It’s turned cold and rainy here, a sure sign of Fall… And it’s also time for the Fall anime season, which means it’s time for an anticipation post. And here it is!
So, let’s hit the jump and run ’em down.
The shows that I’m watching are in bold, shows my wife and I are watching together are in bold italics, strikethrough marks dropped shows and (*) marks shows that are watched but not regularly reviewed.
But the “wife and I” part isn’t entirely accurate, because we haven’t sat down on gone through all the upcoming shows yet…
The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 Part 2
SPY x FAMILY Season 2
Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Cour 2
The Big Three – this season’s main sequels
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The Ancient Magus’ Bride
Spent the first cour setting the table, and now… we feast. I’d say this is my most anticipated of the three.
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SPY x FAMILY Season 2
The first season really seemed to run out of steam towards the end… Especially when it comes to Loid and Yor. I am assured by manga readers that it picks back up. I never stopped enjoying the show mind you, just thought it was flagging a bit.
I was already mostly sold, the trailer that just dropped sealed the deal… Loid and Yor on date? Yor getting some storylines of her own? (I hope!) Sign. Me. Up.
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Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Cour 2
Last season paused on a huge cliffhanger. And I’m so ready to see what comes next. Yeah, there’s a bit more ass pulls than the first season, but the character writing remains superb.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Sousou no Frieren
I think it was regular commenter Dawnstorm that first mentioned this series… Then I started seeing it everywhere, might be (in my bubble) one of the most anticipated series this season. And after looking into it, count me among the potential fans. My wife took a look, and she’s looking forward to it too.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby Season 3
I don’t know that I’m actually, y’know, anticipating this show… But for some unknown reason I simply can’t contemplate not watching it. Even as awful as S2 got in spots, I simply couldn’t stop watching.
Girlfriend, Girlfriend Season 2
The trailer looked very cute, so I looked at the first season and discovered I’d dropped it after the third episode back in the summer of 2021. Decided to check it out, just in case I’d missed something… and made it through the 4th episode before noping out again. I like the idea of the show, but the characters and execution leave much to be desired.
The iDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE!
I slept on U149, and I regret that and need to actually watch it… Not going to sleep on MILLION LIVE!, no sir! Especially since it returns to 765 Pro and some of my favorite characters from the OG.
Though there are a couple of boy band/male idol anime also on this seasons slate… I’m not going to officially “anticipate” them. My track record with those is pretty dismal.
Keikenzumi na Kimi to, Keiken Zero na Ore ga, Otsukiai suru Hanashi.
You Were Experienced, I Was Not: Our Dating Story
Kashima Ryuto is a gloomy high-schooler who quietly spends his days watching his crush, the beautiful Shirakawa Runa, from afar. She rules the school and has had no shortage of boyfriends. Although Ryuto is fully convinced she’d never accept him, fate leads him to confess his feelings to her anyway. To his astonishment, she accepts—simply because she’s “available” at the time—but the surprises don’t end there.
The PV’s look cute as hell, and the show sounds fun… And both my wife and I are looking forward to it. But there’s no legal stream announced. Crossing fingers and hoping!
A few shows that rise to the level of “Very Curious” but not quite to “Actually Anticipating”:
- BULLBUSTER – A low rent company fights monsters. On a budget?
- Dekoboko Majo no Oyako Jijou / The Family Circumstances of the Irregular Witch – Found family, which as y’all know is kinda like catnip for me. Can’t help but check it out.
- Hoshikuzu Telepath / Stardust Telepath – Cute girls (got me right there!) build… rockets? Please be better than Asteroid In Love. Please. It’s not that high a bar.
- SHY – I can’t put my finger on it, but the trailer just pulls me in.
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And, that wraps it up for me! What are you looking forward to in the upcoming season? Drop a comment and let’s chat those shows or anything else you want to talk about!
Apprentice Mages Lounge. 
I’ll comment here, too.
Ah, now you’ve got me looking at Frieren too. Which sucks, because this season is packed with possibly good stuff!
Right now, I’ve got Pretty Cure and Dark Gathering ongoing, then Ancient Magus’ Bride and SPY×FAMILY offering new seasons, then two promising (relatively) straightforward fantasy series you didn’t mention in The Kingdoms of Ruin and Tearmoon Empire plus a third you did with Dekoboko Majo, the first “grownup” Pretty Cure series (Kibō no Chikara/Power of Hope), and then also Hoshikuzu Telepath and After-school Hanako-kun! That is ten shows this season that interest me, plus an eleventh in Frieren. I only really have time to watch eight new shows! I suppose I can pretty easily drop Hanako-kun, as it’s not really something I anticipate too greatly. I’ll just have to figure something out to lever in two extra shows.
