winter 2023 conclusion
for a full list of winter 2023 anime, please go to https://www.livechart.me/winter-2023/all.
introduction
comparing to what we had last season, this season is clearly lacking a lot, especially it has 20+ isekai/rpg-fantasy works that already scared a lot of people away.
in terms of discussions, the ones that were continued from last season seemed to gain more attention than the newly aired ones, such as the eminence in shadow and bluelock. however, there are still some pleasant surprises, and of course, some disappointments.
continued from last season
the eminence in shadow
- genre: isekai, op mc, cringe comedy
- number of episodes: 20
- myanimelist / anilist
it's official, my favourite anime from this season goes to the eminence in shadow. it has every element a generic isekai would have, an op mc, a group of girls admiring him, uses swords and magic; however what makes it stand out is its story. in the entire story, as the only thing he cares about is just wanting to make himself look cool, so every story arc is not driven by him, rather by the girls surrounding him instead, he's basically just there killing some background characters, and you would get an asmr of him saying i... am... and i am TOTALLY buying that. the girls are also likeable too, with every single one of them having their own distinct personality, and you would sympathize with them as the story goes on. finally, let me just say this one more time - sasuga shadow-sama! now give me s2 as i am craving more content.
bluelock
- genre: sports (football), shounen
- number of episodes: 24
- myanimelist / anilist
world cup is over, but bluelock is still going on. in the second half, we see the developments of more side characters, and god why did they separate my favourite cps :< although i am happy to see isagi and nagi further developing their own skills, i also did not expect that the side characters are so well written as well. every character goes through their own development, or "evolution", and the one that impressed me the most was definitely barou's. also i thought we would be getting more kunigami in the next season but he didn't make it through, but he got a last scene so what does that mean...? aaaa im so excited for s2 & episode nagi as a movie!! also isagi technically now has a harem of boys fowllowing him, like just look at his team with chigiri & barou & nagi being lost af without him lol, pls give me more of these boys too.
my hero academia s6
- genre: shounen, superpower fights
- number of episodes: 25
- myanimelist / anilist
best mha season confirmed. we had the big hero vs villain fight in the first half, now in the second half we got the aftermath after fighting for 13 full episodes, is that the city has become a mess. the major heroes were either seriously injured or quit working as one. midoriya finally gets to know how much he has to bear by his one for all quirk... it's so sad to see him leaving yuuei but man that new look of him looks gorgeous. honestly, i did not expect mha to go down a route this dark (as a rather generic jump shounen manga), but the story is getting more and more interesting to watch, and i wonder how would it possibly end. am happily waiting for s7!!
play it cool, guys
- genre: iyashi-kei, cute boys doing cute things, slice of life
- number of episodes: 24
- myanimelist / anilist
my weekly source of cute boys is still going on!! now we even got a 5th cute boy!! i am still very much satisfied by every episode being my little escape from life just to see these cute boys doing relatable, cute, yet clumsy things. the new op slaps, the new ed feels like some kind of graduation ceremony theme song that i almost cried at the last episode because i just don't want this show to end :< seriously it's now going on my favourites on mal & al and i am already reading the manga, my boys idek where to start describing my love for them.
urusei yatsura (2022)
- genre: romcom, fantasy, aliens
- number of episodes: 23
- myanimelist / anilist
recommended this season
campfire cooking in another world with my absurd skill
- genre: isekai, food porn, slice of life (?)
- number of episodes: 12
- myanimelist / anilist
SUI IS SO CUTE ASDFGHJKL also it's literally evil to upload new episodes of this at 12am, cuz all the food porn are so realistic that i almost thought they're real captured scenes, and watching this at midnight just made me wanting to grab some midnight snacks. also i'm happy with mappa secretly putting all the sponsors they've got for every sauce brand, and they even got a sponsor from a soap brand AND a shampoo brand lol???? this is what i would call the good isekai anime, pls let it go on forever just for all the sponsors & food porn, i literally don't care about the story (not like there's much of a plot anyway, just the mc getting rich af cuz his pet is too op).
handyman saitou in another world
- genre: isekai, adventure, comedy
- number of episodes: 12
- myanimelist / anilist
i did not expect myself to enjoy this one as much, almost ignored this show due to its isekai premise, but turned out it's a really fun & simple watch, but some bits can make people cry. this mc did not get any special powers in the isekai, he just used his skills in the real world to help people in the isekai. also, i love how all plot bits are actually related later on, although they may seem unrelated/seem like it's for comedic effect at first glance. the side characters also get their own chance to shine too, so you actually get to know that every character has their own backstories.
