Winter is coming and due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, and all the restrictions in place, we’re all spending a little more time inside than usual, for a good cause. This list of winter anime might help you pass the time a little easier and hopefully will bring you some joy. Here’s our top ten anime recommendations for this winter.
We wish all of you good health, joyous holidays and hope you enjoy our picks!
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Wonder Egg Priority (ワンダーエッグ・プライオリテ)
Type: Anime
Studio: CloverWorks
Genres: Slice of Life
Starts airing: January
Number of episodes: Unknown
This anime seems to center around a girl with heterochromia. There is a trailer out, which you can find here, but it doesn’t reveal much. There’s a real air of mystery around this original series by Cloverworks, as they haven’t even released a short synopsis yet.
Recommended by Hageshi:
The mystery around this anime makes me want to watch it. I have no idea what to expect, what it might be. The statue with the tear/rain somehow attracts a lot of my attention and the art is also very nice.
Kai Byoui Ramune (怪病医ラムネ)
Type: Anime
Studio: Platinum Vision
Genres: Psychological, Supernatural, Shounen
Based on the eponymous manga by Toro Aho.
Starts airing: January
Number of episodes: Unknown
The English title of Kai Byoui Ramune is Dr. Ramune -Mysterious Disease Specialist- and the story is about a doctor who can cure any disease, even a mysterious one. Ramune is known as a free spirit, foul-mouthed, rude and doesn’t even look like a doctor, but he is very skilled.
Recommended by Fran:
When I first saw the title, I thought by myself: are we talking about a bottle of Ramune (yum!) that has been transformed into a doctor? But after reading the plot, I had to think of the American television series House and, to be honest, I don’t mind seeing an animation series out of it.
BEASTARS 2 (BEASTARS 2期)
Type: Anime
Studio: Orange
Genres: Slice of Life, Psychologisch, Drama, Shounen
Based on the eponymous manga by Paru Itagaki.
Starts airing: January 5th
Number of episodes: Unknown
BEASTARS 2 will continue the story where season 1 had stopped. In this season we follow Legoshi on his path to become stronger, while being trained by panda Gohin. Louis will become a major character and Tem’s killer will be revealed.
Recommended by Hageshi:
I definitely had to get used to the type of storyline when watching season 1, but I enjoyed it a lot and it was very addicting to see the story develop. And so many questions were left unanswered, which made me look forward to the coming season!
Sailor Moon Eternal Movie 1&2 (劇場版 美少女戦士セーラームーンEternal)
Type: Movie
Studio: Toei Animation, Studio Deen
Genres: Demons, Magic, Romance, Shoujo
Based on the eponymous manga by Naoko Takeuchi.
Starts airing: January 8th & February 11th
The Sailor Moon films that are announced to be released in 2021 are a direct sequel to Sailor Moon Crystal season 3 from 2016. This will be the fourth instalment since the Sailor Moon reboot by Toei Animation. As already known by most, the Sailor Moon series was given a complete reboot in 2014 that follows up on the manga by Naoko Takeuchi very closely, retelling the story of Usagi Kinomoto and her Sailor Senshi. The sequel following season 3 was announced in Januari 2017, as part of the 25th anniversary of the franchise. At a later date it was made public that the sequel will consist of two movies that will focus on the Dream Arc as the main story.
Recommended by Anvica:
The success surrounding the Sailor Moon has surely not gone unnoticed, the renewing of the story has made older fans of the series rekindle their fire while more people were only just discovering as it being something completely new. If you’re caught up on the story or just want to watch more Sailor Moon it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the release dates for these two movies.
Gintama: The Final (銀魂 THE FINAL)
Type: Film
Studio: Bandai Namco Pictures
Genres: Shounen, Comedy, Action, Sci-fi, Drama, History, Parody
Starts airing: January 8th
Picking up where the series abruptly left off, as Gintoki returned to Edo for the first time since setting out to explore the world after the fallout of the confrontation with Utsuro. The movie is adapting the last few chapters of the manga.
Recommended by AlexD:
This marks the third time the Gintama anime claims it is going to end and with the manga finished, it probably will be for real this time. Either way, the movie seems to have a higher animation budget as the trailers look like a real step up from the previous anime series and even the last 2 films. This seems like the greatest way to finish it off, it will be emotional for sure.
Horimiya (ホリミヤ)
Type: Anime
Studio: CloverWorks
Genres: Slice of Life, Comedy, Romance, School, Shounen
Based on the eponymous manga by Daisuke Hagiwara and HERO.
