Well folks, we’ve finally arrived at the winter season’s halfway point. Last year’s winter season turned out to be that year’s best by far, and though I don’t think this year is quite measuring up to that standard, it’s still been a terrific season by any metric. The crown jewel of the season is clearly Mob Psycho 100, which has actually improved substantially from its already-terrific first season, but we’ve got great continuing shows, great anime-originals, and a pretty diverse genre distribution on the whole. For better or for worse, the age of CG has arrived, and though shows like Kotobuki and Kemurikusa aren’t necessarily the most visually impressive, they’ve consistently demonstrated that fundamentally strong storytelling always shines through. I’ve personally fallen off The Promised Neverland for the moment, but that’s not really a knock on its quality – its production just seems pretty specifically aimed at new viewers, with its focus on cliffhangers over atmosphere making it a little slow for someone who’s already experienced this story. And with JoJo powering through one of its strongest segments altogether, I’m basically guaranteed that any given week in anime will at the very least not be boring. It’s a bumper crop this year, and I’m happy to take stock of the highlights so far. Let’s get to it!

Starting with the elephant in the room, Mob Psycho 100’s second season has been almost unbelievably good so far. The show’s first season was already anime of the year quality, offering a stunning mix of creatively animated spectacle and thoughtfully illustrated coming-of-age drama, but the second season has doubled down on both its visual execution and emotional heft, resulting in some of the most beautiful and poignant arcs I’ve seen in years. The Mogami arc essentially condensed an entire film’s worth of drama into one tightly composed episodic package, building directly on Mob’s growth so far to offer both a profoundly impactful character turn and a validation of Mob’s central themes. The Reigen arc interrogated the once-farcical relationship at the heart of this series, illustrating the messy trials of mentorship and terror of affirming your adult identity with an honesty so bracing and immediate it was almost painful. And all of these stories have been brought to life through a stunning union of animation and storyboarding, visual feats of drama-crafting so impressive they essentially embody the promise of animation. We are watching a new classic unfold, one dazzling episode at a time.

On the far end of my hyperbole spectrum, The Magnificent Kotobuki has mostly just been a really enjoyable, goofy time. This probably won’t come as much of a surprise, given its directors’ prior works, but Kotobuki is clearly content to revel in its archetypal but punchily written episodic adventures, letting its combination of fine narrative fundamentals, endearingly silly characters, and tense, tonally engaging battle sequences carry the day. I’ve been keeping my expectations for this show on a medium simmer basically all season, and it’s consistently rewarded exactly that level of investment – the characters are too thin to truly love, but they’re more than charming enough to really like, and what tidbits we’ve received of worldbuilding have helped give the show just a dash more personality. Kotobuki is basically a warm, reliable pizza, and I am extremely weak to good pizza.

Run with the Wind slots comfortably in the middle of the pack, and lately has been impressing me with how many distinct, engaging dramatic hooks it has managed to draw out of the leadup to Hakoden. Sequences like a summer training camp are sports drama staples, but I wasn’t expecting an episode like “the gang drives around and checks out the race route” to feel like a genuine highlight. This team isn’t “just” racing to do their best – they have a literal and metaphorical mountain to climb, and the tactical complexity of managing such a feat is already paying rich dramatic dividends. Couple that with the show’s ever-sturdy character work and excellent race highlights, and you end up with a sports drama that simultaneously reminds me of this genre’s gripping fundamentals and expansive dramatic potential.

Kemurikusa has offered a familiar yet consistently gripping evolution from Tatsuki, building on Kemono Friends’ style of lore and narrative structure to offer a story rich in mystery and melancholy. There are major building blocks of Kemurikusa’s narrative that are ripped wholesale from Kemono Friends, like its journey-oriented structure, “embedded locals and amnesiac audience surrogate” cast, and post-apocalyptic setting, but the way this show employs those variables manages to maintain much of Kemono Friends’ appeal while establishing a personality all its own. Tatsuki is very good about establishing mysteries that feel both naturally integrated into his world and genuinely intriguing, and the show’s idle conversations succeed as both charming, character-building rapport in their own right and natural breadcrumb trails regarding this show’s secrets. My only major complaint with Kemurikusa at the moment is the show’s tepid stabs at romance. I’d be fine with a romance here in the abstract, but our leads have no real chemistry, and Rin’s tsundere blushes aren’t going to cut it alone.

And finally, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has been dazzling me with what I can confidently declare as one of the strongest stretches of the franchise so far. I don’t make that claim lightly – I’d bestow this honor on Battle Tendency as a whole, the last half-dozen or so episodes of Stardust Crusaders, and a couple stretches of Diamond is Unbreakable, but that’s it. Golden Wind feels like it’s cribbing the strongest elements from every JoJo arc so far – the propulsive narrative and unique environmental focus of Battle Tendency, the ensemble road trip appeal of Stardust Crusaders, the flexible Stands and engaging characters of Diamond. Having seemingly gained much greater confidence in using Stands to facilitate his existing drama, Araki has moved from showdowns like “how can your fire beat my swordsmanship” to its recent train battle, which coherently juggled half a dozen different powers while also making great use of its high-speed environment. It’s always fun watching a show you’re already greatly enjoying undergo a “this is where it gets REALLY good” metamorphosis!