to say stuff about them, or I might make a few random videos for them if they do something where I have to talk about it.
Okay, time to wrap things up...
There are a few other shows I have my eye on but did not list in full detail. Those include Tokyo Mew Mew New Season 2, Dead Mount Death Play, Too Cute Crisis, Blue Orchestra, and Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts. If one of my main titles does not work out for me, I may or may not choose to bring one of these in.
Thanks for taking the time to check out what I'm watching in Spring 2023. I'd love to know what show(s) you are going to watch, so feel free to leave a comment and let me know. 😊
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