I intended my anime watching this season to be manageable (i.e. at least lesser in number than the 13 shows I watched throughout last season). A couple of returning anime – Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War(season 2), Fruits Basket (season 2), Ascendance of a Bookworm (second cour of its split-cour debut season), and Ahiru no Sora (third cour of its four-cour season) – were already set for my watchlist from the very beginning (Re:Zeroand No Guns Life would have been among them, if they weren’t delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic), so I really did my best to pick up just a few of spring 2020’s new anime series.
I settled on six (bringing the current total of my anime watchlist to ten).
As usual, I make no assurance that I will continue watching all six through the course of this season (although, as what’s the case with these seasonal shows, I typically end up watching every new anime series I check out anyway), and that I will no longer pick up any other new shows (I prefer to not add anything more to my current watchlist down the line. But My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom, BNA, The Millionaire Detective – Balance: UNLIMITED, and Sing “Yesterday” for Me really, really look tempting, though).
Anyway, as of writing, here are the new anime series of spring 2020 that I’m currently watching, arranged in the descending order of how much I’m liking them so far.
Appare-Ranman!
Set in a version of the late 19thcentury, it follows a young misfit engineer, who would rather spend his time tinkering with machines than help in the family business, and the young samurai assigned to oversee him as they find themselves drifting to the ocean from Japan to America. In order to earn the money to return home, they decide to compete with other wacky characters in a transcontinental race from Los Angeles to New York.
Number of episodes as of writing:2
My initial thoughts:
It’s like anime Wacky Races, and I love my Wacky Races. On top of racing, it attempts to mix the comedy, steampunk, Western, and samurai genres – with potentially delightful results! The OP is also pretty catchy.
Tower of God
In a nutshell:
An anime adaptation of a popular Korean webtoon – the first of its kind! It’s set in a colossal Tower which is already a world unto itself, and each of its floors is basically a continent. Different races, cultures, and societies exist within its walls, and it’s not uncommon for a nation to be not aware of the existence of another. The higher a person is located in the tower, the more powerful he or she is as well as the better are his or her living condition and social status. In order to ascend from one floor to the next, one must first pass a series of tests. The story follows a naïve boy named Bam as he climbs the Tower in pursuit of his best friend Rachel, who has gone ahead of him.
Number of episodes as of writing:3
My initial thoughts:
The tiered nature of its setting reminds me of Made in Abyss and Blame! – two properties that features worldbuilding that highly stir one’s imagination. The mysteries of the Tower and learning more about it are what I find most exciting about the show. Moreover, the Hunter Exam-esque feel of its first arc is also a big plus.
Gleipnir
In a nutshell:
Shuichi Kagaya is a high school boy who wants to maintain a low profile. However, he secretly possesses a supernatural sense of smell and the ability to transform into a sturdy dog mascot with a large revolver. This secret becomes known to a high school girl with sadistic tendencies named Claire Aoki, who then blackmails him into helping her look for her sister. They discover that Claire can take control of Shuichi while he’s in his mascot form by entering him through a zipper down his back. In this form, they hunt down the monsters mysteriously roaming all over town.
Number of episodes as of writing: 3
My initial thoughts:
This show is the definition of weird and edgy. The overt sexual metaphors and the initial BDSM dynamic between the main characters are kinda awkward, but the show has legit intriguing originality going for it. Also, the action animation – in which you feel the weight behind each movement – is quite winning.
Kakushigoto: My Dad’s Secret Ambition
A doting single father goes to hilariously elaborate lengths to hide from his young daughter his true vocation: being a mangaka of a prominent manga that’s known for its vulgar content.
Number of episodes as of writing: 3
My initial thoughts:
I picked it up expecting great comedy. So far, there aren’t any big laughs, but it’s consistently amusing. Furthermore, based on what I get from its moving OP and its framing device, there’s going to be an impending heartbreak, so I’m expecting it’ll have one of those impactful comedy-to-drama shifts up ahead.
Wave, Listen to Me!
After her post-breakup drunken rant was recorded, played on the radio, and became a moderate hit, a waitress of a curry restaurant is recruited by a station manager to begin a career in radio.
Number of episodes as of writing: 3
My initial thoughts:
Another anime I picked up in the hope that it would be a great comedy. It has only given me some chuckles so far, but there’s something about it – maybe the charm of being an anime about radio, a dying craft – that makes me want to continue watching. It also has a nice, emotional OP.
Princess Connect! Re:Dive
An anime based on a mobile RPG. It follows a dull, amnesiac boy and three moe girls who decide to form a gourmet guild.
Number of episodes as of writing:3
My initial thoughts:
It’s as generic as a generic fantasy RPG anime can be. However, its roster of adorable waifus may be enough to keep me watching. But more importantly, while it isn’t exactly an uproarious anime, the comedic timing of some of its bits is reminiscent of KonoSuba. I learned later that this is so because this anime is also being directed by the director of KonoSuba. So far, Princess Connect! Re:Dive is nothing special. But I’m rooting for it to be a wholesome version of KonoSuba.
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