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2023’s spring season was fascinating to watch unfold. While not feeling as thrilling as 2021 or 2022’s spring season, I would argue it’s more diverse and experimental with its ideas of what adaptations got put into this released chunk of the year. While it definitely had its share of big titles to be hyped about, it also had a slew of surprises that came with some of the underdogs. Even the big hype machine titles had something going on with them more so than previous titles that everyone was looking forward to seeing in previous seasonal anime drops. It’s a more provocative lineup of anime titles that even the lesser ones were, at some points, trying to be different in some way shape or form. Now then, let’s get started!
Action/Adventure
Summoned to Another World for a Second Time (Crunchyroll)
Just wouldn’t be an isekai or fantasy adventure without some isekais that don’t do enough to stand out. This is based on the light novels and manga by Kazuha Kishimoto. It’s directed by Motoki Nakanishi, written by Yukihito, and produced by Studio Elle. As usual we have an isekai that has a potentially interesting premise of our lead getting summoned into a fantasy world, but the twist being is that he has been here before. You think this would lead to fun or interesting commentary about the isekai genre, and crafting some great jokes, but instead, it plays it straight with no thrills or chills to call its own. Even some of the gags it has have been done better in much more lovable shows. These authors can’t seem to get past the elevator pitch with their ideas, and that sucks since this had so much more potential to be something special, but isn’t. The characters fall flat, the action isn’t stellar, the setting is boring, and it’s just a reminder of how most isekais need to start doing better.
The Marginal Service (Crunchyroll)
We have one of the few original anime this season and it’s sadly not one of the better ones. This show is directed by Masayuki Sakoi, written by Kenta Ihara, and produced by Studio 3HZ and Cygames. You think a mix of Men in Black and Power Rangers-themed construction suits/weaponry fighting cryptids and aliens would be fun, but the show, at least for its first three episodes, spends too much time explaining its world instead of showing it. The characters are one-note and annoying, the gags aren’t funny, and the animation isn’t as personality-driven as the show feels like or wants it to be. It’s a creative idea with a lot of potential possibilities to get better as time goes on, but it has left a really underwhelming taste on my anime-watching palette. It’s a shame since original anime should be supportive, but just as there are bad adaptations, there are also bad original anime.
The Legendary Hero is Dead (Crunchyroll)
Well, the premise for this one is interesting enough. This is based on the manga by Subaruichi. The anime is directed by Rion Kujo, written by Yu Sato, and produced by Liden Films. For a dark comedy fantasy anime, the hook of the setting is a fun one. Our lead is a dirtbag who accidentally gets the legendary hero killed and now has to take on not only the mantle of the hero but also his body via his spirit. This could’ve led to some very fun jabs at the genre and to some funny jokes. Well, too bad it’s not as creative as the elevator pitch for this show is. The leads are all very forgettable. Our main lead is a skeevy dirtbag, our female lead is there for the sake of fanservice, and the necromancer is the most well-rounded character, but she is inconsistently written, and that results in a party of characters you don’t really want to hang out with. They even introduce a villain who is way worse as a human being that is only there to give you a reason to root for our unlikeable lead. Having mean and nasty characters isn’t the constant deal breaker, it’s the fact that everything else around those leads doesn’t balance it all out.
Dead Mount Death Play (Crunchyroll)
This anime is adapted from the manga by Ryugo Narita of Durarara!! and Baccano fame. It’s directed and written by Manabu Ono and produced by Geek Toys. Instead of being a normal isekai, we have a reverse isekai of a necromancer getting sent to the modern day. While it doesn’t have the same quality or charm as the author’s previous work, the show is, at the very least, more compelling than most isekai/action shows with our lead being more compelling and likable than most leads. Heck, a lot of the characters here are more likable than most isekai casts. It helps that the source material and the author have turned out good work in the past that relied heavily on good character chemistry. It’s just a shame that the animation is underwhelming and the show is only a bit more polished when it comes to the fanservicey aspects. I mean, that seems to be a consistent problem with a lot of shows this season having lackluster animation, but it’s frustrating because the rest of the show is good, and amazing animation isn’t always needed, but when the clunkiness is on screen, it’s hard to not have it detract from the show. Still, anytime an isekai can do better and be more creative than the rest, then I’m down to be more supportive of it as long as it keeps up the rest of the story, and the show is compelling.
Magical Destroyers (Crunchyroll)
While I am not always down for chaotically trashy anime, this is one of the few exceptions to the rule. This original anime was created by Jun Inagawa. It’s directed by Hiroshi Ikehata and Masao Kawase, written by Daishiro Tanimura, and produced by Bibury Animation Studios. This feels like an anime that was made by Studio Trigger or later down the line Studio Gainax that has the passion and spirit of early to mid-2000s anime. It’s pretty much nerds with the help of their leader and a group of magical girls having to defeat the government which has quarantined and made otaku culture a bad thing to preserve Japan’s morals and honor. It might be another “we love otaku culture and this world is set in a world where otaku are targets of the government” anime, but unlike a lot of them, this one feels like it took a more unhinged and unapologetically nerdy approach to this action show and it is full of life because of it. It’s trashy, horny, thrilling, confusing, loving, and partly hateful of otaku culture, and feels mostly like it’s a team of people who want to see something a bit deranged, compared to a lot of the more “normal” anime out this season. It’s out to have a fun high-octane time, and whether that holds up over 12 or so episodes has yet to be seen, but at least it has one of the most exhilarating opening sequences of any anime this season. Seriously, even if you don’t watch this show or don’t like it, you can’t deny that the opening is just pure anime in the best way possible. Whether it sticks the landing or not is beside the point. Or at least, it’s beside the point with this show.
