With most of the fall seasons having finally come to an end, the Spring always has a larger number of shows available than the colder months. Though while the Spring always offers a glut of new shows, scarcely does it offer as much pure quality as we got this year.
Not only did we get the return of Attack on Titan and One Punch Man, but we also got the rise of Demon Slayer, a new shonen series that would soon take over the internet and inspire an entire army of fans falling in love with Smol Nezuko. But there’s plenty of other series which made the list as well, proving there’s plenty of variety to the anime world.
10 SENRYUU GIRL – 7.0
This series was just too adorable. The story followed a young girl named Yukishiro Nanako, a girl in high school who communicates solely through the written word. But not just any word, she talks via a type of haiku known as Senryuu.
She goes to the literature club along with a young boy named Eiji Busujima, who’s actually a one-time delinquent! Over the course of the series, the two gradually develop a relationship, as Eiji learns to deal with Nanako’s occasionally air-headed ways.
9 KONO OTO TOMARE – 7.2
Another series with a delinquent at the heart of things, Kono Oto Tomare is set in the world of Tokise High School. There, Takezo Kurata is trying to get new members for the Koto club, as he’s become the only member now that all the seniors have graduated.
Desperate for new members, Takezo even considers Chika Kudo, a young boy who was a delinquent in his younger years. But although Kudo didn’t respect koto in the past, he’s gained an appreciation for them and has a unique skill that allows him to play an instrument after seeing it used. Together along with other new members, they aim to compete at the highest levels.
8 BUNGOU STRAY DOGS SEASON 3– 7.5
A light novel adaptation that managed to catch fire and gain multiple follow-up seasons, Bungou Stray Dogs follows a detective agency made up of a colorful cast of characters with unique supernatural powers.
The third season occurs in the wake of a major war between criminal organizations and delves into the past of Dazai, the leader of the detective agency. Though this season is a bit more disjointed than the previous ones, it still offered enough to long-time fans to land on this list.
7 MIX: MEISEI STORY – 7.7
Adapting the sequel to Mitsuru Adachi’s Touch is no easy task. Like the original, Mix is as much of a romance storyline as it is a sports series about baseball, and it’s even set at the same school as the original series.
The legend of Tatsuya Uesugi’s baseball talents still looms large over Meisei Academy, but in Mix, it’s been almost thirty years since he left. Fortunately, they have a pair of twins in Touma and Souichiro Tachibana who want to make Meisei’s team relevant again.
6 CAROLE & TUESDAY – 7.9
If there’s anything surprising about Carole and Tuesday on this list, it’s that the series is ranked so low. A new series from Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo creator Shinichiro Watanabe, this time we get the creator’s musings on pop music and how it’s affected by technology in the future.
Set in an era where humanity has already colonized Mars, Carole & Tuesday centers around two young girls from entirely different worlds whose paths cross because of their shared love for and desire to create music. In an era where the most popular songs are created by AI, Carole & Tuesday ponders whether passion is enough to move the hearts of humans even in a future time.
5 ACE OF DIAMOND: ACT II – 8.2
Is any sport loved as much in Japan as baseball? It certainly seems to get some of the best sports manga around. In Ace of Diamond, Sawamura Eijun is a pitcher who signs up at the elite Seidou High alongside Kazuya Mizuki, a talented catcher.
Both of them aim to reach the Koshien championships, but there’s no shortage of teams standing in their way. After multiple seasons showing the journey to get there, Act II finally features the group getting to the Koshien tournament. Will they be able to make it to the top?
4 FRUITS BASKET – 8.3
For those who don’t normally keep up with anime, this is indeed a new adaptation of Fruits Basket. The original stopped far short of adapting the entire series, but this series aims to do the entire manga. The series tells the story of Tohru Honda, a young girl who moves out of her family’s house and winds up trying to live in a tent.
But when she runs into members of the Souma Clan, she learns they’re unlike any people she’s ever met, as they all change into animals from the Chinese Zodiac when hugged by members of the opposite sex! A legendary rom-com from the 2000’s era, so far TMS Entertainment has done an excellent job of introducing this series to a new generation.
3 ATTACK ON TITAN SEASON 3 – 8.8
This series is far from the cultural milestone it was when the series first launched back in 2013, but people still want to see how the story of Eren finally comes to an end. Another short season, this time around the series focuses on Eren learning to master his powers as a Titan, while simultaneously dealing with the threat of the government.
Like in every world, humanity is always just as much of a danger as any monster that could ever appear. Wit Studio has maintained the high level of quality everyone’s come to expect from them and left everyone hoping the last season can come sooner than Fall 2020.
2 ONE PUNCH MAN SEASON 2 – 8.9
It’s unfortunate that One Punch Man lost the gorgeous Madhouse animation from the first season, as J.C. Staff doesn’t come close to measuring up with the job we see them do here. Having said that, this season is much better than the original from a plotting perspective.
This season evolves past the simple jokes of the original and starts to build the world of heroes, monsters, and villains into an actual universe that people can become invested in. If there’s a third season, hopefully, the series can return to full greatness, with the quality of animation and the story remaining strong and making something better than anything that’s come before.
1 DEMON SLAYER - 8.9
Tanjirou Kamado is a young man who enjoys a simple life with his family. But after returning from visiting a nearby village, he finds his family torn apart...and his sister transformed into a demon. Now, in the hopes of returning her to normal Tanjiro has pledged to do anything, even kill the creator of the demons himself!
Even though this season was jam-packed with incredible shows, Demon Slayer earned its a spot here at the top. Not only is Ufotable’s glorious animation something to be praised, but the direction and soundtrack of this series were on a completely different level—a true case of great source material being elevated by the anime.