Winter 2020 Season Preview

Hello folks, and welcome back to… what the fuck, does that actually say 2020 at the top of the post? As in, the beginning of an entire new decade? As in, I’ve been writing about anime for…

You know what, we’re just not gonna think about that. Instead, we’re simply going to appreciate the upcoming attractions of the newest anime season, a season which holds no greater temporal significance whatsoever, and which will solely be a source of animated joy, not existential career-focused dread. As usual, my picks here won’t include every single new anime production – just the ones I think already possess some obvious potential, be it due to strong source material, excellent key staff members, or whatever else catches my attention. I’ll also focus my descriptions on highlighting those factors, rather than offering a reheated synopsis; you can find synopses for everything over on anichart, and synopses rarely have much correlation with quality in the first place. If that dismissal of Plot As A Meaningful Concept raises your hackles, feel free to exit the building – if not, I hope you find something worth checking out in my rundown. Without further ado, let’s start the Winter 2020 Season Preview!

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Fall 2019 Season Preview

You folks enjoying this summer season? ME NEITHER. FUCK this summer season, we deserve better than this, we’re throwing it out and starting over.

Seriously though, this summer season’s actually been pretty great, but time’s cruel grinding of gears creaks ever onward. With only three weeks left in our current season, it’s time once more to turn our gaze forward, as we examine the approaching highlights of the fall season. Some anime seasons are defined either by larger-than-life creators or ambitious new productions, but for Fall 2019, the biggest stories for me are a pair of long-awaited sequels. My Hero Academia’s fourth season will finally be arriving, and even more importantly, friggin’ Chihayafuru is at last getting its third season! Chihayafuru is one of my absolute favorite recent anime, and having never gotten the chance to watch it as it was airing, I’m absolutely thrilled to experience season three alongside all of you.

Those two shows are likely the biggest stories, but as always, there are plenty of other properties with strong potential or talented creators attached, and every season ends up offering some welcome surprises (like the excellence of this summer’s Granbelm). Per usual, I won’t be summarizing every single upcoming show here – you can check out a site like anichart for something like that. Instead, I’ll just be highlighting the shows that actually catch my attention, with an explanation of what element of their production team or source material or whatnot caught my eye. Without further ado, let’s preview the top prospects of the upcoming season!

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