Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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With what was honestly one of the best anime seasons to happen in a while now behind, it is time once again to look forward to a new season. This is not to say that the upcoming season has nothing to offer. Far from it, in fact. With new seasons for older shows and some exciting new releases, here are my top five most anticipated shows of winter 2019

5. The Rising of the Shield Hero

It is not a new piece of anime criticism to say that the Isekai genre, for the many pieces of legitimately fantastic art it has spawned, has become incredibly stale. Still, though, I find myself drawn to, and even excited for, The Rising of the Shield Hero. Part of this is attributed to the absurd amount of praise that was given to the light novels, which I still have not read. However, another part of me just attributes my anticipation toward the staff working on it. The director, Takao Abo, has done episode direction for a number of other shows, including Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage, Eureka Seven, and Made in Abyss. So, hopefully, something great comes out of this.

4. Dororo

I would be lying if I said that there were not times when the main thing to draw me towards a new anime was the studio producing it, and this just so happens to be one of those times. Studio MAPPA has created a lot of great shows, including one of my favorites Terror in Resonance. The subject matter of Dororo does seem interesting, though. Hyakkimaru and Dororo must travel the countryside looking for the demons who hold his missing body parts after Hyakkimaru’s father sold them away for power. I definitely see a lot of potential in the show, so I hope it turns out well.

3. Revisions

Mecha anime are almost never my go to, and a lot of the time I usually just ignore them. However, Revisions seems like it could be a legitimately interesting anime. I like the premise of the entirety of Shibuya getting transported into the future, and having to work with the people who are living in the future in order to save the world. The one other thing that does bother me is that it looks like the animation will be largely CGI, but if the show’s quality is high then I do not think it will be that big of a deal.

2. The Promised Neverland

I’ve been curious about The Promised Neverland for a while now, especially since the summer when someone I met at Anime Midwest recommended the show a lot. In fact, she said it was one of her favorite manga series that she had read in a while. The premise of the story is incredibly interesting, focusing on a group of orphans who learn about the true nature of why it is they are there in the first place. My only concern is how well the said premise will be executed. However, considering that Studio Cloverworks, who are currently finishing up what is probably one of my favorite shows in a while, Bunny Girl Senpai, I am not too worried about it.

1. Kakegurui Season 2

It might seem a little unfair to put a second season at the top of my most anticipated list, but it is the truth. Kakegurui’s first season was a show that I went into, as I do most shows, with little in expectations. I mean, a show about gambling in which the loser receives a punishment? It sounded a lot like a much edgier Yu-Gi-Oh. It turned out, however, that the show was incredibly high in quality. It did become somewhat boring in that the stakes of the show’s bets ended up becoming absolutely meaningless, but what kept me interested was the reaction of the show’s main character Yumeko. I am excited to see just how the show will change it up and how the main conflict will resolve.

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If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!