Anime fans may have already found themselves busy trying to keep up with all the worthwhile new shows debuting this year. The romantic comedy Kaguya-sama: Love is War, the dark fantasy thriller The Promised Neverland, and the isekai adventure The Rising of the Shield Hero have each earned fan acclaim during the first three months of 2019. That’s not to mention that returning shows like Mob Psyhco 100 and Kakegurui have also been met with warm reception.
Otaku who’ve fallen behind may have to make sacrifices soon, as spring sees the premiere of the Fruits Basket reboot, One-Punch Man‘s second season, and more. The following are the anime that should be on everyone’s radars as we move into next season. Let the binge-watching commence.
Spring 2019 Anime | One-Punch Man‘s second season
Saitama returns when One-Punch Man‘s second season premieres on April 9. When fans last saw the shonen mascot, he and the Hero Association’s Class-S superheroes defeated Boros and his Dark Matter Thieves with a few light punches. The show may up the ante for the bald warrior this year, as posters and trailers have implied that that this new season will revolve around the manga’s martial arts tournament arc and the rise of antagonist Garou.
Fans may even get to experience a bit of the Monsters Association storyline, though it’s likely this season will only include 12 episodes. It remains to be seen whether or not J.C. Staff will maintain the legacy that Madhouse established in 2015. The animation may not turn out as bad as some fans think.
Spring 2019 Anime | Fruits Basket
Popular shojo series Fruits Basket is getting the reboot treatment on April 6, promising to introduce a whole new generation of girls to Tohru Honda and her entourage of adorable Zodiac spirits. The anime will follow Natsuki Takaya’s manga more closely than the original 2001 series and will feature a new voice cast and updated visuals by TMS Entertainment.
Those who are unfamiliar with Fruits Basket should know that it explores Tohru’s relationship with the Soma family after she learns that each member has been possessed by a mysterious curse. Throughout the course of the the show, the young girl tries her best to break the spell while preventing herself from falling in love with the wrong person. Romance fans may definitely get a kick out of Fruits Basket if they haven’t seen the original series yet. Its popularity speaks for itself.
Spring 2019 Anime | Bungou Stray Dogs‘ third season
The Armed Detective Agency will wreak literary madness once again when Bungou Stray Dogs‘ third season debuts sometime this April. Fans of classic novels who haven’t yet watched the series are missing out, as the anime follows a cast of super-powered beings based on famous authors and their characters.
Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Agatha Christie, and more have counterparts in Bungou Stray Dogs, and each individual harbors an ability that evokes their work. It’s fun to draw parallels to real-life literary masterpieces when powers like “The Scarlet Letter” and “Light Snow” are unleashed onscreen. Both the anime’s director and scriptwriter are returning, so there’s reason to believe that this third season will be just as satisfying as the last two.
Spring 2019 Anime | Blade of Demon Destruction
Blade of Demon Destruction is a Weekly Shonen Jump series that’s finally getting an anime adaptation on April 6. The manga follows the adventures of a young charcoal seller named Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko after their family is slaughtered by monsters and the latter is turned into a demon. Tanjiro vows to restore his sibling’s humanity no matter the cost, making for an action-packed shonen that’s perfect for fans of samurai and feudal Japan.
Blade of Demon Destruction is being brought to life by Ufotable, the same studio responsible for shows like Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, so there’s a good chance that its visuals will be breathtaking.
Spring 2019 Anime | Isekai Quartet
Popular characters from Overlord, KonoSouba, Re:Zero, and The Saga of Tanya the Evil will meet in another new world when Isekai Quartet premieres on April 10. This genre parody transports the Kadokawa anime to an unknown universe so that each cast can tell scathing jokes and ramble on about how weird this whole isekai thing is.
Will Megumin bond with Ainz Ooal Gown over explosion spells? Will Subaru bore Kazuma with his strange love life? It remains to be seen what exactly Isekai Quartet has in store for fans. The show is certainly winning a lot of the community over so far thanks to how ridiculous its premise is. Perhaps this tongue-in-cheek nature is a sign of good things to come.
Spring 2019 Anime | The second half of Attack on Titan‘s third season
The second half of Attack on Titan‘s third season kicks off with episode 50 on April 28. At the beginning of “The Town Where Everything Began,” Eren, Mikasa, Levi, and the rest of the Survey Corps are heading straight for the Shiganshina District to defeat the Titans leftover from the fall of Wall Maria. The Beast Titan, the Colossal Titan (Bertholdt), and the Armored Titan (Reiner) patiently wait for the troops to arrive so that they may annihilate everyone and continue their campaign to end humanity.
If the manga serves any indication, this second half will contrast sharply with the subdued political conflict that fans experienced last year. There’s a good chance that a harrowing bloodbath will unfold as Attack on Titan‘s third season reaches its conclusion. People who’ve grown attached to these characters may have their hearts broken. Levi has certainly seen better days.
The year ahead will see the arrival of even more promising anime like Dr. Stone, My Hero Academia‘s fourth season, and Psycho-Pass‘ third season. It’s likely that the medium will continue on this upward trajectory as it grows in popularity outside of Japan. Fans better get their screens ready if they’d like to experience the excitement as it comes. The warm spring weather may finally be here, but who needs that with so much to binge?