tsurune - the linking shot -
- genre: sports (archery), drama
- number of episodes: 13
- myanimelist / anilist
it's official - tsurune is criminally underwatched. it made me get to start appreciating kyoani's animations just cuz how beautifully the archery scenes are presented. after the 1st season where you get to see the characters going through their own personal struggles, in the 2nd season you see the main team struggling to find their team spirit, while bonding with the other characters from the other schools too. it just calms you down and not think about anything when you watch it. i wish it's talked about more tbh :< a kyoani anime shouldn't be receiving this level of attention.
bungo stray dogs s4
- genre: superpower fights, mystery, drama
- number of episodes: 13
- myanimelist / anilist
damn things are getting intense in this season - bones still delivering the top tier fight scenes, but at the same time i am genuinely worried about how this arc would end. bsd is still one of the best ensemble cast anime that there isn't a single character that i dislike in it, also you get to see a lot of brain explosion moments in this season, so just sit back and enjoy.
buddy daddies
- genre: childcare, comedy
- number of episodes: 12 + 1 summary episode
- myanimelist / anilist
a very simple, yet completed adopted family comedy (or probably not). a lot of people are turned off on how annoying miri is, but hey that's normal 4yo behaviour, why hate on an innocent little girl? the childcare struggles that the dads face are hilariously relatable (coming from someone working in somewhat childcare related fields), but the story also went on a dark turn that i was so scared that if it would get a bad ending. thankfully it managed its high quality plot delivery until the end as an anime original. favourite original anime of this season.
pretty good, but not the best/gives pleasant surprises
mononogatari/malevolent spirits
- genre: urban fantasy, action
- number of episodes: 12
- myanimelist / anilist
i have a feeling that this would receive much more popularity if a studio like mappa or bones adapted this, as the story itself is pretty solid, but it has quite a lot of fight scenes, that unfortunately bandai namco pictures has tried their very best, but they just didn't deliver well. at least we're getting a 2nd cour airing this july which i am hyped for.
endo and kobayashi live! the latest on tsundere villaniess lleselotte
- genre: romance, comedy, fantasy
- number of episodes: 12
- myanimelist / anilist
this is some 8pm generic romance that you are already sick of on how the plot being the same, but at the same time it still manages to keep you hooked. the "otome game characters being able to interact with the players" premise feels refreshing, and it manages to solve every problem that it has set at the beginning of the show. don't be turned off on how long the title this is, i beg, it's just tezuka proudction has tried their best to deliver their scenes, but apart from that, the plot etc is very attractive.
trigun stampede
- genre: action, sci-fi, dystopian (?)
- number of episodes: 12
- myanimelist / anilist
i'm just here for the 3d fights being 100% top tier. maybe because i am not really that interested in the original version, especially the manga & first anime being something released in the 90s, i did not understand most of the plot, but the 3d fights alone & episode 12 is already enough to put this on this category.
kaina of the great snow sea
- genre: dystopian, fanatsy, adventure
- number of episodes: 11
- myanimelist / anilist
the worldview & the 3d are absolutely beautiful and intriguing, it's just the final 2 episodes felt a bit dragged out, just to tell everyone that "hey we're getting a movie, so the anime is just a pv of it!" lol. also, yorushika's op is slowly growing on me.
expected to be good, turns out it's good too
tomo-chan is a girl!
- genre: romcom
- number of episodes: 13
- myanimelist / anilist
initially i didn't watch this as i thought it's just some cringey romcom that i probably wouldn't find interesting, but after someone recommended me it that i decided to give it a try, and i was laughing in every single episode. a lot of people like misuzu, but i am mostly here for takahashi rie's throat and asking if she's ok after watching every episode. the chemistry between tomo & jun just feels very pleasant, and i'm glad that i didn't miss this great of a show.
the ice guy and his cool female colleague
- genre: romcom, urban fantasy
- number of episodes: 12
- myanimelist / anilist
wow, this feels refreshing as shit. i didn't expect myself to actually like this show as i initally came for probably some cringe romcom, but the fantasy elements made this show even better. every character is so nice, and the snowmen popping out from himuro when he feels happy are just so cute, period.
vinland saga s2
- genre: historical fiction, drama
- number of episodes: 24 (21 released as of typing)
- myanimelist / anilist
season 1 was really fire, and i'm glad that they managed to keep this quality in season 2 too, even though comparing to s1 it has less exciting fights, but the depiction in thorfinn's character development in this relatively calmer atmosphere feels like a standard of cinematography.
