Happy Easter everyone! These times are certainly unusual for everyone and it takes quite a bit of time to get used to it all. Even being busy with university, I managed to begin watching some anime from this ongoing season.
Here are the 7 anime that I am currently watching from the Spring 2020 season. While these are not all of the shows I’m checking out, in my opinion, I have the most hype and enjoyment for these as of the writing of this post.
- Kami no tou
The tower of god is surprisingly, or not, the one I was hyped for almost the most, aside from a few sequels. The trailers had fluid action and interesting visuals, safe to say, the anime adaptation certainly did not disappoint. While unlike many, I had only heard of the webtoon, it did not stop me from checking this anime out.
The story follows Bam (or Yoru) who decides to climb the titular tower in order to search for his only friend who is the most important person to him, Rachel, as she too decided to climb the tower in order to see the stars from the world above. The hook of the story is not only its action scenes but the mystery shrouding the tower and our protagonists. Bam and Rachel unlike the other characters came from below the tower, posing more questions to the already mysterious amnesia-tic main character who just wants to see his friend again. The structure, origin, and the somewhat culture of the tower is something we get to explore along with Bam, in a way, that does not seem forced at all.
My main draw into the anime was the mystery of Bam and the world around him, but most importantly, the fast paced action. The animation is interesting as well and adds strength and impact to the more tense scenes and sword fighting which might seem dull to some at this point. It is also closer to the webtoon, than other anime that came before the anime adaptation or fellow fantasy/adventure anime. The opening song is catchy and fits the show well, adding another plus to the list.
2. BNA (Brand new animal)
A lovely surprise of a Trigger show through and through. Set in a type of the 21st century where humanoid animals have been revealed to the world and are now shunned because of their differences. The story follows the 16-year old Michiru who suddenly and inexplicably turns into a tanuki despite being a normal human all her life. She decides to move into the Anima city in order to stay safe and find out more about her mysterious illness.
Along the way she meets some of the residents, one of which is Shirou, a wolf man humanoid who keeps the peace but in his own somewhat brash ways. The two make a good team, both with Shirou’s strength and Michiru’s mysterious tanuki powers. Their colorful banter adds even more life to the already vibrant show. Trigger style the anime is both detailed and at the same time it feels like it can’t stay still, in the best possible way. Interesting shots, adding nuance to both the main character and her past and stories mixed within Michiru’s quest make BNA easily my favorite anime of this season. The opening is catchy, flashy and makes you want to move to the rhythm, fitting the show perfectly.
There are only 6 episodes available as of now on Netflix.
3. Fugou Keiji
The animation in this is what first caught my eye. While it’s not something purely original and experimental as Ping pong the animation, the cleanness and precision of it all makes you feel as if you’re watching the coolest and most aesthetic action movie directed by none other than Clover Works. The story follows two unlikely people, Haru and Kanbe, finding themselves working together in the Modern Crime Prevention Headquarters. While Haru is the more simple everyday man which is easily annoyed by others, Kanbe in turn believes that everything can have a priced attached and solved with money, much to Haru’s dismay. The chemistry between the two leads certainly seems interesting and a main aspect of the show, aside from the car chases and tense plots involving various crimes. Finally, another aesthetic and interesting mystery show for me to follow!
4. Kakushigoto
With lovely animation, Kakushigoto dives into the world of a mangaka known for drawing somehwat vulgar manga and desperately (and hilariously) tries to hide it from his daughter, wanting to save her from the shame that might come with such a revelation. Hioshi Kamiya, known for many roles, a wide range from Araragi from the Monogatari series to Levi from Attack on titan, provides the perfect voice for the distressed father. Armed with deadpan humor and jabs and jokes about the life of a mangaka, Kakushigoto seems to go all out on the aesthetically pleasing visuals meter, especially in the stunning opening and ending animations, which might as well be music videos for the songs.
5. Hamefura
Yet another unlikely isekai which is not an isekai. The main character, Katarina Claes is the only daughter of a duke, living her life peacefully until she hits her head on a rock and remembers her origins as a humble girl from Japan. In fact, Katarina is the main villains from an otome game she was playing, Fortune Lover. In the game, in almost every scenario Katarina ends up either dead or exiled for the various evil deeds she commits to the people surrounding her and the main character of the game, a sweet girl who never did anything wrong to her.
The current Katarina, however, decides to take matters into her own hands and behaves as herself instead of playing the evil Katarina from the game, changing everyone around her and their stories. Nevertheless, is it really possible for someone who is deemed the villain in the game to reach a good ending even with such a change?
Hamefura takes the tropes from otome games and somewhat switches them all in a good laugh, embracing whatever it can for comedy. The characters are charming and I can’t wait to see how the current Katarina changes her fate and helps people that in the game would hate her or barely have any kind of relation to her at all.
6. Nami yo kiitekure
Comedy in the purest form of an incredibly charismatic and energetic woman ranting about her life while attempting to help others, and simultaneously, falling deeper into the world of radio. This one, should be experienced and so I believe that it’s best to get into it blind. Nami yo kiitekure provides a look into the world of radio shows, a topic which I, probably like most people, have almost close to no knowledge about. In the spirit of an inside look anime like Shirobako, Nami yo kiitekure looks like a fun ride with educational bits as the fiery main character learns something new alongside the viewers.
7. Ascendance of a Bookworm 2nd Season
This one is self explanatory if you’ve seen my past posts mentioning Ascendance of a bookworm! I love the series and I can’t to see Myne’s life as a priestess in training. This time, her tasks seem to daunting, as a group of characters are assigned as her caretakers, but seem to see her as a child, questioning her becoming a priestess in the first place!
The sad bits of news with this new season, however, are the delay of Re:Zero season 2 and Oregairu season 3. Hopefully its the last of such news. Safe to say, I already can’t wait for the upcoming summer season to watch at least one of these series.
Hope everyone is staying safe and watching as much anime as they want to, both new and old. This is the best time to catch up and find a new series to obsess over, after all!
012Mashi 