Ahh… Spring. The sakura are in bloom, a new school term starts, and it’s time for a new anime season! That means it’s time to read the tea leaves and take a look at what new shows catch my eye!
So, hit the jump and let’s run ’em down!
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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 mostly pointless to sort in details.
The shows that I am anticipating are in bold, shows my wife and I are anticipating together are in bold italics.
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SPY X FAMILY
This mission is known as “Operation Strix.”
It consists of “putting together a family in one week in order to infiltrate social gatherings organized by the elite school that Desmond’s son attends.”
“Twilight” takes on the identity of psychiatrist Loid Forger and starts looking for family members. But Anya, the daughter he adopts, turns out to have the ability to read people’s minds, while his wife, Yor, is an assassin! With it being in each of their own interests to keep these facts hidden, they start living together while concealing their true identities from one another.
Not a show that had been on my radar… Then I just happened to randomly see the trailer.
And then I realized that found family was a huge part of the plot… and of course, that’s one of my favorite genres. Saori Hayami voicing one the main characters is just icing on the proverbial cake.
A Couple of Cuckoos
Kakkou no Iinazuke
Nagi Umino is a 17-year old second-year high school student who learns that he is not the biological child of the family that raised him. On the way to his first meeting with his biological family he meets Erika Amano, a popular internet celebrity who is trying to escape from an arranged marriage. Later, Nagi and Erika discover that their parents had accidentally switched the two after their births and were now aiming to put them in an arranged marriage. To facilitate this, they are made to live in a house owned by Erika’s family.
(Parenthetically speaking… Man. Some of these plot summaries are getting to be like light novel titles – overly long and weighty. This is the short version!)
Despite it’s odd premise, probably going to be a straightforward rom-com. But, you never know what surprises may await.
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Of course there’s the now common run of various isekai and copycats of various popular concepts… I’m mostly skipping those.
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Ya Boy Kongming!
Paripi Koumei
Fate and reincarnation deliver brilliant military strategist, Kongming, from warring, ancient China to Japan’s modern party hot spot in Shibuya City, Tokyo. After a lifetime of battles and military skirmishes, Kongming wished with his last breath to be reborn in a world of peace and prosperity. It’s nearly two millennia later and he’s finding his way in a very different world than that of his past life. When he meets Eiko, an amateur musician with big dreams, the unlikely duo strikes up an even unlikelier friendship. Eiko has street smarts to help Kongming navigate this strange new world, and Kongming will use his strategic mind to help Eiko achieve stardom!
– Sentai
OK, that being said… Yah, this is isekai adjacent. But it’s also music and (maybe?) idols. And both are pretty much in my wheelhouse as anyone knows. Onto the list it goes under “more curious than anything else”.
Healer Girl
The story is set in a world where three schools of medicine are pervasive: Western medicine, Eastern medicine, and “vocal medicine.” The healing of illness and injuries via songs is a special technique that not only improves the metal health of patients, but also the mental health of doctors. Such “Healers” strive to sing when called upon to respond to the health and anxiety of patients and doctors alike.
Cute girls and music… What more needs to be said? I like what I like.
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Yes, I know some of the blurbs are short. But what ya gonna do? Sometimes, there’s just not a lot to say.
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To Become a Real Heroine! The Unpopular Girl and the Secret Task
Heroine Tarumono! Kiraware Heroine to Naisho no Oshigoto
Hiyori left her hometown to pursue her passion, track and field, by enrolling in Tokyo’s Sakuragaoka High School. Looking for a part-time job in Tokyo, she ended up working as an apprentice manager for her classmates (and LIP×LIP members) Yujiro Someya and Aizo Shibasaki. The story revolves around the coming-of-age of Hiyori (as she juggles school, extracurricular life, and managing) and LIP×LIP (as they shine on stage).
We round out the musical portion of our program with something adjacent to a genre I’ve bounced off of hard in the past… Boy bands. I usually end up dropping these because they turn out to be reverse harems. And that’s another genre I tend to bounce hard off of.
But, just maybe. The PV makes me think this might not take that route.
But sadly, no legal stream has been announced.
BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls’ Story-
A youth story centering on two young women golfers named Eve and Aoi Amawashi. The two come from completely different backgrounds, and have the completely opposite play styles, and together they will shake the world of golf.
I can’t say that I’ve ever seen an anime about golf… So, naturally I’m curious. That it’s not set in a high school just adds to the appeal. Sports anime not set in high school are something of a rarity.
No legal stream has been announced for this series. <crossing fingers>
Deaimon
And we round out my picks with what looks to be this season’s one serious slice-of-life… Plus food, and hints of found family? Get on my screen! Quite possibly the most Derek of shows this season.
And, dammit, no announced stream.
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Well… a couple that I’m interested in, and a whole slew of “well, I’m kinda curious” or “these are my usual interests”. Not really a promising start. But it wouldn’t be the first season I fell in love with something entirely unexpected.
And as usual, I’ll be checking out a lot more than are listed here… and keeping my ear to the ground for buzz, first impressions, and early reviews.
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Anyhow – check out Spring 2022 season chart and drop a comment with what your thoughts and choices for the upcoming season are!
Apprentice Mages Lounge. 
People said last season was a thin season, well this season looks positively emaciated at a glance. Maybe the spy family one will be okay, there is the next season of the Shield Hero series, and I’m kind of interested in Love After World Domination. In the sports department as well as Birdie Wing, the girl’s golf show, I will be checking out Aoashi, which seems to be about a high school soccer team,. There are also shows about badminton (again!) and apprentice jockeys… And of course Cue is continuing….
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Well, I was trying to say that without actually saying that. :) :)
It’s on my “curious about list”, just not high enough to make the cutoff for this post.
Other than Birdie Wing, I think the only sports anime I have any interest in is the apprentice jockeys one.
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First, I just come from Paripi Koumei (the Kongming show), and it’s a winner. I’m not saying more, but unless it falls apart this is at the very least going to be very good. Excited.
Deaimon hasn’t been on my radar at all, but, boy, is this ever a fun trailer. Looking forward to the show. Excited.
I’ve been hearing about people wanting an adaption of Spy X Family for years now, so of course I’m curious, and I like the look of the show as presented in the trailer. Curious.
All the other shows you mentioned fall into the “maybe” category for me. No particular expectations either way.
And among the shows you didn’t mention:
Aharen-san is either going to be fun or awful, and Mahoutsukai Reimeiki is related to Grimoir of Zero, which I quite enjoyed. I guess these shows fall somewhere on the potential scale, but I’m not particularly excited.
Oh, and I’m definitely curious about Kunoichi Tsubaki, for one reason and one reason only. It’s from the mangaka of Takagi-san, which I like a lot.
And then there are the returning shows. I’m particularly happy about Demon Girl Next Door 2, more because I didn’t expect that at all than because of the quality of the show, but I do think back fondly on season 1.
A season with potential.
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I’ll be checking it out as soon as my chores and tasks for the day are done! Glad to hear it doesn’t suck.
Aharen-san is on my “curious about” list, just not high enough to make the cutoff for the post. If I listed every show I was even slightly curious about… there’d have to be a ton of threadbare (padding) comments.
It’s thin and faint, but it’s there. There’s always the chance of a pleasant surprise. For me, Dress-up Darling came out of nowhere and was unexpectedly good.
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