the vampire dies in no time s2
- genre: gag comedy, urban fantasy
- number of episodes: 12
- myanimelist / anilist
if you liked s1 of this you would probably like the s2 - and vice versa. i pretty much enjoyed s1, and s2 is just hiring a bunch of famous seiyuus to scream the weirdest lines, and i am 100% there for it. also john continues to be cute in this season.
nier: automata ver1.1a
- genre: sci-fi, dystopian
- number of episodes: 8 released as of typing
- myanimelist / anilist
the worldview of this feels interesting, the ost is also amazing, but as of typing this (end of may lmfao i keep procrastinating on this one) there is STILL no news of when the remianing episodes are going to air, a1 pictures are you ok?????
me & roboco
- genre: parody, gag comedy, surreal comedy
- number of episodes: 28 (25 released as of typing)
- myanimelist / anilist
idk why i even started this one but i'm glad i did. 3 minutes of pure parody of (mostly jump) series's and roboco memeing herself with an actual QR CODE TO HER TWITTER AC within the show got me dying lmfao.
meh/average
spy classroom
- genre: drama, action
- number of episodes: 12
- myanimelist / anilist
the funny daily lives scenes of the girls were a better watch than the serious spy scenes lol? the characters kinda feel edgy especially when every single one of them has their own speaking style and they just HAVE to include some kind of chuuni-ish lines before starting their missions, making the whole show feel like a stage play, but the quality isn't as good as one.
suddenly, egyptian gods s2
- genre: iyashi-kei (?), comedy
- number of episodes: 10
- myanimelist / anilist
comapring to s1, s2 didn't feel as funny as s1 as the "egyptian god" aspect just disappeared at the middle of s2. s2 felt like it's just simply the creators having fun with japanese culture but still using these characters, although the seiyuus still managed to keep the cuteness within the characters, the content felt kind of unnecessary.
high card
- genre: superpower fights, drama
- number of episodes: 12
- myanimelist / anilist
12 episodes of...... uh idek how to describe this lol. the superpower fights were ok? but definitely isn't on the impressive side. it also felt like they used a lot of episodes to go into the characters' backstories which they kinda forgot how big of a worldview they set at the beginning of the show.
tokyo revengers: christmas showdown
- genre: mystery, time loop, drama
- number of episodes: 13
- myanimelist / anilist
idek why exactly i like tokyo revengers, but in this season (to me) it's official that we found someone even more annoying than the crybaby mc aha! they just used like 3 or 4 episodes to go into the same issue again and again, and the fights seemed like they were in an rpg and the boss is just standing there waiting for the players to hit him lmfao. but i am excited for how the characters are going to be saved in the later story, as now that we found out not just hinata's life has to be saved.
disappointed/almost dropped
the angel next door spoils me rotten
- genre: romcom
- number of episodes: 12
- myanimelist / anilist
i regret starting and finishing this one. the male mc just feels VERY unrealistic, especially as a high school student, why tf has he not do anything above body touches to the female mc already when both have clearly showed that they want that?!?!?! does he have ed or something?!?!?! the drawings in this one isn't consistent either, and the only thing good about this show is how beautifully done the posters/visuals are.
revenger
- genre: historical fiction, drama, action
- number of episodes: 12
- myanimelist / anilist
dropped this one at like episode 8 as i did not understand what was happening at all. and probably ancient settings just aren't my thing, that all i remember was the mc doing nothing related to revenge except for helping the other characters running a place called "revenge-place" (or something like that)?? also i do not like the christian elements of this show, probably due to the fact that i am an atheist.
the fire hunter
- genre: fantasy, dystopian (?)
- number of episodes: 10
- myanimelist / anilist
i feel like this had a lot of potential, but the story pacing and the poor af scenes just kept me away from liking this show. the premise is definitely interesting and i would definitely watch the s2 of it, but PLEASE give more production cost into the animation im crying omf.
giant beasts of ars
- genre: fantasy
- number of episodes: 12
- myanimelist / anilist
the beginning of this was.... ok? but somewhere at the middle just made me feel lost on what the main story of this was, and people having chuuni titles in front of their names just isn't my thing. dropped at like episode 8 or 9 after finding myself not enjoying it at all, and i heard that the ending was also meh as well.
conclusion
winter was definitely a weak season, especially you see how long i've been procrastinating on this review lol. there isn't even a single remarkable new show that i would remember now that we're at the middle of spring, and for some reasons a lot of shows have announced sequels to be aired in the future? i'm probably just waiting for bsd s5 and that's p much it honestly.
see you when i finally type up the spring review! and i just realized that summer is already coming ahahaha....
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