Starts airing: January 10th
Number of episodes: Unknown
Horimiya, also known as Hori-san and Miyamura-kun, centers around two classmates and their chance encounter outside of school. Both find out there is a whole different side to the other person than the image they have at school. Kyouko Hori is admired in her class for her friendly nature and academic achievements, while Izumi Miyamura is seen as a brooding otaku. When the two meet outside the classroom they hardly recognize one another. These two form a friendship and share things with one another they’ve never shared before. As they grow closer to one another, will they become more than friends?
The story doesn’t only focus on Kyouko and Izumi, but also features a lot of their friends and their lives.
Recommended by Yuki:
As someone who’s read, most of, the manga this anime is based on I’m really looking forward to this anime series. To be honest the first thing that drew me to the manga was Izumi’s look, when he’s not at school. Once I started reading I was hooked by the fun and at times adorable storyline and I think it is definitely a suitable series for those who like romance anime.
Cells at Work! Code Black (はたらく細胞BLACK)
Type: Anime
Studio: LIDENFILMS
Genre: Action, Seinen
Starts airing: January 10th
Number of Episodes: Not known
Cells in the human body are represented as people, as the series acts as a metaphor for their functions. Compared to normal Cells at Work, this time the focus is on an unhealthy body fighting the effects of smoking, alcohol, and so forth.
Recommended by AlexD:
Cells at Work was a really fun series, filled with plenty of dark humour. This series is most likely going to kick that up a notch as the body is unhealthy this time round. Not only fact, it is airing alongside season 2 of the normal show which will be interesting to compare.
Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san (舞妓さんちのまかないさん)
Type: Anime
Studio: Unknown
Genres: Slice of Life, Comedy, Shounen
Based on the eponymous manga by Aiko Koyama.
Starts airing: February
Number of episodes: Unknown
In this series, you will see Kiyo who travelled to Kyoto from Aomori to become a maiko (apprentice geisha), just like her childhood friend Sumire. Kiyo ends up as a cook in a geisha lodge and you will see the daily life of Kiyo and the geisha community she is now a part of.
Recommended by Fran:
This anime series will be broadcasted by NHK and you will be able to see it worldwide via its on-demand website, which is rather interesting. If you find Kyoto and geisha fascinating, this might be an interesting anime series for you. Especially since this series is a story about Hanamachi, the geisha quarter in Kyoto. The manga series got awarded a Shogakukan Award for best Shounen Manga earlier this year.
High-Rise Invasion (天空侵犯, Tenkuu Shinpan)
Type: Anime
Studio: Zero-G
Genres: Action, Mystery, Horror
Based on the eponymous manga by Tsuina Miura.
Starts airing: February
Number of episodes: Unknown
High-Rise in the title does refer to (extreme) heights, skyscrapers specifically. In this series, the protagonist, Yuri, got lost in a so-called ‘abnormal space’ and is challenged to survive while being chased by a figure wearing a mask. It is kill or be killed in this series. Will she be able to do so and destroy this irrational world?
Recommended by Fran:
This anime series is licensed by Netflix, which is good news for those having a subscription with this streaming service. For the wintertime, I always look forward to some mystery and horror series, just because I find it kind of fitting for this season. It is sooner dark outside and cold, time to get wrapped up in something warm and enjoy some creepy series. If you like gore, this is the series for you!
Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai: Don’t Stay Gold (囀る鳥は羽ばたかない Don’t stay gold)
Type: OVA
Studio: GRIZZLY
Genres: Drama, Shounen Ai
Based on the eponymous manga by Kou Yonada.
Starts airing: March 1st
In 2020, part of the main story focussed on in the manga Saezuru Tori Wa Habatakanai was adapted into an animated film with the subtitle The Clouds Gather. As an addition to this movie next year a different story by mangaka Yoneda Kou will be featured in a new adaption while we wait for part 2 of the film. This OVA will be based on the one-shot manga that appeared in the manga containing the original story of Saezuru Tori Wa Habatakanai. The focus of this story will be around two people we briefly met in the animated film mentioned earlier namely the obscure doctor of the underworld Kanji Kageyama and ‘Mad Dog’ Eishin Kuga. We will see how the story of these seemingly polar opposites will develop into a meaningful relationship.
Recommended by Anvica:
I recommend this OVA because the stories written by this mangaka are usually heavy but go quite deep, it’s not that there aren’t any other series that have these qualities but the amount of Yaoi that are being animated are usually not known for their in-depth content or interesting story development. It will be captivating to see how the original short story of Don’t Stay Gold will be made into an anime.
Which serie(s) are you going to watch?
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