Winter 2019 Anime You Should Watch
With the new season of anime now well underway, I thought it might be nice to highlight just a few of the shows worth watching that people aren’t talking about a lot. Because there’s a lot of crap out there, and some of the best shows get overlooked!
*update* here’s my Spring 2019 anime list
And here’s my 2020 master list
And heads up, I haven’t watched The Promised Neverland yet so it’s not on here even though apparently it’s also amazing.
Dororo: A dark but sweet adventure about a young warrior whose limbs and organs were traded to demons by his father before he was born, so naturally he must grow up to fight demons and take what belongs to him. And also there’s a lovable child thief named Dororo who sort of follows him around because he wants a friend. The main character is incredibly interesting, and it’s awesome to have a protagonist who cannot see or hear kick ass. If you think it’s going to be like its original manga or the 1969 anime adaption…think again.
The Rising of the Shield Hero: After being…transported to another world…shut up just hear me out…four heroes are tasked using legendary equipment to save the world. Listen, every year there has to be at least one or two shows in the sea of the isekai genre that are actually worth watching, and this is one of them. We follow Naofumi, aka the Shield Hero after he’s dropped into this world, but instead of having everyone fall over themselves in appreciation for him, everyone hates him and thinks he’s a loser because you can’t fight anyone with a shield. And after being framed for a serious crime, Naofumi must walk the line between redemption and revenge while still trying to save people. It’s a fun action adventure with protagonist who is actually interesting and an early candidate for best girl!
My Roommate is a Cat: Aka the best anime of the season and quite possibly the year. A lonely writer lacking inspiration stumbles upon a stray cat and is suddenly hit with an idea to write a book about a cat who is trying to kill its owner. But really it’s just a feel good slice of life about a cat owner who thinks his cat is a freak, when really the cat is just a tsundere who’s trying to protect him. It’s wholesome, pure, and surprisingly deep.
Kaguya-sama: Love is War: An anime that answers the age old question of what would happen if Light Yagami and Lelouch vi Britannia were both on the student council and secretly in love with each other…meaning neither would confess in fear of their dignity and would be forced to come up with ridiculously elaborate schemes to get the other to confess first. It’s a hilarious romantic comedy with two outrageously smart high schoolers who try to get the other to confess their feelings in silly ways, and it’s amazing. Kaguya, the student council vice president is so likable, and Miyuki the president is like some weird mixture of Light Yagami and Kagayama Tobio which is such an entertaining combo it should be illegal.
Second Seasons and Continuations!
The Morose Mononokean (Fukigen na mononokean) season 2: Normal high schooler Hanae Ashiya accidentally gets involved with the spirit world and must work jobs with a surly spirit master to pay off a debt. Really it’s a comedy about two boys (who may or may not be in love with each other) trying to get spirits back to the underworld. I’m so glad this show got a second season. It just makes you feel good, like Yokai Apartment Life mixed with Natsume Yuujinchou!
Run With the Wind (kaze ga tsuyoku fuiteiru): Yes the running show, where ten lovable misfits are manipulated/coerced/forced into running in a prestigious race even though almost none of them have any running experience. It’s getting 23 episodes so I thought I’d mention it BECAUSE IT’S FREAKING AMAZING AND NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT! It’s made by Production I.G so there’s lots of Haikyuu feels, and all the characters stand out in their own way! PLEASE WATCH IT!
Hinomaru Zumo: Or Hinomaru Sumo according to some. It’s a fucking sumo wrestling anime, and it’s goddamn amazing. It’s getting 24 episodes, and it is the hypest show you will ever watch. It does go at a breakneck pace, which I think works against it at times, but apparently the manga is a lot more detailed and drawn out in building up its characters. It’s a great fun sports anime that will get you surprisingly into this sport!
Tsurune: Yeah it’s the Kyoani archery anime. It had a couple episodes come out this year so dang it, I’m counting it because nobody watched it, and it’s an amazing show! Based on the light novel series, it’s an anime about Minato Narumiya, a high school first year who quit kyudo (archery) in middle school due to developing “target panic” and must learn to trust others while getting over his illness. Some people have avoided this anime because they think it’s not as good as the light novels (heads up, I’m reading them right now, and honestly I like the anime better) OR it’s a clone of Free, just because it uses a sport as the backdrop of a group of pretty boys strengthening the bonds of friendship! In reality, the two are actually a bit different, but it does have a similar vibe, so if you like Free or Run With the Wind or even Chihayafuru, you’ll probably like this. This show is so beautiful, with great animation and music, it has great well rounded characters, and a strong metaphor for depression with a message about how to live your life with mental and physical scars. It also has amazing female characters who are total sass masters. And sometimes it feels like one big gay harem wrapped up in a sports anime, and I think that’s fine. PLEASE GOD DON’T DISMISS IT AS A CLONE OF FREE OR DROP IT BECAUSE IT’S SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FROM THE LIGHT NOVELS!
And last but not least I just quickly have to mention…
Mob Psycho 100 season 2: Because if you’re not watching this wholesome lovable relative of One Punch Man…you really should be.
I know there was a lot of great stuff last year. Hopefully this year will be great for anime too!
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