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Welcome! I think this is the first time you’ve commented here… Or, my memory is on the fritz. Again.
I dunno about packed, it’s not hard to look good after the empty table that was Summer 2023… But there’s certainly plenty.
Tearmoon Empire is definitely on my “listen to/for the buzz” list, but how will it fare against the inevitable comparisons to All Routes Lead to Doom!? The ANN preview guide is my main go-to for first impressions.
That’s only one hour of sleep a week! Easy peasy! :) But, IIRC, you pack everything into one or two days a week, so, yeah.
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I dunno, I might have commented here before, but if I did it was probably just the once. I’ve mostly used the social media site for whatever reasons I had, but I don’t remember what they were.
Yeah, just the weekend: new shows on Saturday, older shows on Sunday (though in this case, Sugar Apple Fairy Tale is on my “older” shows bracket, since I spent the first part of this season catching up with the first season). Keeps me from losing the entire week to TV.
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While it’s not that I don’t appreciate comments here… Though it’s harder to effectively reply at the social media site, I always appreciated that you used it. It’s never quite taken off (because I refuse to spend money to boost the algorithm), no likes or replies just looks bad.
It’s out main shared hobby, but I do see your point.
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Oh, you don’t do roleplaying anymore? That’s one of the things that takes up most of my spare time.
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Ok, so the quote tree got too deep, gotta reparent… :)
I haven’t really played roleplaying games in at least twenty years, and it’s never been something we both did. Maybe you’re thinking of the SCA? We do still do that, but it’s not really a full time thing.
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I first met you through roleplaying, actually. Now that I think back on it, quite some years back indeed, I seem to vaguely recall that intending to get out of the hobby was why you ended up giving me your copies of Chivalry & Sorcery.
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Having to reparent again… Someday I need to reset the comment nesting setting, but they get sooo narrow…
Nope, I think you’ve got me confused with someone else. Assuming of course I haven’t confused you for someone else… We met through the Anime Meetup group back when it was in person monthly meetings. (Which I only made a couple of anyhow.) I don’t think I’ve even ever owned a copy of Chivalry & Sorcery.
Man, roleplaying dredges up memories though. Last time I did any significant roleplaying was back in the 80’s at Hippie’s place when they had that little storefront in Manette.
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It would be really weird for there to have been two Derek Lyons in Bremerton, especially ones that went to the store I worked at around the end of the ’80s (starting in 1988, maybe?) and into the ’90s in Manette (and later downtown, until I had to leave at the end of 1992 due to being grievously injured by a drunk driver; also, I’d been going to the Gamesters since their original location in the Perry Avenue Mall, I think 1983, so we almost certainly must have met there if you went during the ’80s). My copies of C&S have “Derek Lyons” written inside the cover, which supports my memories of where I got them. I am fairly certain that was you.
We did meet again later at LB’s and Shi’s as well.
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It would be weird for there to be two of us… But I honestly don’t remember that happening. On the other hand, they say the memory is the first thing to go. (I can’t remember what the second one is.)
You could always PM pictures of the names, and I could tell you if it’s my handwriting…
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I definitely mentioned Frieren; not sure about first (it’s not an obscure show). One thing I wonder about: How will they handle names in the German dub? All the names are basically German flavour words, and while some might work, some just won’t. Most especially “Frieren” herself. I don’t know of a single German name that’s just an infinitive of a verb. (Just a side note; I’ve been wanting an anime ever since I heard about the manga – that must have been quite some time ago now. It’s sits quite firmly in the center of my taste – and the PVs are just gorgeous. Can’t wait.)
I actually sort of liked Girlfriend X Girlfriend, but I didn’t really need a second season. I’ll watch it; it’s unlikely to get worse so I’ll probably get what I expect. Excitement level is low, but I doubt I’ll regret the time I spend on it either.
Of the sequels Mahoutsukai no Yome is definitely the top contender; Spy X Family is nice to have back, too. It’ll hardly be a surprise I won’t be watching Doctor Stone, as that annoyed to much early in season one. I’ll say, I’m looking forward to The Sage’s Power is Omnipotent 2. I found it quite a relaxing isekai reverse harem, and it’s good to have it back. I really need something relaxing, and that one fits the bill nicely. Oh, and I mustn’t forget the Faraway Paladin. Loved the first season; happy to have it back.
I didn’t watch much of Uma Musume 2; it wasn’t exactly bad, it couldn’t keep up with the PA Works iteration and I kept comparing. I won’t watch this one, unless what I hear convinces me otherwise.
