Hello all, and welcome to Wrong Every Time! Today I am terrified to announce that it is some-fucking-how time for the spring previews, as the winter season is already drawing to a close. As is tradition, today I’ll be breaking down the most promising prospects of the upcoming season – though in this case, that process is somewhat complicated by the fact that spring is so entirely packed with sequels.

Seriously, just look at this friggin’ list. Re:Zero, Kaguya-sama, SAO, Fruits Basket, Food Wars!, Bookworm… heck, even friggin’ Jashin-chan Dropkick is getting a sequel. This is perhaps the point where my current policy of only continuing shows that genuinely thrill me starts to become a problem – when you combine that with the profound risk aversion built into the anime production system, you end up with over half a dozen “long-awaited sequels” to shows I dropped in their first or second episodes.

Fortunately, even if you set aside the majority of the major sequels, this is still looking to be a fine season – certainly more diverse than winter, at least, which mostly broke down into Eizouken and Everything Else. As usual, I won’t be highlighting every single show here – just the ones that I think have significant potential, either due to their staff, acclaimed source material, or whatever else catches my eye. Without further ado, let’s break down the most promising contenders of the Spring 2020 Anime Season!

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru Kan

So it turns out there is one sequel I’m looking forward to, and it’s a big one: the third season of Yahari, also known as Oregairu, or by the wince-inducing English title, “My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU.” Title aside, I consider Oregairu one of the strongest high school dramas of recent anime, for a pretty simple reason: it’s just massively better-written than most of the other ones.

Oregairu’s characters are layered, contradictory, and sympathetic, and their navigation of cliques, social expectations, and the fundamental anxieties of youth are packed with heart-rending moments and razor-sharp reflections on the nature of friendship and identity. Oregairu’s protagonist Hachiman essentially starts the series as a perfect avatar of the classic self-absorbed loner, and over Oregairu’s first two seasons, his philosophy has been tested again and again, as he endures the vulnerability and pain of truly growing up. On top of its narrative strengths, Oregairu’s third season will also feature the return of second season’s talented director, Kei Okawa, whose focus on subtle character acting and beautiful staging really elevated Oregairu’s second season over the first. I have every reason to expect Oregairu will be one of the year’s top productions, and I’m eager to return to this very special show.

You can check out the season three PV here.

Brand New Animal

My relationship with Trigger productions has been pretty lopsided, in large part because I simply don’t like Hiroyuki Imaishi’s style. “Sex and Violence at Machspeed” is just a credo that doesn’t appeal to me at all, and so I’ve found myself frequently underwhelmed by the studio’s major productions. But in spite of my lack of interest in Imaishi specifically, Trigger undoubtedly possess one of the most talented and distinctive core staffs of any modern animation studio, with animation legend Yoh Yoshinari standing high among them. Along with having directed Trigger’s phenomenal Little Witch Academia, Yoshinari also happens to possess one of the greatest animation resumes of anyone in the industry, so it would seem that Brand New Animal is in good hands.

The PVs are already stuffed with colorful compositions and Trigger’s distinctive post-Gainax designs, and though Kazuki Nakashima’s presence on script has me worried, BNA is undoubtedly going to at least be one of the most visually engaging productions of the season. When Trigger’s productions embrace human stories over pure bravado, great shows like Little Witch Academia and SSSS.Gridman are the result – for my own sake, here’s hoping BNA possesses that gentler touch.

Here’s the PV!

Yesterday wo Uttate

Doga Kobo have a strong and well-deserved reputation for their fluid character acting, as well as the sense of clear space they infuse in their productions, resulting in some of the most aesthetically joyous slice of life productions around. That said, their general focus on relatively formulaic slice of life shows means their productions rarely fall within my wheelhouse. Yesterday wo Uttate looks to change that, with its focus on genuinely post-college characters setting it apart from not just Doga Kobo, but most anime productions in general. Couple that unique focus with one of Doga Kobo’s most reliable directors, and you end up with a production that has me hopeful for a visually compelling and genuinely adult-oriented character drama this spring.

Here’s the very limited PV.

