2020 has been like a million years long, but summer is almost over… And that means it’s time to look ahead to Fall! There’s some potential to be had, so let’s hit the jump and run ’em down.
As is my usual habit here at the Lounge, these aren’t necessarily in any particular order. It’s pretty easy to sort by broad bands, but kinda pointless to sort in details.
Attack on Titan: The Final Season
Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season
As is tradition, even though I say I don’t sort, generally the closer to the top, the more anticipated. And this season – there’s only one contender for the top slot.
The premiere date (Dec 7, Dec 6 here in the States) is a bit odd as that’s not a normal season date… but whatever. They’re calling it Fall 2020 rather than Winter 2021, so I’ll go with that too…
Streaming on: Crunchyroll, Funimation
Dropout Idol Fruit Tart
First-year high school student Ino Sakura heads to Tokyo to pursue becoming an idol. She teams up with fellow Nezumi Dorm residents — unpopular former child actor Roko, musician Hayu, and model Nina — to form the new idol unit Fruit Tart. These dropout idols get back on their feet and enter the world of show business to prevent their dorm from being demolished.
Source: Anime News Network
As everyone knows, idol anime is one of my favorite genres, so we’ll just start there. Dropout Idol doesn’t sound too ambitious, but the character designs are cute. Their singing is also attractive… So, I’ll be giving it a shot.
Streaming on: Funimation
Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai
Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club
Source: Anime News Network
Yuigaoka Girls High School is a newly established school that lies between the Omotesando, Harajuku, and Aoyama neighborhoods of Tokyo. The story centers on its first batch of students. With no history, no upperclassmen or alumni, and no reputation, it is a school full of unknowns.
Five girls, among them Kanon Shibuya, have a fateful encounter with school idols. Kanon decides, “I love singing. I want to make something come true with song!” Many feelings converge upon a star that has only started to grow. The future is blank and full of possibility for these girls, and their story that everyone will make possible has only just begun. Soar with your wings, our Love Live!
I’m not certain here… I enjoyed the heck out of Love Live! School Idol Project, the original series. But I wasn’t so much a fan of Love Live! Sunshine!! as it had a variety of problems.
Still, for both entries in the franchise, they did hit some good moments… And at least this time they’ve dropped the “saving the school” plotline. So, I’ll check it out and do my best to give it a fair shake.
Streaming on: Not yet announced, but I can’t imagine that either Crunchy or Funi won’t pick it up.
Nijigasaki High School is located in Odaiba, Tokyo. The school is popular due to its free school style and diverse majors. The story centers on the members of school idol club in Nijigasaki, and their attempt to prevent the club from being abolished.
Source: Livechart.Me
Reader WingKing corrects me… I completely misunderstood which series was which… Nijigasaki is a side story based on the mobile games.
That being said, I’ll still be checking it out, just with a little less trepidation.
The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc
Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Raihousha-hen
OK, time to reveal a deep dark secret… I watched Mahouka. And, I kinda enjoyed it. I don’t think it lived anywhere near up to it’s potential, but I enjoyed it. And I’m going to be back for the sequel…
Streaming on: Funimation
Strike Witches: Road to Berlin
Dai-501 Tougou Sentou Koukuu Dan Strike Witches: Road to Berlin
Speaking of sequels and guilty pleasures… Strike Witches neatly ticks both boxes, and I’m actually looking forward to it. When it comes to mindless fun, there’s not a much purer example.
P.S. Miyafuji Best Girl.
Streaming on: Not yet announced, but it’s right up Funi’s alley and they’ve streamed the previous series in the franchise.
TONIKAWA: Over the Moon for You
Tonikaku Kawaii: Fly me to the Moon
Nasa meets a “generally cute” girl named Tsukasa on the day of his high school entrance exams, and immediately falls in love with her. Nasa confesses his feelings, but her response is that she will only go out with him if they get married. Years later, on Nasa’s 18th birthday, she suddenly appears to get married. Thus begins Nasa’s newlywed lifestyle.
Source: Anime News Network
Looks cute, and there’s tons of buzz around it, so I’ll be checking it out. After the mess that is/was Uzaki-chan and Rent-a-Girlfriend, I could stand for a competently executed rom-com.
Streaming on: Crunchyroll.
Iwa Kakeru! Sport Climbing Girls
First-year high school student Konomi Kasahara discovered sport climbing at Hanamiya Girls’ High School after training her mind with puzzle games during junior high school. Her life changed the moment she stumbled across her new school’s climbing wall, which led her into the school’s climbing team.
Source: Anime News Network
Halfway looks like Harukana Receive… But the oddness of some of the rival girls reminds me of Scorching Ping Pong Girls… So, who knows? It’s also the closest thing to a sports anime that interests me this season, so on the list it goes.
Yes, yes, I know about Haikyuu!!. But it’s not a franchise I’ve been following and I don’t have time to catch up on seventy odd episodes. There’s also Major 2nd, but somehow I missed the first season… Will have to find time to catch up as I do enjoy baseball anime.
Streaming on: Crunchyroll
Majo no Tabitabi
The Journey of Elaina
Once upon a time, there was a witch named Elaina, who set off on a journey across the world. Along the way, she would meet all kinds of people, from a country full of witches to a giant in love with his own muscles—but with each meeting, Elaina would become a small part of their story, and her own world would get a little bit bigger.
Source: Anime News Network
CGDCT? Coming of age? Maybe a bit heavier? I can’t quite tell what Elaina is supposed to be, and the PV’s leave me wondering… And leave me interested, as these are all things I like in an anime.
So, this is a solid pick in the “I’m curious, so let’s check it out” category.
Streaming on: Not yet announced.
