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Hey guys, W here, and here we are again at the start of a new season! Personally, this season isn’t as strong as previous seasons as a whole but that doesn’t mean that the season isn’t good! In fact, this season has a couple of series that are some of the strongest new ones that I’ve seen in a while, they’re just bogged down by some not-so-immediately viewer-friendly shows (sequels, vantage-point stories, etc.). So without further ado, here is my list of three series to watch and three series to put on hold after 3 episodes of each show!
3 Series to Watch
The Promised Neverland
Being an avid fan of the manga, the moment that I saw that this was getting an adaptation I knew that, if done right, it would be on the list. I was not disappointed. For every other series on this list, I’ll give a brief overview of the main plot but for this series I really don’t want to spoil anything. Just know that this series has a gripping and shocking story, amazing animation, emotion-filled voice acting, and a stellar soundtrack. I cannot stress how important it is to go into this series without spoilers because it is so smart and so well-written that spoilers can ruin the whole feel. That being said, I know everything that happens from the manga and I still enjoy it so if you are a hesitant fan of the manga do not be afraid: This adaptation is great.
Kaguya-Sama: Love is War
This series is one that wasn’t initially on my radar but, after giving it a shot, is one that skyrocketed near the top of my list. Taking place in a school for elite students, this series follows the student council president and vice-president as they attempt to get the other person to confess their love. Essentially, this show is about to people that are too smart for their own good and their misadventures and misunderstandings of love. So far there have been some great gags, an old-school James Bon-esque opening, witty characters, and gorgeous ending animations and it looks like the series isn’t going to let up anytime soon. This is easily the best comedy series of the season and is one that shouldn’t be missed if your craving some laughs.
Dororo
From the mind of Osamu Tezuka comes a series that I had never heard of before but one that I wish I did. This series follows Hyakkimaru, the child of a high government official that lost all of his limbs and senses shortly after being born as a result of his father’s deal with demons, as he slays demons and regains what was taken from him. When I think of a Tezuka work, I normally think of something like Astroboy, Kimba, or Blackjack but with Dororo what I got was a brutal and dark historical fantasy filled with an intense momentum and intriguing characters. Three episodes in this show is just starting to set up larger story arcs but the events so far have been great and the potential is intriguing enough to warrant following this series week to week.
3 Series to Backlog
Mob Psycho 100: II
I’m placing Mob Psycho on the backlog list this season for the same reason that I placed JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure on this list last year: It is a sequel. Personally, I think this series is a must watch BUT a new viewer will not get as much out of this series as a seasoned veteran. To sum it up, this series follows Mob, a young boy with amazing psychic power that peaks with his emotions. That summary doesn’t do this show justice, though, as there are various whacky side characters, cults, and spirits that make this series special (not to mention a transcendentally unique and fluid animation style). We’ve reviewed this series’ first season before on the site so check those out if you’re interested but do yourself a favor and watch season one before you move onto this: The Mob Psycho universe is one that shouldn’t be missed out on.
Boogiepop and Others
Boogiepop and Others focuses on a school, and later its surrounding town, as a string of mysterious murders and events happen. This series actually started week one with a double-header of episodes so it is significantly further ahead of other series and that episode advantage only furthered my mindset that this series should be backlogged. The reason for being backlogged is that this series shows the same events over and over from different viewpoints so viewers don’t get the whole story surrounding certain events until a few episodes pass. Do I enjoy this show? Yes! The story seems interesting enough, there is a nice feel of mystery, and the character growth and flaws alone are realistic and intriguing. However, this is a series that I feel would be best binged in order to avoid confusion on a week to week basis. Some people might like theorizing while they wait to see an event from another viewpoint but, because the full story behind different arcs require more than two viewpoints, the fact that multiple episodes are required to understand everything means that sitting on groups of episodes might be best for the average viewer.
Girly Air Force
Girly Air Force is a series that I felt obligated to put on this list for one reason: It is a series that I would have liked in middle school (thus an audience exists for it) but it is one that I cannot stand now. Dumbing the plot down (but not by much) this show takes place in a world where mysterious, violent, and technologically advanced aircraft have appeared and are terrorizing humanity. To counter this threat, a small group of jets have been upgraded and are piloted by equally advanced robots (made to look like anime waifus). However, one of these robots only has the ability to pilot her plane when our main character is around. This show panders to the chuuni fantasies of being involved in some crazy government plot with some crazy characters and it does so with some cookie-cutter designs, worn out tropes, and poor animation. However, as I said before, there is a market for this and there are people that like these simple “destined to help save the world” stories and I would be lying if I said I didn’t like the opening.