Mashle: Magic and Muscle (Crunchyroll)
We have yet again another alternative piece of art that has wizards and isn’t created by a horrible transphobic author. This anime is based on the manga by Hajime Komoto. It’s produced by A-1 Pictures, written by Yosuke Kuroda, and directed by Tomoya Tanaka. It’s basically what if Saitama from One Punch Man was thrown into a better version of Harry Potter? Well, this is what you would get. While our lead is intensely strong and can pretty much beat anyone into submission if need be, he is unfortunately in a world where everyone but him has magical powers. What makes this show fun is how they figure out creative ways for our lead character to get around the school’s curriculum by using his brute strength and quick if inconsistent smarts to pass classes like using “magic” to unlock a key or using a broom to fly. The ways they play with our protagonist’s strengths and his sometimes dense wits drives this into being one of the best comedies of the year so far. The sheer ways they come up with gags and solutions to problems never stop being amusing and it has a lot going on underneath the comedic shenanigans, but it so far from what I have seen balances it out perfectly. It results in a show that might not get everything about the manga right but is a consistently fun show to watch.
Hell’s Paradise (Crunchyroll)
And here we have the big Studio MAPPA anime of the season that shows that while this studio needs to get its act together with how they treat their animators, and stop taking on so much work, they are the only studio in the anime industry that could tackle something like this project. This is based on the manga by Yuji Kaku, is directed by Kaori Makita, and written by Akira Kindaichi. What makes this thrilling action/horror anime so exciting to watch are the stakes of a bunch of criminals and their handlers being sent to an island to find an elixir of life that happens to be populated by horrific plants and grotesque monsters are how the stakes are raised by the third episode. A lot of characters that are introduced are not going to make it past this point, and while it’s frustrating to see such fun designs end up not making it past the first three episodes, it makes for a sign of how brutal this show can be. The danger is around every corner and that isn’t counting the inhabitants of the island itself, but all the other criminals and the handlers that are ready and willing to kill one another to get off the island. Heck, who says the monsters are the only human-based things to worry about? With MAPPA’s usual polished animation, exciting action set pieces, and a more human study-based story about life, death, and what makes these characters thrive results in an easy frontrunner for one of the best anime this season in a season full of really strong contenders.
Slice of Life/Drama
My Clueless First Friend (Crunchyroll)
Sometimes, what ya need is a spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down. This anime is based on the manga by Taku Kamamura. It’s directed by Shigenori Kageyama, written by Takafumi Hosikawa and Shogo Yasukawa, and produced by Studio Signpost. While this anime doesn’t do anything new with it being about a girl who is constantly bullied for looking “like a grim reaper” the one person to befriend her is a boy who doesn’t quite get the memo and thinks she is cool. It is an intensely sincere anime. The act of being kind to one another really is what drives this show into being a fun lightweight watch with some goofy antics, sweet-as-sugar moments, and some solid story beats and character growth from the cast. Sometimes, you just want to watch something to escape from the cynical and harsh world for a few episodes. Definitely an easy watch and one to recommend.
Otaku Elf (HiDive)
Who knew the slice-of-life genre would be full of super charming shows? This one is based on the manga by Akihiko Higuchi. The anime is directed by Takebumi Anzai, written by Shogo Yasukawa, and produced by C2C. What starts off as a simple gag anime with an elf that was sent to Japan centuries ago and who now is seen as a goddess can almost feel one note. The only real gag is that now that the elf is aware of geek and pop culture fandoms and memorabilia, she has become reclusive like most nerd-like characters seen in anime and other forms of media. But then they start sprinkling in little payoffs to why she is so reclusive, and while a lot of it is played for laughs and to poke fun at merchandise stuff, it does show a more sincere reason as to why she shuts herself off from the world. How being alive for so long and seeing the world literally change around you, and experiencing the people that you love and know pass on while you still live can really affect how open you become to people in the world. And that is all just in the first episode where we see her learn to be more social and friendly towards other people. It also is nice that this show got some of the better-looking visuals and character animation, though that might be because they have an official Red Bull sponsorship. This is funny because they have some well-known brands and then parody brands, which makes you wonder how they pick and choose what brands they could use. Still, the rest of the cast including the elf’s handler, her sister, and her classmate, and I definitely want to see who the other characters are to find out how they fit into this very quirky world.
