2017 is almost over and we can get ready for an interesting season of anime series. There are a few series leftover from fall, but there are plenty of new anime this winter. Here’s a list of 10 titles we look forward to watching, in order of air date.
Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan 2nd Season (斉木楠雄のΨ難 2)
Type: Anime
Studio: J.C.Staff x EGG FIRM
Genres: Comedy, Supernatural, School, Shounen
Starts airing: January 2018
Number of episodes: Unknown
After the successful first season of Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan, with even a release of a Live Action of this series, the second season will continue the story where it left of at the end of 2016. The first season consisted of 120 episodes, each 5 minutes long, broadcasted in the morning block on working days, with a full episode on Sunday. Kusuo Saiki is ‘gifted’ with a wide variety of supernatural abilities ranging from telepathy to x-ray vision, he sees it as a curse to have this so-called blessing. The inconveniences his powers give cause a constantly pile up, while Kusuo aims for an ordinary hassle-free life. In season one you could see that it is very difficult to achieve that goal.
Recommended by Fran:
I expect again many episodes of this anime. The stories are sometimes very absurd, but very humorous. It is a simple anime, but sometimes you don’t need to watch difficult anime series. Every episode is a good one to watch in between other series or when you are having a small break.
Sanrio Danshi (サンリオ男子)
Type: Anime
Studio: Studio Pierrot
Genres: School
Starts airing: January 2018
Number of episodes: Unknown
Sanrio Danshi is centred around the main characters’ love for Sanrio’s adorable characters, which include Pom Pom Purin and My Melody. As the title implies the series follows high school boys who have a love for these characters, who meet by sheer coincidence and manage to bond over their somewhat unconventional interest. They learn to stop feeling embarrassed and accept the love they hold for their favourite characters.
Recommended by Yuki:
I was surprised not to see the genre ‘comedy’ listed with this anime, but regardless I think it’ll be a pretty funny anime. It’s nice to see cute things associated with guys as well, since girls aren’t the only ones who can love cute things.
Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san (ラーメン大好き小泉さん)
Type: Anime
Studio: Studio Gokumi x AXsiZ
Genres: Comedy
Based on the 4-koma manga of Naru Narumi.
Starts airing: January 2018
Number of episodes: Unknown
Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san (Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles) centers around Koizumi who is a mysterious and attractive high school student. But what most people don’t know about her is that she is a ramen master. She is always looking for the best ramen restaurants.
Recommended by Fran:
Who doesn’t love ramen? This anime gives the feeling that it will be a light story which will probably cause many moments of laughter. Since the origin is a 4-koma (manga consisting of 4 panels per page), we have to wait and see how that has been translated into an anime series.
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-hen
Type: Anime
Studio: Madhouse
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Shoujo
Based on the manga Cardcaptor Sakura- Clear Card Arc by CLAMP
Starts airing: January 2018
Number of episodes: Unknown
Fourteen years old Sakura Kinomoto starts her first school year at the Toemoda high school together with Syaoran and her friends. Shortly after that, she has a dream about a mysterious figure who she doesn’t recognize. When she wakes up she is worried and looks in the book of the Clow Cards and sees all cards went transparent and became powerless.
Together with old and new friends she goes on new adventures and searches for the new transparent cards to catch with a new key.
Recommended by Jiro Kanede:
Cardcaptor Sakura is one of the most popular shojo franchises and was first seen in 1998. After 18 years fans can finally enjoy Cardcaptor Sakura again with its new anime! Back in June a new Cardcaptor Sakura manga was released and that is what this anime is based on. There are new characters in the series but the old cast is also coming back. Director Morio Asaka, who directed the first series and 2 movies is also back to work on this anime.
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-hen is continuing where the first series ended when she graduated from the elementary school Tomoeda. For the Cardcaptor Sakura fans it is a must-see, but if you never saw Cardcaptor Sakura or only heard of it then this is the chance to get to know Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-hen in beautiful and new animation by the same studio as the old series, Madhouse.
Violet Evergarden
Type: Anime
Studio: Kyoto Animation
Genres: Drama, Fantasy
Starts airing: January 2018
Number of episodes: Unknown
A girl called Violet was once known as ‘the weapon’ during a war that divided the continent she lives on into North and South. She starts a new life at CH Postal Service. There, people’s thoughts are carried and converted into words.
Violet begins her job as an ‘Auto Memories Doll’. She meets various people while she searches for the meaning of emotions and feelings.
Recommended by Yasumi:
I’m really looking forward to Violet Evergarden. The visuals are really eye-catching and the synopsis sounds interesting. I hope this will be that kind of tearjerker anime that you’ll remember for a while. Studio KyoAni is good at making memorable shows like Clannad and Little Busters. So I’m hyped!