Adachi to Shimamura
Adachi and Shimamura
Adachi and Shimamura, two young women who attend the same high school, are inseparable friends. Whether playing table tennis, chatting about favorite TV shows, or just relaxing together, they’re happy to share their days. When Adachi’s friendship turns into romantic attraction, the relationship begins to change, one day at a time.
Source: Anime News Network
Friendship, shading towards yuri… Not a lot of buzz here, so I’m not quite certain what to expect. Sounds interesting, and the character designs and animation style are pretty nice… So, sure, why not. What’s the worst that can happen?
Streaming on: Funimation.
=========
Well, I usually shoot for ten(ish) shows, but nine seems to be where I’m running out of steam… (Disclaimer, my wife took a few days of vacation so I’m also catching up on housework today.) But I don’t think nine is too bad, is it?
There are several more that I have at least some interest in, but I just can’t articulate anything about them. Reading that would be boring, and I’m not here to be boring… So we’ll just wrap it up.
=========
Take a gander at the Fall 2020 season chart… What shows are you looking forward to? What are your thoughts on my top pics? Drop a comment and let’s chat!
Apprentice Mages Lounge. 
I’m holding off on AoT until the final episode so I can binge season 2 to 4. I’ve read most of the manga so not too worried about spoilers.
Otherwise, Climbing Girls looks like the one I’m most excited about. I’ll probably pick a couple other randomly and see how I go. Find I have as much luck picking randomly as I do picking ones that appeal to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolute truth! I forgot to include my usual disclaimer to that effect… “Of course I’ll be checking out a ton of other stuff too. This is just what catches my eye on the first impression.” Or something like that.
LikeLiked by 2 people
For sure. I’ve switched to only following two or three as they air and binge-watching the others. I find I enjoy things that much more when I get to really dive into the world.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I want to use this season to get back in the routine of watching weekly shows, ahead of the ridculously loaded Winter season (which with the recent announcement of Horimiya – one of those rare adaptations where I’ve already read the manga first – now has SIX shows I’m going to have to watch). So here’s my planned slate:
Wandering Witch – looks kind of like a fantasy version of Kino’s Journey, and definitely something I should like if it’s made well.
Tonikawa – echoing your comments, except for the part about watching those other two shows, since I didn’t watch either one.
Nijigasaki – That description you posted is wrong. That’s the description for Love Live Superstar, the “official” 3rd Generation series that I think is supposed to come out sometime next year.
Nijigasaki is really a spinoff, starring a group of girls that have been featured in the mobile games and webcomics since 2017. These girls are mostly solo performers even though they’re in the same club, so I expect to see a lot more individual song and dance performances out of this series rather than large group choreography. There’s also a 10th club member who isn’t an idol but is kind of like Love Live’s take on “The Producer” from Idolmaster, in that she works as the girls’ manager and songwriter. She’s not faceless though, (she featured prominently in the anime’s PV) and even for being the player’s avatar in one of the games she has a pretty distinct personality.
That said, even I’m not sure what to expect from this, because they’ve already said the anime won’t follow the storyline from the mobile game, which is the only existing story we have for Nijigasaki (the comics are just 4koma gag strips). But I do feel like there’s a solid foundation to build on if they do this right.
Also, Shizuku Osaka is Nijigasaki’s best girl. Just letting you know that right now. ;)
So that’s three, and then I think I’ll take one from my DVD shelf that I still need to watch to give myself four for this season. Maybe I’ll go for Made in Abyss, since that’s one we could actually talk about here if I was making weekly comments on it. Getting back to watching four shows a week feels like a good warm-up for the winter season.
LikeLike
Probably a good idea to take a quick spin around the neighborhood before heading out onto the freeway… And in the same vein, I have no idea how I’m going to cover the upcoming flood.
ACK. I can’t believe I did that… Thanks for the correction, went back and updated the post.
Speaking of Abyss, the movie the movie is still available to rent online… and it’s a heartbreaker. It’s also canon, so you should probably try and watch it when you get to that point. (Weekly comments would be fun, though I don’t know it forwards and backwards like I do other series. I’ve never rewatched it.)
re: Tonikawa If you’ve been reading my weeklies, it should be pretty clear you didn’t miss much by not watching those other series. :)
LikeLike
The only one I’m actively looking forward to is Majo no Tabi Tabi. Some of the concept art has incredible backgrounds; the PV doesn’t look quite as good, but the characters blend better.
There’s also Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, which looks like a fun isekai, but I’m more curious than looking forward to it. Could be cute, or could be dull, or anything inbetween.
Most of the ones you mentioned look interesting. I’m not going to watch sequels to shows I’ve dropped (AoT, Mahouka), I’m unlikely to watch the current Strike Witches since I’ve never watched any of the others, and I’m unlikely to watch the Love Live spin off. Adachi to Shinamura comes out on top out of those.
I’m torn on whether I sould watch the Higurashi remake, since I’ve never seen more than one episode of the original. I’m not really in the mood for people being mean to each other, so I’m likely going to skip it. Depends on the day it airs, probably, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s on my radar too, just not high enough to make the list… Isekai and CGDCT could be a lethal combination (for me). But isekai is actually pretty hard to get right, and nowadays there’s so much “throw it against the wall and see what sticks” that I’ve become a bit distrustful.
re:Majo no Tabi Tabi
Concept art is always idealized. :)
LikeLike
To be honest, what I like most about about Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear is the title. It suggests it knows it’s silly. It’s even better in Japanese (Hiragana Katakana Kanji English/Katakana). Someone really loves bears.
@Concept Art: Yep. The one in this case reminded me of those atmospheric adventure games of the… nineties? You know, Myst and the like. I never thought the show would look quite like that as it’s not really fit for animation. You couldn’t really make the characters blend in very well.
LikeLiked by 1 person