Idolmaster? Maybe; not a huge fan of Idol shows, though I did like the first Idolmaster (and preferred Cinderella Girls, actually, though I never watched the second season – if that even aired? I can’t remember.) Unlike Uma Musume, I’ll click play on this.
Both Majo and Shy were on my curious list. Both Bullbuster and Stardust Telepath went completely under my radar. Bullbuster doesn’t look particularly interesting to me (the PV had little content, and what was there looked like a paint job over CGI… not sure it is that, but it won’t win me over with presentation. – We’ll see about characters, plot and mood.) Stardust Telepath looks fun, though – looking forward to the first episode.
I’m unsure about “Experienced”. I don’t like the way the show does eyes, and there’s a tad too much smiling in the PV. But on the other hand, they seem to have a good mix of characters. Could go either way.
I’m also lowkey looking forward to Undead Unluck. Looks like the sort of trash action show I’d enjoy (sort of like Killing Bites). It’s not the sort of show you usually, watch, though. Not a recommendation. It doesn’t look like something that transcends its genre.
And finally the other show everyone seems to talk about: Kusuriya no Hitorigoto. It’s the sort of genre I sometimes enjoy and sometimes don’t. But this show a plus that many don’t: Yuki Aoi voicing the main character. Yuki Aoi is one of few voice actors who can push up a show a level all on her own (what would Reincarnated as a Spider have been without her? Or Symphogear?)
There’s more on my curious list, but nothing I feel like talking about. I’ll be sure to mention the good stuff I missed as the season rolls around.
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You’re the first I remember to mention Frieren… The first that raised above background anyhow.
Yeah, I listed them more-or-less in ranked order of anticipating. The OP for the new season dropped this morning, and it looks fantastic… Of course, as is not uncommon, the song is shittier than the first.
The first is my exemplar specimen of idol shows and how to handle large ensemble casts… Yes, Cinderella Girls had two cour. It was the second, with it’s weird corporate management drama, that soured me on the series as a whole…
Agreed on Yuki Aoi, who also did incredible work as Yuuki Konno (SAO) and Kayo Hinazuki (ERASED).
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I did watch both cours of Cinderella Girls. I thought there was a new season not all that long ago (that may have been scheduled and cancelled). I don’t mean the chibi shorts, either. Could have been with a new cast. I know I didn’t watch it, but I can’t remember if I chose not to, forgot about it, or if it got cancelled or pushed back. Maybe I’m making it up?
**** Can’t make paragraphs? **** And, yeah, Yuki Aoi is great all around. I’ve never seen her in a role she didn’t ace. The roles that need her, though, are the ones that require constant shifts between silly mode and drama mode. Not many others can do this as well as she can.
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Yes, there was a new series, not season… last season or the one before? The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls U149.
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Wow someone else besides me likes Killing Bites!
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The one with the sharper fangs wins.
Not many people watched it as it aired, but it did have its fans.
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I have to say I agree totally about Sousou no Frieren. Its all class. A combination of first-class story telling with gorgeous art work and tight yet thoughtful direction. This recent trend of releasing multiple episodes is something I approve of as it allows the viewer to become much more immersed in the story than one jacked up single episode does. And it allows for better pacing in character and world development too. (BanG Dream Its MyGo!!!!! used it to very good effect last season too). Sousou no Frieren is a Madhouse production and they really have been giving us some wonderful anime in 2023, I can’t wait for episode five.
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In terms of other shows on my watch list I’m still working my final list out. Dekoboko Majo no Oyako Jijou I checked out and I’ve already dropped it. Both the art work and the story was just too dumb for me, so out it goes.
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Hmm WordPress is seriously broken tonight and affecting my posting.
Ahem… If you want to try a sport anime this season, I thought Overtake! wasn’t too bad. The racing animation I’m not that sold on yet but its been ages since we’ve had a new car racing anime so I’m in on that one. The only other three I will be definitely watching are Uma Musume 3, Goblin Slayer 2, and Dead Mount Death Play Pt 2. Both Ume Musume and Goblin Slayer are old favorites of mine from their previous seasons, and I really liked Dead Mount Death Play’s first cour in Spring season 2023. I have a long list of ‘unsung’ anime this season I’ve yet to crash through too, so if any of them stick, I’ll be reporting in – if WordPress lets me that is lol. :)
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I’m only going to answer once then, (no offense intended).
I agree with a lot of what you said, but I don’t want to steal my own thunder from my first impressions post… (again, no offense intended).
Yeah, we haven’t even got to the meat of the season yet. The big premieres don’t even start dropping for a couple of days yet, and run into next week.
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My New Boss is Goofy is worth checking out; it feels like it’s playing in the same ballpark as Cool Doji Danshi; just with grownups. It’s pretty cute.
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