Gleipnir

Gleipnir looks to be one of those messy, surreal, and utterly distinct productions that sets anime apart from the vast majority of television. Its narrative seems to embrace the ugliness and uncomfortable sexuality of adolescence in a manner that echoes stories like Flowers of Evil, except tethered to a schlocky action premise that promises something a bit closer to Prison School. The director is an accomplished veteran, and the PV is already showing off the profound appeal of Takahiro Kishida’s rough-edged character designs. Gleipnir could very easily just turn out to be underwritten, exploitative nonsense, but its fundamental strangeness, and clear willingness to embrace the clamminess of youth, gives me hopes it could turn out to be a seasonal dark horse.

Here’s the PV.

Appare Ranman!

Anime originals tend to have both higher floors and higher ceilings than anime adaptations, unbound by the limitations of sticking to popular manga and light novel material, and developed from the ground up as vehicles for animation specifically. PA Works’ Appare Ranman! looks to be a particularly energetic one, with its Wacky Races-esque premise naturally setting it apart from most productions, and its character designs already turning heads. Distinctive art design can do a lot of work, and though I don’t have a lot to go on with Ranman, its colorful aesthetic and original narrative mean it’s at least worth a look.

Here’s the PV.

Fugou Keiji

Tomohiko Itou’s career feels like one of the classic tragedies of the anime industry: brilliant artists and directors let down by abysmal writing. From Sword Art Online to ERASED and beyond, Itou’s profound talents as a director are constantly undercut by the inherent narrative shortcomings of his projects, and I am dearly hoping that Fugou Keiji heralds the end of this tragic streak. Set in modern Tokyo, where… you know what, I don’t give a fuck about this show’s premise, and you shouldn’t either. I’m repping this one because Itou is super talented and deserves a genuinely good story to direct, and I’m hoping Fugou Keiji fits the bill.

Here’s the PV.

Listeners

Speaking of anime’s problems with writing, my interest in Listeners is largely prompted by its writer, Dai Sato, who’s contributed key scripts to productions ranging from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex to the majority of Shinichiro Watanabe’s output. Dai Sato’s a reliable dude, and Listeners’ PV seems to indicate MAPPA will be putting their full resources behind this one. It’s certainly worth a look!

Here’s the PV.

Arte

It seems the spring season is absolutely brimming with shows that fall outside anime’s standard genre wheelhouse, and Arte looks to be another intriguing one. The production looks fairly middling on this one, but the story, involving a young woman who’s determined to become an artist in a patriarchal art world, sounds distinctive and intriguing. Anime itself has traditionally been a pretty male-oriented medium, and shows like Arte give me hope that the future is far more egalitarian, in part because I find shows about punching so very boring. But either way, grounded historical dramas like this are rare in anime, and when you couple that with the fact that it’s yet another character story about genuinely adult characters, you end up with a production that’s at least earned a first episode glance.

Here’s the PV.

Woodpecker Detective’s Office

Woodpecker Detective’s Office clocks in as another intriguing period drama, this one courtesy of talented Hanebado director Shinpei Azaki, who is here reunited with Hanebado series composer Taki Kishimoto. The pair’s strong work on Hanebado give me the impression this team could do great things with better material. And Woodpecker’s mix of mystery, historical intrigue, and arresting color work, along with the fact that it’s adapted from a genuine full-length novel, indicate it might just be that material.

Here’s the PV.

Tower of God

Tower of God is an extremely popular digital manhwa, or “webtoon,” whose potential adaptation into anime has been floated for a few years now. Though I’ve heard a great deal of love for the source material, I’m somewhat skeptical about this production – the PV frankly looks rough, featuring generic character designs, clumsy color work, and an unconvincing overall composite. But strong source material can sometimes overcome wonky production, so if you’re looking for an action show this spring, Tower of God seems like it might be worth a look.

Here’s the PV.

Well, I think that covers it for me! Goddamn, this season is actually looking fantastic, isn’t it? Even if more than half these shows end up disappointing, we’ve still got a strong array of new productions, along with whatever you’re watching among the spring’s wide array of major sequels. It’s a fine time to be an anime fan!