The Winter(or Summer for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere) 2020 Anime Season was filled with some good anime that would cater for anyone's preferences. There was obviously some really bad shows as well, but in this dire times I'd rather focus on the positives. It was pretty hard choosing my five best shows this season, especially with the leftovers that ended.
Runway de Waratte
Synopsis : Fujito Chiyuki has a dream: to become a Paris Collection model. The problem is, she's too short to be a model, and everyone around her tells her so! But no matter what they say, she won't give up. Her classmate, a poor student named Tsumura Ikuto, also has a dream: to become a fashion designer. One day Chiyuki tells him that it's "probably impossible" for him, causing him to consider giving it up ... ?! This is the story of two individuals wholeheartedly chasing after their dreams in spite of all the negativity that comes after them!
Thoughts : Initially I was like, eh an anime about fashion models and designers? But turns out I did myself a huge favor by giving it a shot as it was thoroughly entertaining from start to finish, I kinda wish there was more though.
Dia no Ace: Act II
Synopsis : Second-year Sawamura Eijun finally makes his first appearance at the spring invitational! He wants to restore Seido's reputation as a first-rate team and make them national champions! The Seido baseball team's new run is about to begin!
Thoughts : Ace of Diamond is a popular long running baseball anime for good reason, animation is crisp, the cast is great, especially the new additions and they definitely know how to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Chihayafuru 3
Synopsis : They may have just won their most coveted karuta tournament, but members of the Mizusawa karuta team still have a long way to go. Each member chases their dreams, and with a win under their collective belt, those dreams are closer in reach than ever. Ayase Chihaya is determined to challenge Wakamiya Shinobu and win the title of Queen, and Mashima Taichi is ready to take on Wataya Arata now that he's made it into the most elite of karuta players — but an unexpected revelation will deal these karuta players a hand none of them saw coming.
Thoughts : The third season of Chihayafuru was EASILY the Best anime this of this season, and a very strong contender for Anime of the Year, Also the only anime this season with really strong feels.
Eizouken ni wa Te o Dasuna!
Synopsis : Asakusa Midori wants to create an anime, but she's too disheartened to make that first step by herself. But by pure chance, she meets Mizusaki Tsubame, an up-and-coming socialite secretly dreaming of becoming an animator. Together with Midori's money-loving best friend Kanamori Sayaka, the energetic trio slowly work towards making their "ultimate world" a reality!
Thoughts : Eizouken ni wa Te o Dasuna! was a very pleasant surprise, I'll admit the first episode was kinda iffy for me but quickly this turned into an anime I was looking forward too each week. I love how it sheds light on anime creation and didn't need to rely on cute girls to do it in a fun way either.
Somali to Mori no Kamisama
Synopsis : The world is ruled by spirits, goblins and all manner of strange creatures. Human beings are persecuted, to the very point of extinction. One day, a golem and a lone human girl meet. This is a record of the pair; one a member of a ruined race, the other a watchman of the forest. It tells of their travels together, and of the bond between father and daughter.
AniDB :
Thoughts : Somali is adorable, the show and the character, I love the out of the norm setting and world building in the anime, It kinda reminds me of Made in Abyss, but it's not a "rip-off" by any means.
That wraps up the 5 anime I enjoyed most this season, Now on to the rest of the anime I watched.
Boku no Hero Academy 4 : The fourth season of the Plus Ultra popular shounen anime had some really good arcs, and ended on a bittersweet note for me.
Haikyuu!! To The Top : The story of the volleyball team from Karusano continues, I generally enjoyed the season but 13 episodes was not nearly enough.
Re Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu - Director's Cut : If you haven't seen Re Zero yet this is a perfect chance to do it, as it does include some extra scenes not in the original TV airing. And they finally did the ending right in the last episode.
Isekai Quartet 2 : If you loved the first season the second season is a no brainer, loved the addition of new characters and the gags worked pretty well. Also a third season is announced.
Majutsushi Orphen Hagure Tabi : When a reboot is done well, it really is a plus for everyone. This is a perfect chance for people new ot the franchise to get into it.
Ishuzoku Reviewers : Yes it's Ultra LEWD, so don't say I didn't warn ya ;) Was generally a fun show though. Nothing fantastic though.
Mugen no Juunin - Immortal : The Blade of the Immortal series had some really cool fights in it, but the story falls apart in more than a few places as the pacing wasn't very coherent.
Kabukicho Sherlock : This was on interesting take on Sherlock Holmes filled with Yakuza, Rakugo, cross dressing and some really disturbing murders.
Nanabun no Nijyuuni : A different take on Idol anime from the norm, just a shame things started getting a bit out of place in the end.
Kyokou Suiri : In/Spectre's first episode blew me away, was pretty sure this would be a contender for anime of the season for me, and yet. It fell just a bit short. But was still really good.
Koisuru Asteroid : Cute girls doing earth sciences, It's fun, has great characters and it's educational to boot!
Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga : Say what you want, this show was great for a few laughs :D
Oshi ga Budoukan Ittekuretara Shinu : This anime about idols and their fans was great. Good laughs in most episodes and some slightly worrying times too. Also Maina is the cutest.
Itai no wa Iya nano de Bougyoryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu : Bofuri was a lot of fun, it's not always when a show with an Overpowered MC can pull it off but, with the way they did it in this anime with Maple's weird ideas was pretty good.
Murenase! Seton Gakuen : A super fun anime about the strangest "pack" of animals you'll ever see.
Heya Camp : If you loved Yuru Camp and have a few minutes free, this is well worth your time.
ID INVADED : One of the more intriguing detective/crime anime that's been out in a while. Kinda gave me vibes of The Cell and Paprika do a degree.
Azur Lane : The last two episodes of this anime was delayed to improve the animation, I shudder to think how bad it would have been as it wasn't any good. Rather watch Kancolle if you want ship girls.
Fate Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia : The latest in the Fate Grand Order series had some good fight scenes, but other than that it wasn't really good.
Darwin's Game : A cool premise, good characters, lots of action and scheming, all of this around a weird mobile game that can make you rich, if you survive....
Rikei ga Koi ni Ochita no de Shoumei shitemita : Who doesn't love a quirky romcom with socially awkward but good looking STEM students?
Radiant S2 : The second season of Radiant was an improvement over the first, and we got to see Seth grow significantly as a character.
PSYCHO-PASS 3 - First Inspector : Technically this wasn't "part" of the season, but it was only three episodes and a continuation of Psycho-Pass 3, and a great end of the whole Fox saga.
As a bonus I'll also add my views on the following movies.
Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! Kurenai Densetsu : This movie had a bit of a slow start but it quickly took everything I enjoyed about Konosuba and made it a bit better. It's a lot of fun and well worth your time.
Gekijouban Hibike! Euphonium - Chikai no Finale : Are you a fan of Hibike Euphonium? Then this film that is a sequel to the second season is for you, the Liz and the Blue Bird tie in was also very nice.
Violet Evergarden Gaiden - Eien to Jidou Shuki Ningyou : I adored this side story movie, and now I want the Violet Evergarden movie anymore. It really felt like a gift from KyoAni to Violet Evergarden fans.
That concludes my seasonal wrap up write up of the Winter 2020 anime Season. Did you enjoy the season?