Insomniacs After School (HiDive)
Even though I love the quirkiness of a lot of anime, at times, anime is at its best when it’s wholly unique and different from the rest of the shows that have come out during this season. This includes Insomniacs After School. This is based on the manga by Makoto Ojiro. Its adaptation is directed by Yuki Ikeda, written by Rintaro Ikeda, and produced by Liden Films. While not similar in any major way, this show reminds me of Call of The Night from last year’s summer season. It has a low-fi atmosphere to its slice-of-life antics about two teens who suffer from insomnia making their hang out in the school’s observatory which is rather quiet in its atmospheric tone. It’s a romantic experience as we see our leads bond over looking at the stars and fulfilling night-based activities together. They are two individuals who feel isolated and alone in the daytime period of the day but feel personally connected to one another as the night sky blankets over the earth, and the stars make themselves known throughout the far reaches of the universe as they hang over the leads observing them. Granted, what kind of money is a high school making to have its own functioning observatory, but I digress. What matters most is how this show really does have a great pair of protagonists, fantastic supporting cast members, and some lovely ethereal visuals to keep you hooked to the screen.
Skip and Loafer (Crunchyroll)
Honestly, this and Insomniacs After School are tied as some of my favorite anime of the year. This is based on the manga by Misaki Takamatsu. It’s written and directed by Kotomi Deai, and produced by P.A. Works. This show reminds me a lot of Horimiya, where we dive more into the characters that have an outward persona that they show off but are way more complex individuals with reasons why they use the facade that they have, with the exception of our lead who is unapologetically themselves no matter who they are hanging with. It’s a show about acceptance and how we sometimes overthink situations and what we observe about people around us. It’s such a low-key show that really mellows you out and tells you to not over-complicate life and what you do with friends. It’s an absolutely wholesome show that is delightful from start to finish due to the incredible designs, animation, and probably the best opening song sequence of any anime this season.
Other
Opus Colors (Crunchyroll)
This original anime is directed by Shunsuke Tada, written by Sayaka Harada, and produced by C-Station. You would think the story of the struggle of two creative individuals crafting AR/VR art would be both visually splendid and compelling. It’s neither of those things. This spring season has brought us some very ugly-looking anime and Opus Colors is very much one of the worst-looking shows of the season. Flat, lifeless characters, generic designs, queerbaiting through the roof, contrived drama to drive the plot, but not much else, and so much more. This should be a fascinating drama of what it’s like for two creatives, an artist and what is essentially their producer to struggle to be on the same page to make something powerful and evocative, but due to the underwhelming animation, it all falls flat. It’s a frustrating show to sit through due to how boring and drab it all is. Even though it’s not based on any preexisting manga or mobile game, it sure feels like it was made to advertise a mobile rhythm game with a bunch of good-looking guys, but the twist is that the game never came out and we are stuck with its ad campaign. A really tedious show to watch that is lacking any sort of cohesive artistic identity.
My Home Hero (Crunchyroll)
This show, even with its faults, is so distinct that it feels like a miracle that it got made in the current anime landscape. This is based on the manga by Naoki Yamakawa. It’s directed by Takashi Kamei, written by Kohei Kiyasu, and produced by Tezuka Productions. When was the last time an anime had a lead character that was 47? Seriously, in a landscape that requires lead characters to be at most 16 years old, we rarely if ever get adult-focused main characters. This is one that is basically a drama thriller of the dad killing his daughter’s abusive yakuza boyfriend to protect her only to end up in the dark world of the yakuza. It is such a good premise, and it differentiates itself from most anime this season due to this. Watching the slow spiral of playing chess with the family dealing with the yakuza is a compelling watch. What sucks though is that the animation, once again, is lackluster. Again, the anime industry could improve the quality of everything if they just paid their animators better and stopped overburdening them among other things. Imagine if this show had the proper lighting and imagery a dramatic thriller like this needs. Sure, the story can be a bit melodramatic, but anime is melodramatic. A lot of media and dramas are melodramatic. As long as the show is making a convincing case for itself, then that’s all that matters. I could see this one probably spiraling out of control, but considering how many mediocre anime we get with teen characters, it’s okay to root for and support shows like this, because that’s how we get more shows like this and not the middling slop we tend to get that fill up every season.
Heavenly Delusion (Disney+/Hulu)
Consider this one of the biggest surprises of the season. This anime is directed by Hirotaka Mori, written by Makoto Fukami, and produced by Production I.G. It’s based on the manga by Masakazu Ishiguro. What we have here is a fairly complex and mysterious dystopian sci-fi journey as we follow two different plots happening at around the same time. They are full of themes and commentary about life, sexuality, sex, relationships, gender, and gender norms/gender roles in society that are placed on certain people. It finds a way to balance it all out really well with some of this season’s best visuals and animation. Luckily, it doesn’t get too stuck in the mud or in the depths of its own hubris as it keeps you guessing what exactly is going on and how the two concurring plots connect to one another. It’s a sci-fi anime that isn’t afraid to step back from heavy-handed philosophical quandaries and dialogue being the focus, and instead lets you live in the world this show sets up and invests into the characters and their individualistic drives of what they are looking for in a scary unnerving world.
The Other Side of Animation 