Another year already, huh? As always I find myself looking back at the anime year of 2020 and realising how many shows I just never got around to watching. My backlog is pretty crazy now. With about 30 new shows (and sequels) airing every season in recent years, each year over a hundred different anime series are now released… keeping up just isn’t an option anymore. So, for the coming season here are my top 5 picks for ones to keep an eye on and maybe add to that ever-growing to-watch list…
Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2
What can I say about this one? If you’ve not heard of the Attack on Titan series by now then you won’t know how huge and influential this series is within the anime community. The finale of the whole series is finally underway and if you’re behind on the story, it’s well worth catching up in time to see the conclusion.
Requiem of the Rose King
One of the more unique stories of the season, Requiem of the Rose King takes on the historical War of the Roses in England, with Richard III as the central protagonist. Whilst this was originally a manga series aimed at female readers, it looks to have a lot of complexity to it and an intersex protagonist played straight, rather then for laughs. Hard to tell if the plotline of this one will be engaging enough or fall flat but I’m certainly intrigued by this dark tragedy. Apparently there are some supernatural elements to this one too so presumably this series is going to be more inspired by historical events then a strict adaptation. The manga is still ongoing however, so it’s possible there won’t be a satisfying conclusion to this one.
Love of Kill
A dark mystery series about a bounty hunter and an assassin whose pasts are intrinsically linked together, Love of Kill looks to one of the more mature additions for the anime season. The trailers showcase some gorgeous music and striking imagery, and this one definitely looks to be an action-packed character-focused show.
Orient
From the same author as Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Orient delves more into Japan then Arabia but looks to have a similar action fantasy feel to it. The series deals with demon-slaying and samurai during the time of the Warring States. Whilst the trailers look similar to many other action fantasy shows out there, the author of this one alone makes it one worth keeping an eye on.
Fantasy Bishoujo Juniku Ojisan to
Another isekai but this one does look to have quite the amusing premise – two middle aged men are transported to a fantasy world with one of them being turned into a girl. What follows looks to be a series of hilarious adventures between the two friends, and potentially develop into a romantic comedy. It’s hard to say if this series is going to fall flat or be genuinely heartwarming and hilarious but the trailer hits the right comedy beats so far, so it’s worth checking out! If nothing else it’ll be nice to see some more mature protagonists dealing with a fantasy world then the typical young person, and to have two protagonists who are already good friends to begin with.
Honourable Mentions:
My Dress-Up Darling, Tokyo Twenty-Fourth Ward, Ryman’s Club, The Orbital Children, Rust-Eater Bisco, Tribe Nine.
