I used the same title last year… But what the heck, it’s only once a year, right? Hit the jump and let’s chat about the upcoming season and what I’m planning on watching!
I normally don’t get too excited about seasonal shows until I see if they’re going to get a legal stream in the US. But that doesn’t mean I don’t look forward to some shows and hope they get a legal stream…
The charts I used can be found here and here.
Top Picks!
My Hero Academia 3 / Boku no Hero Academia 3
First up… an anime that needs no introduction. And an anime that pretty much everyone knows, so there’s not much to talk about. Season 2 ended on something of a cliffhanger, and I expect it dive right back in after a “what has gone before” ep.
Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
SAO – need I say more? The first SAO project not animated by A-1… But Studio 3Hz does have an impressive (if mixed) resume. The staff’s resumes are also mixed, but still – SAO!
Hisone to Masotan / Dragon Pilot
An original work by Studio Bones… Honestly, Histone to Masotan has intrigued me ever since I first saw an article on it on ANN a few months back. I just can’t quite come with any particular reason why though. Maybe it’s the cute cartoon dragon in mecha armor? Maybe it’s Mari Okada’s involvement in the project? I just have this feeling that this could be a good one.
Cutie Honey Universe
Action, adventure, a certain sexiness… and a reboot of one of anime’s classic franchises? Straight onto the Must Check Out list it goes. The original was noted for its fanservice, and the PV leaves me with that nudge-and-a-wink feeling that the producers have not forgotten that aspect. Of course, as I always say, it’s gotta have more than that to keep my attention… and it has to be worth watching on its own to stay on my watchlist.
They don’t appear to be using the jazzy “Cutey Honey” OP theme that’s been used for several Cutie Honey series across the years. Which is kinda sad, because I love the tune.
If you know me – you knew I’d be checking these out…
Aikatsu Friends!
Kiratto Pri☆chan
Two idol shows based on games. Neither one looks particularly promising, but I love idol shows so I’ll give them a shot.
If I don’t sound that enthusiastic… That would be because I’m not. I’m hoping to be surprised, but they both give off a strong “paint by numbers” vibe. That doesn’t mean they’ll be unwatchable, it just reduces the chances.
Isekai Izakaya: Koto Aitheria no Izakaya Nobu
“There’s a bar called “Nobu” located in Kyoto, Japan. In it is a door that is connected to a bar in another world. The visitors include denizens of the other world, and customers seek out its excellent “Toriaezu Nama” ale and cuisine.”
A food show, and I can never resist food shows. And who knows? Maybe it will turn out to be what Isekai Shokou (Restaurant to Another World) could have been.
Rokuhoudou Yotsuiro Biyori
“The story takes place at a popular Japanese-style tea house called Rokuhoudou. Four specialists work there: Sui makes the tea, Gure creates latte art, Tsubaki makes the sweets, and Tokitaka cooks. In addition to serving their customers, they sometimes help them solve their problems.”
Another food(ish) show, but it also sounds a heck of a lot like Midnight Diner:Tokyo Stories which I enjoyed a great deal. (I wish Netflix would pick up the rest of the series.) It also looks to be bishonen so this also fills “try something out my comfort zone” slot for the season.
I don’t expect much, but just maybe…
Comic Girls
School/club comedy, slice-of-life, cute girls (and nice moe character designs) – all things I like, so – sure. Why not?
Real Girl / 3D Kanojo
Could be a watchable high school romance, could go off the rails badly if it over-exploits its “fish out of water” and “odd couple” elements. Will check out, but with the drop button close to hand.
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Ten shows, and my average in Spring is around eight. But of course, that doesn’t really say anything about the final count. A show might not stream where I can see it. I might drop it. I might pick up shows not even listed here…
Anyhow, what do you think of these shows? What are you anticipating for Spring 2018? Drop a comment and let’s chat!
Apprentice Mages Lounge. 
The spring line up looks quite interesting but as always I’m holding off on making decisions until first episodes come out and I know what I have access to and what the shows actually look like. Still, I’m anticipating a lot (which usually means I’ll be disappointed because I end up enjoying things more when I expect nothing).
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For me no decision is final until I see the show itself. More than once an anticipated show has turned out to be a turkey.
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Despite Bones trying to jump on the moeblob bandwagon very few people talk about it. Wonder why. SAOxKino no Tabi will probably provide some amusement determining which side will be more influential. Stuff like Steins;Gate or Golden Kamuy looks good on paper but overall I don’t think there’s anything I’d be very excited to watched.
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I think it doesn’t get a lot of buzz because the haters don’t want to talk about it – and it doesn’t star any of the existing (anime) cast so that leaves out most of the more passionate fans.
It’s based on a story by the original author, so it can’t stray too far. Can it?
Yeah, I’ve had seasons like that, but I think I’ve always been able to find something.
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Well, many things will become way clearer after first several weeks. And yeah, with the multitude of shows each season it’s almost impossible not to find anything at least partially likable.
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More than once I’ve had nothing but meh, O.K., whatever during the anticipation weeks… Only to discover one or more shows that it turns out I love. A couple of times, the shows I enjoyed/loved the most weren’t even on my radar pre-season.
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Hey! I adored Isekai Shokudo! No love for Amanchu S2?
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No love for Amanchu, sorry. :) I couldn’t get past the overuse of the derp faces in the first couple of episodes of S1. Which was a shame, because I was actually looking forward to it.
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They are a bit overdone, but I got used to them I guess.
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All I’m excited for only and I’ll be watching is full metal panic lol haha but I’m giving rest of everything else a skip im not up to date with a lot lol
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Not everything is for everyone! :)
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I’ve never watched a SAO series, but I like the look of this one, will I be lost if I start watching this first or is it separate from the other ones?
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It’s a side story and doesn’t seem to have any crossover with any existing stories or characters, so my guess would be you’d be OK to watch it without having seen the others. But that’s just a guess, no way to actually tell without having seen it.
And thanks for stopping by, I hope to see you again soon!
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I haven’t dug too deeply (I almost never do). I’m feeling swamped by second seasons, continuations and nostalgia tie ins. (Cutie Honey is one of these shows I can’t remember whether I’ve seen or not. Same with, say, Gunsmith Cats. I haven’t seen a lot during the 70ies and 80ies and early 90ies, but I did see some and I can almost never remember the names.)
Rokuhoudo Yotsuiro Biyori is an interesting find. Competent depiction of food, servicable character designs, good backgrounds and objects. Has potential.
Comic Girls looks better than I thought just from the key art I’ve seen.
My two standouts so far are Hisone to Masotan (good or not, it’s defintely its own thing), and Hinamatsuri which looks wacky.
Umamusume is an auto-watch, since I pick up anything PA Works – but expectations are rather middling.
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Hinamatsuri is on my ‘B’ list, will watch if it gets a legal stream but not actually anticipating.
Umamusume, yeah I normally at least check out anything by P.A. Works… And it is ‘idolish’. But it’s also a game adaptation. So that put it on my ‘B’ list. (I’m nothing if not inconsistent.)
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