The List
Our 5 Favorite Spring 2020 Anime Premieres
by Lynzee Loveridge & Jacki Jing,
Hi everybody, we hope you're staying safe and healthy at home. If you've tuned into Anime News Network lately, you probably noticed that a lot of this season's premieres got pushed back in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Popular shows like Re:Zero, Sword Art Online, and My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU were all moved out of their April premieres for the summer. However, that doesn't mean that spring is a bust! We checked out all the spring anime premieres to find the cream of the crop, so here's five shows you definitely want to check out!
5. Kakushigoto Were you a fan of Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei? The creator is back with a new story following the comedic hijinks (and family drama?!) of a single father raising his young daughter Hime. Hime's dad Goto has a secret that he absolutely can't let his precious daughter find out...he's a manga artist! You might think, 'Hey, what's wrong with that?' but the kind of comics Goto draws aren't kid friendly, if you catch my drift. Instead of letting his daughter find out what he's up to at his nine-to-five, Goto has created an elaborate lie to keep her from finding out what his job is. The results are wacky hijinks...but Goto might have more secrets under his belt...like what happened to Hime's mom? Kakushigoto is sure to make you laugh and before I forget, the art is beautiful! This show's opening sequence looks like a painting and it carries over into the first episode, too.
Kakushigoto is streaming on Funimation
4. Tower of God Tower of God is the first co-production between Crunchyroll and the webcomic platform Webtoons and it came rushing out the gate to add some action to the spring line-up. The story follows a boy named Bam who is in pursuit of his friend Rachel. Rachel has decided to climb the Tower in hopes of a better life and Bam is desperate to catch up, only to discover he'll have to face a series of trials on each of the Tower's floors if he wants to move on. Luckily, Bam meets Princess Yuri and her companion Evan and they lend him a powerful sword to assist him.
Tower of God throws the audience right into the thick of it and it has plenty of mysteries yet to be revealed. What's with that rabbit guy presiding over the tower? Where is Princess Yuri's home country? Is Rachel passing all of these trials, too? I guess we'll have to watch and find out!
Tower of God is streaming on Crunchyroll
3. My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!
Isekai anime have an expected formula: person from our dies due to an accident only to wake up in a fantasy land and usually with some new superpowers. My Life as a Villainess takes that idea and flips it on its head. The main character is Catarina who was happily living her life as a spoiled brat until she bonks her head and recovers the memories of her past life as a 17-year-old Japanese girl. She also realizes that her current life is EXACTLY like a dating sim she used to play and she's stuck as the game's villain! She'll inevitable end up exiled or even dead if she can't steer the plot away from her demise.
Catarina only has her knowledge of the game and her own will if she wants to survive...and maybe catch the attention of a prince (and noble lady) or two on the way. This show is really funny, especially if you have some experience playing dating sims.
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! is streaming on Crunchyroll
Sing “Yesterday” For Me is all about mood. The feelings of heartbreak, the self-doubt that keeps you from taking the next step in your life, and the fear of failure. Rikuo graduated from college but never put his foot forward to land a career. He had a crush on his classmate Shinako but never asked her out either. In fact, Rikuo hasn't done much of anything and instead fills his post-grad life working at a convenience store or taking photos. All that changes when he meets Haru, an eccentric high school drop out that works in a bar.
Sing “Yesterday” for Me is expertly animated and captures that in-between time in young adult life where you're trying to figure out where your place is in the world and how important connections to other people really are. The show is full of moments that really speak to the audience, you'll find yourself saying “oh, I get that, that speaks to me.”
1. Kaguya-sama: Love is War Season 2
Never has there been a more entertaining pair of “frenemies” than in Kaguya-sama: Love is War and I'm glad they're back! If you haven't binge-watched the first season, here's a quick refresher. Kaguya and Miyuki are both geniuses who serve as part of their school's student council. They also happen to be in love with each other but are far too prideful to admit it first. This, shall we say unique, dynamic has led them into a weird game where the first one who admits their feelings to other “loses” with increasing stakes. The first season mostly focused on Kaguya and Miyuki but the premiere for the second season is giving the rest of the cast their turn to shine while still keeping the humor at top tier. The anime might center on two characters' strange love affair but its really an ensemble show where each character's antics add to what makes it a success. Also shout out to Chika, the show's MVP!
POLL
Last week we asked who is your favorite Fruits Basket character and it looks like you guys are in pretty
close agreement with our video!
- Kyo Sohma
- Tohru Honda
- Yuki Sohma
- . Hatori Sohma
- Momiji Sohma
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