Koi wa Ameagari no You ni (恋は雨上がりのように)
Type: Anime
Studio: Wit Studio
Genre: Romance, Seinen
Based on the eponymous manga of Jun Mayuzuki.
Starts airing: January 2018
Number of episodes: Unknown
Koi wa Ameagari no You ni (Love is Like after the Rain) is about Akira Tachibana, a 17-year-old, who used to be part of the athletics club, but due to an injury, she can not run as fast as she used to. She works part-time in a family restaurant and falls in love with her manager, a 45-year-old man who is divorced and has a son. Despite the age difference, Akira embraces his traits and friendliness, which is seen by other employees as not positive. Akira decides to tell her manager about her feelings for him on a rainy day. How will he respond?
Recommended by Fran:
This anime is probably for those who have something with romance and emotional stories, because the latter seems to me to have the upper hand in Koi wa Ameagari no You ni. I find the concept of the story interesting, but perhaps not original. I am curious to see how this story will be unpacked and portrayed, but that has more to do with the studio behind this anime series, Wit Studio.
Ito Junji: Collection (伊藤潤二『コレクション』)
Type: Anime
Studio: Studio Deen
Genres: Mystery, Horror, Psychological, Supernatural, Drama
Starts airing: January 2018
Number of episodes: Unknown
Stories from both the 11-volume Ito Junji Kessaku-shuu series and the
Fragments of Horror book will be adapted.
Recommended by Kuro:
At the moment there is barely any information available about this series,
but since this will be a collection consisting of several of Itou Junji’s mangas
we can already guess what we’ll be getting. Great story telling starting out calm
but slowly getting more and more mysterious leaving you with an eery feeling.
As far as I’ve seen the artstyle seems to be fitting for the stories, it’s not as colorful
and happy as some shows.
Citrus
Type: Anime
Studio: Passione
Genres: Drama, Romance, School, Shoujo Ai
Based on the eponymous manga by Saburouta.
Starts airing: 6th of January 2018
Number of episodes: Unknown
Stylish high school girl Yuzu was hoping her new school would provide her with the opportunity for romance, but instead gets transferred to a conservative girls’ school after her mother has recently remarried. To top it off her new step sister, Mei, turns out to be the stern student council president. Yuzu butts heads with Mei, but starts to realize love and hate are not always complete opposites.
Recommended by Yuki:
Although I’m not the biggest fan of shounen ai or shoujo ai series who start off with the main character being ‘straight’ I do think this series has an interesting setting. The style also appeals to me.
Kokkoku (刻刻)
Type: Anime
Studio: Geno Studio
Genres: Mystery, Science fiction, Psychological, Drama, Seinen
Based on the manga Kokkoku: Moment by Moment van Seita Horie.
Starts airing: 7th of January 2018
Number of episodes: Unknown
Juri Yukawa lives with her father and brother, her retired grandfather, her sister who is also a single mother and her young nephew.
One day, her nephew and brother are kidnapped by a mysterious religious group called Genuine Love Society. They hold them for ransom. Juri and her family don’t get much time to prepare the money, which makes it impossible. Juri decides to rescue the two with a knife, and her grandfather uses a mysterious stone, a family piece, to stop time. Then they find out that they aren’t the only ones who can move when time stands still.
Recommended by Fran:
The Fall and Winter period is the perfect time to watch anime series with a focus on mystery and psychology. After watching the teasers of this anime, I can conclude that drama and science fiction comes forward a lot, in combination with the synopsis the series sounds interesting. I am not familiar with the manga, but knows that the manga was nominated for the Manga Taisho Award in 2011. The manga ran from 2008 to 2014 and consists of 8 volumes in total. Geno Studio is a fairly young studio and is best known for finishing the anime movie Genocidal Organ. Originally the movie was animated by Manglobe, but it went bankrupt in 2015. Maybe nice to know: the theme song is titled Flashback and is from MIYAVI vs KenKen.
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens (博多豚骨ラーメンズ)
Type: Anime
Studio: Satelight
Genres: Action, mystery
Based on the eponymous light novel of Kisara Akino and Chiaki Kisaki.
Starts airing: 12th of January 2018
Number of episodes: Unknown
The city is Fukuoka City. It looks like a peaceful city, but underneath there is a lot of crime. The ward Hakata is the place to be for professionals of the underworld, and according to an urban legend there is a killer of professional killers in the city. And then a murder takes place..
Recommended by Fran:
Action and mystery. It really sounds like an interesting combination, especially if you have a thing with the underworld. You don’t have to think directly of mafia, but you have to think of the shady people. Furthermore, there are interesting voice actors asked for this anime series, for example, Daisuke Ono!
Which serie(s) are you going to watch?
