Winter has of course not crept on me in terms of the weather. But I’ve had my hands full, and the end of the Fall season did actually catch me by surprise. Fall was such a wild season that it is going to be an adjustment in losing so many great shows. Even shows that have more episodes ahead of them like Bleach will be pacing themselves and taking winter off. So, it will be mostly up to the new shows of 2023 to let the year start off on a strong foot. Winter and Summer can at times be weaker seasons so it will be interesting to go through the shows of winter and see if that’s the case this year or not.

I have nothing but praise for how good Fall was though. Bleach was everything I could have asked for and then some. The return of Spy x Family was excellent as well. It even had some dark horses that surprised me like Kokyu no Karasu. Fall usually delivers and that was the case again this year. It’s nice when a lot of shows live up to the expectations you have for them.

As always, the preview will be referring to information listed on LiveChart and AniChart. This certainly won’t be a comprehensive preview of what is coming up. It will just be a list of the shows I’m interested in. Everyone can feel free to talk about the shows they are hyped about in the comments, even if I don’t mention them here. There will be shows I don’t know that much about their source material so any discussion on what can be expected there (minus spoilers) sounds good to me.

Series of High Interest

These are the shows I’m the most excited about. Odds are that’s because I’m familiar enough with a previous season/source material. But I may just have gotten excited by the summary or trailer. If these don’t turn out to be good that will be rather disappointing.

I would not have expected being so hyped for a second season of this after the first episode of the original. For me that was a rough first impression for Nagatoro. But the show really kept getting better as it went along and by the end, I was really loving it. I think what sets Nagatoro apart from similar series is just the balance between both leads getting embarrassed. It’s fun watching the two get closer. Nagatoro being more aggressive most of the time but self-destructing enough that you aren’t left feeling bad for her senpai here. Just minus that first episode. So, I’m really excited to have this show back. I can’t wait to see how far both characters develop now that they’ve gotten a good running start in the first season.

Now, I don’t expect them to get together in this second season. But there should be some good moments between them. This is probably the show I’m most excited to have back. The goofy antics should keep me smiling through the cold winter.

This is based entirely on having really gotten into the manga recently. Admittedly this situation is a bit strange since a lot of the manga isn’t available through the Shonen Jump app. So, I know where the story is going and some of how it started. So, in that sense I’m excited for this anime just to find out parts that I didn’t know about. Although that will depend on how much material is adapted here. 

What I expect from this show is for it to be unbelievably cute. Kubo should be one of the best female leads of the season and Shiraishi should be enjoyable as well. It could be fun to see how much they’ll lean into Shiraishi being so invisible that only the female lead can reliably detect his existence. PINE JAM can be a bit hit/miss in terms of animation so I’m not sure how good this show will look, but I’ve got my fingers crossed. 

Series of Moderate Interest

Now to the shows I’m somewhat excited for. While not as excited about these as the category above, I’m still pretty interested in watching these. Some have intriguing premises that if done right could make for great shows. While some have source materials that I’m sort of familiar with, but not extremely interested in. Some of these could easily turn into my favorites. That uncertainty factor can turn into a positive surprise.

This is one that might have been higher if not for some potential issues. It’s not a secret that Anos’ voice ended up getting recast for the second season. I’m not going to touch on that situation beyond the obvious impact on the second season. Anos had a very distinct personality and that came across through the voice acting. The question will be whether Yuuichirou Umehara can take on that roll and not have it be a distraction or negative. Hopefully it’s just a really good performance. But not being sure about the most important character does impact my excitement. But I’m still excited in general. The sisters Sasha and Misha are both enjoyable. And I’m curious to see how the second season will play out after how much happened in S1. Silver Link is pretty solid so I don’t expect visuals to be a problem.

I haven’t thought about this franchise in a while. The manga was a pretty good read and that’s mainly why I’m excited for this. You have a solid romcom setup that should pay off nicely if they adapt the material well. Admittedly I’m mostly looking forward to the antics of Tomo’s friend Misuzu. It should be fun seeing Tomo try to literally break herself out of the friend zone. Just a pure battle to get her love interest to realize that she does have feelings for him and to acknowledge her in that way. Plus it is kind of refreshing to have a couple of leads who are capable in a lot of ways. Just…with flaws that keep this romcom from instantly turning into a pure romance.

This franchise has steadily won me over with the past few seasons. If nothing else Bell is very good at picking up girls in a dungeon. And the last season ended on a bleak note for the main cast. If nothing else I’m really excited to get right back into this show just to see how this all plays out. Even if obviously the main cast will be alright, there is still something to be said about seeing them get there. Especially since the last show had no problem putting characters like Bell into near-death states. Sign me up for some more fun action and cute female characters.

The trailers have really gotten me excited to see this. It looks like it could be a nice romance. Two characters that are brought into proximity and then see things build up from there. Mahiru seems like a sweet girl and I can totally understand Amane falling in love with her. In a lot of ways I don’t expect this show to be very complicated. But sometimes all you need is a cute show with a likable pair of characters. So long as their chemistry holds up then this should be a comfortable show to watch each week. And I think that’ll be the case with the trailer being cuteness overload.

I’ll admit that my first thoughts about this show was that it was going to be a spin-off of the Bakemonogatari franchise XD. But honestly, I’m excited to see how this show plays out just based on the summary and the trailers so far. The key will be whether they handle the main character well enough. This guy has some clearly justified rage when it comes to spirits. So hopefully the series doesn’t completely undercut and ignore why he has that perspective in the first place. At the same time, I’m looking forward to seeing if they can find a balance. Since him having nothing but rage isn’t healthy and justified when not all those spirits are malicious. A lot of that rests in the hands of the female lead Botan. Fingers crossed that Bandai Namco brings a good effort to this one.

