With the cold and the snow comes the perfect chance to bundle up and binge some of last season’s best anime. But with the 50+ new series that came out this past fall, knowing what to watch can seem impossible. So here are five picks you shouldn’t miss out on.
Oh, before we get into it, a little disclaimer. If your pick didn’t make this list, that doesn’t mean it’s bad in any way. It only means that I chose the arbitrary limit of five anime to highlight and that those below are the ones that happened to make my personal cut.
Image source: TVアニメ「BEASTARS〈ビースターズ〉」 on Twitter
Beastars
Genre: Coming-of-Age… but with anthropomorphic animals
Studio: Orange
Number of episodes: 12
Premiere date: October 10, 2019
Non-spoiler plot summary: In a world without humans, all of the planet’s various animal species have evolved into humanoids. Unfortunately, this has done little to curb their animalistic instincts. While herbivores and carnivores supposedly live in peace, inside each individual is a constant battle between nature and nurture.
Enter Legoshi, a gray wolf. Each day he tries to fade into the background and be as unthreatening as possible. But one evening, the wolf inside him gets loose and he attacks a small rabbit named Haru. Yet, this event leads to an unlikely friendship and Legoshi must decide if his obsession with Haru is one of lovers or one of predator and prey.
Why you should watch it: Beastars is the story of instinct versus civilized society–and how, sometimes, these things aren’t as separated as we pretend they are. Legoshi is in that horrible transitional period in our lives known as high school–where everyone pretty much pretends to be a responsible adult and fails spectacularly at it. And then there are the hormones (or in this case “animal instincts”) making sure everything is as confusing as possible.
The anime swings between high school drama with light comedy to horrific violence and social commentary. Somehow, it all works–even as the show jumps off the proverbial deep end again and again.
Watch It If You Like: A Centaur’s Life, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, Land of the Lustrous
Where You Can Watch It: Netflix (Early 2020 for those outside of Japan)
Image source: 銀河英雄伝説DieNeueThese on Twitter
Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Second
Genre: Space Opera
Studio: Production I.G
Number of episodes: 12
Premiere date: September 26, 2019
Non-spoiler plot summary: The Galactic Empire and Free Planets Alliance have been at war for 150 years. Now two young tactical geniuses, Reinhard von Lohengramm and Yang Wen-li, have appeared. If they would have been born on the same side, the war would soon be over. Yet such is not to be. Instead, their battles across the stars will one day become legend.
With the Alliance’s failed invasion of the Empire, both sides have limped back home. But no sooner has this occurred then the emperor dies and the Galactic Empire finds itself on the verge of civil war. Sensing his chance, Reinhard makes his play for the throne. Meanwhile, in the Alliance, the political corruption has reached the point where a civil war of their own is brewing. The only real question is which side Yang Wen-li will choose.
Why you should watch it: This, the second season of Die Neue These, uses our lead characters to explore the battle between politics and ideals by putting them in mirroring situations. Reinhard lives in a dictatorship full of corruption and mismanagement. He has decided that the only way to change things is from the top–by taking power himself and cutting out the cancer. Yet, as the path to his goal requires more and more reprehensible actions–exactly the kinds of things he is fighting to reform–will he be able to carry on and reach his goal with his soul intact?
Yang Wen-li, on the other hand, lives in an equally corrupt democracy–yet still believes in the ideals behind it. He, like Reinhard, has the capability to take power himself and force change. However, this means he’d become a dictator–everything he believes to be wrong–in the process. But as the evils of his society continue to mount, will he be able to stick to his moral code?
Add to the political intrigue a good amount of space battles and rocking music from Hiroyuki Sawano and you have the makings of a remarkable series–one that’s perhaps even more relevant now than when it was originally written. And by the end, you’ll likely start to realize the sad truth: there’s no such thing as “heroes.”
Watch It If You Like: Macross/Robotech, Space Battleship Yamato/Star Blazers, The Heroic Legend of Arslan
Where You Can Watch It: Crunchyroll, Funimation
Image source: アニメ「俺を好きなのはお前だけかよ」公式 on Twitter
ORESUKI Are you the only one who loves me?
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Coming-of-Age
Studio: Connect
Number of episodes: 12
Premiere date: October 3, 2019
Non-spoiler plot summary: Joro has planned his school life with one simple goal in mind: to be your typical rom-com protagonist. He’s got the overly friendly childhood best friend that clings to him and is the confidant of the beautiful, princess-like student council president. Then, one day, it finally happens: both want to go on a date with him. But when their respective dates are coming to a close and the romantic moment has come, both confess their love… for Joro’s best friend.