The potential for this one is pretty high. At least when it comes to my enjoyment. I didn’t think the “betrayed by the heroes’ party” genre would keep getting more series, but here we are. And I think this one might be the one I enjoy the most out of any of them. The idea of this bunch of people that have been betrayed coming together to find belonging just sounds appealing. It’s the kind of simple joy that just works. If nothing else I’m curious to see if I’ll enjoy the whole cast. But they’ll at least have the advantage of all having reasons to feel sorry for what they’ve been through.

This one could be honestly sweet. It’s one more isekai and clearly tries to find its own unique niche. It is holding back on making the main character OP and instead gives him a very specific niche. It’s kind of nice seeing this guy that has never felt appreciated…getting that. It’s the kind of thing a lot of people can probably relate to. The party seems well balanced with an elderly mage, pixy/fairy-like character, and a cute warrior girl. I like the idea of these oddballs’ finding friendship and the MC experiencing the joy of being appreciated. It could be an emotional journey with this guy getting increasingly comfortable in that world and being happy to be there.

This is definitely going to be a ridiculous show. I’ll admit that season 1 started to lose me at the end since I just felt bad for everyone trying to stand in Maple’s way. But the fun of the show is this girl being absolutely ridiculous and breaking all the common sense rules of playing an online game. Just a source of chaos that breaks the game she’s in and does so in ways the creators never expected. If just enjoying that element of it, then the show will be a great ride.

Series of Lower Interest

These are the shows I’m still interested in, but it’s a lot weaker than the tiers above. Either the previous seasons were mixed bags for me or I just don’t have enough to work. They still get mentioned because I still think the potential is there to really surprise me. Which is more than the shows I’m not going to mention at all.

I’m sure this show is way higher on the personal lists of others. For me the first season was a mixed bag. The father of the protagonist was such a cool character that having him…not be there going forward was a bit of a blow to the show for me. But there is honestly a lot to appreciate with this one. The action was there in season 1 and I expect that to be maintained in season 2. We’ll have to see how the main character continues to grow, but also see how the character arcs play out for those around him. MAPPA can be counted on making a solid show. Fingers crossed that I really get absorbed into season 2.

My excitement for this is mostly based on the reputation of the franchise. For various reasons I just haven’t gotten into the NieR franchise. So, this anime feels like a great chance to experience it without going out to buy some more games. Or it will hype me up enough that I buy the games anyways. But the setting seems interesting, and the main characters have a memorable look to them. And honestly much of this excitement is about the overall atmosphere of the franchise. A-1 Pictures can bring some good action and that should be one more appealing element to look forward to.

Ok, this show will either be an absolute blast or just too bizarre. And I think it will lack the sympathy I should be feeling for the protagonist. I mean getting turned into the dog of a cute girl could have some appeal if not for the dramatically shorter lifespan dogs have compared to humans. This guy is on a ticking clock and I’m not sure this show will acknowledge that. The main draw obviously should be a lot of fanservice. I expect a lot of low-angle shots from the dog’s perspective and just a lot of unusual scenarios. And there’s nothing wrong with a bit of ecchi fun. And I suppose another angle will be how much censorship the show must suffer through. Too much and it just won’t be all that much fun. They did go full pun with which studio is animating this.

And here’s another genre I didn’t know existed and didn’t think would get so many shows dedicated to it. This time it is all about the misunderstood villainess within a world based on a game. Or I guess in this case it is a literal sentient game since two characters are players outside of it! Honestly, I’ve got this show on the preview entirely because of the unusual quirk of this show. It’ll be interesting to see the two players outside of the game discussing things and having that heard by the fiancé of the tsundere villainess in question. I’m curious how far this concept can go and what development the players outside of the game might get.

This season is delivering quite the treat of fantasy series. Here’s another one that manages to avoid being an isekai. I like the concept of this guy being a loyal part of the Demon Lord’s army. He was just doing his job…until changes above him happened and he got fired. Now he’s off living in a human village to live as best as he can. Throw in what looks to be a cute female lead and the show could be an enjoyable part of the season. It might not end up being anything special, but it has the potential to be comfortable.

Of course, this season isn’t devoid of isekai entirely! This one could be the right amount of ridiculous while remaining entertaining. There’s a potential for fun with this guy spending time with these monsters and relying on a pretty goofy unique skill. Having an ‘online grocery’ is one of the oddest abilities I’ve seen given to an isekai protagonist. It is leaning into the idea that modern food is so amazing that fantasy characters would trip over themselves to eat some. That’s probably true considering the kind of stuff he should be able to bring out…I don’t know if this show will be good, but I really hope so.

Conclusion

I can’t say this Winter season is full of the same heavy hitters that last Fall brought forward. We’re not getting the return of a classic in Bleach here. But it does have a few sequels I’ve been looking forward to like Nagatoro-san. And the season looks to deliver adaptations from a few manga that I remember enjoying such as Tomo-chan. It has a more laid-back feel to it as a season. While there will be action there are a lot of series that seem to focus on friendship and characters finding appreciation where they previously didn’t get any. 

The season is not devoid of isekai, but it honestly feels like the lowest percentage of isekai relative to the season overall that I’ve seen in a while. It is still there, but you can find a bit more a mix outside of that. There are a lot of fantasy shows and I think that will remain the case even if the isekai craze eases up going forward. Now if only the mecha genre could get a bit of a boost… 

If nothing else I’m looking forward to seeing how many of these shows turn out to be good. Hopefully a few surprises that I didn’t even think about for this preview end up grabbing my attention. I’m curious what shows others are looking forward to this season. Hopefully this season has something for everyone.