More than a little angry that his carefully laid plan has gone so horribly awry, he learns that there is, in fact, a person who loves him: the plain and antisocial bookworm “Pansy.” There’s just one problem: Pansy’s an obsessive stalker who not only sees Joro’s true nature but also has no problem blackmailing him into spending time with her.
Why you should watch it: In a very real way, this anime could be titled “everyone is horrible to each other except, oddly, the crazy stalker girl.” But while that is both comically appropriate and painfully realistic (I mean, high school, am I right?), that wouldn’t be enough to keep the show going for twelve episodes.
What makes the anime rise above its basic framework is its focus on the characters. While they start largely unlikable–especially as you get to know them over the first arc–they are slowly but surely growing. Through this growth, the anime is able to deconstruct the unintentional lessons taught by rom-com anime in general and show just how problematic these wish-fulfillment fantasies are to both the viewers and the characters in the stories themselves.
Oh, and then there are the flower puns. You’ve got to love the flower puns.
Watch It If You Like: My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
Where You Can Watch It: Crunchyroll, Funimation, HIDIVE, AnimeLab (AU/NZ), Wakanim (EU)
Image source: PSYCHO-PASS サイコパス 公式 on Twitter
Psycho-Pass 3
Genre: Mystery, Police Drama, Cyberpunk
Studio: Production I.G
Number of episodes: 8
Premiere date: October 25, 2019
Non-spoiler plot summary: In the future, the world has devolved into a series of endless conflicts where warlords battle for the scraps of what used to be. One country, however, has been spared this fate: Japan. Thanks to the Sibyl System, which is able to scan a person’s mental state, crime has been all but eliminated–with all those capable of committing violent crimes imprisoned long before they commit any. However, “all but eliminated” doesn’t mean “completely eliminated” and thus the inspectors of the Public Safety Bureau team with Enforcers–latent criminals who know how to think like the criminals they hunt–to bring the guilty to justice.
This season follows two rookie inspectors, Arata and Kei, who get caught up in a series of cases where a shadowy group exploits the inherent flaws in the system to get away with crimes–up to and including murder.
Why you should watch it: Psycho-Pass 3 is sci-fi at its best. It’s an in-depth thought experiment into what a dystopian society controlled by the Sibyl System would look like. It touches on everything from white-collar crime to politics and religion. But it’s main focus is on the effects of immigration on a homogenous culture–a problem that real-world Japan faces today thanks to its isolationist policies and ever-declining birthrate.
It’s also a series of great murder mysteries that build off of the past two seasons and four films of the franchise. The new characters are interesting in their own right–especially Arata and Kei–and the mystery of what happened to all our old heroes is more than compelling enough to keep you watching week to week. It’s only real downside is that, even when the credits roll on the final episode, the story is far from over.
Watch It If You Like: Psycho-Pass, Ghost in the Shell
Where You Can Watch It: Amazon Prime
Image source: アニメ ソードアート・オンライン 公式 on Twitter
Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld
Genre: Fantasy, Cyberpunk
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Number of episodes: 12
Premiere date: October 13, 2019
Non-spoiler plot summary: With the villain vanquished and the kingdom saved, young knight Alice returns to her hometown with her injured companion, hoping for nothing more than to live the rest of her life in simple peace. But alas, such peace is destined to be short-lived. Dark armies led by a god-emperor from another world are gathering outside her peaceful land, planning to take it for their own. Yet there is a deeper purpose to this war, one only known to the Emperor and his right-hand man: to capture Alice and take her from this world back to his own.
Why you should watch it: War of Underworld deals with the fallout of all that happened in the first season of Alicization and even before. While the Integrity Knights are indeed powerful, they can only be in one place at a time. Thus, they have no choice but to stage their own Battle of Thermopylae against the massive number of soldiers arrayed against them. It makes for an exciting, life-or-death setting with real stakes for our hero.
It’s also a season almost completely without Kirito. This allows Alice, the other knights, and even the various villains to take the spotlight–to tell their own personal stories over the course of the war. And as for Asuna, well, let’s just say she has her own major role to play in this battle with the fate of an entire world hanging in the balance.
Watch It If You Like: Sword Art Online, .hack, Log Horizon
Where You Can Watch It: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu, AnimeLab (AU/NZ), Wakanim (EU)
Top image source: TVアニメ「BEASTARS〈ビースターズ〉」 on Twitter
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