Fall 2019 Season Preview

Disclaimer: This post will be updated accordingly as more official English titles, release dates, and/or simulcast information gets announced.

A policy I have with these season previews is that I don’t include returning anime that I’m not up to date with. Can’t exactly express excitement or interest in something if I’m not caught up with it now, can I? Which brings me to Fall 2019. This season has a lot of shows returning to broadcast, a lot of which I’m super behind on. Some of these shows such as Sword Art Online I just don’t like and feel no desire to return to. Others such as My Hero Academia and Chihayafuru I haven’t found the time to watch.

There are plenty of new stuff coming out in Fall but to be honest, not a whole lot stands out to me. I do however hope that Fall 2019 will be a fun season for anime. Summer 2019 has been surprisingly solid, certainly more so than Winter and Spring. It’d great if this year can finish better than how it started.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at Fall 2019.

Hype Level Breakdown:

Excited	Anime that I really want to watch right now but alas, I must wait for it to air on TV. The one show that stands out the most, even in this group also gets “Most Anticipated” added to its hype level.
Optimistic	Reserved for anime that probably aren’t going to blow my mind but will still make for solid entertainment.
Mild	The show just looks so-so to me for one reason or another though I’m nevertheless still interested in it.
Surprise Me	The show frankly looks bad to me or I’m just very skeptical about it. It’s still attracting a modicum of attention or the premise still got my attention so I gave it a spot on the preview.

Kono Yuusha ga Ore Tueee Kuse ni Shinchou Sugiru
(The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious)

Premieres: October 2 at 22:30 JST		Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Studio: White Fox		Source: Light Novel
Streaming: Funimation, Hulu		Hype Level: Surprise Me
Official Website	Anime News Network	MyAnimeList	Wikipedia

One anime in and you’re about to see how I’m grasping at straws in this post…

The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious is about a goddess who summons a powerful hero to help her save the world. There’s only one problem: the hero is insanely cautious about everything he does. He hoards as many items as he can, keeps spares of all his spare equipment, and level grinds with weak enemies. As amusing of an hook as that is, it sounds too gimmicky for my liking. In fact, this almost sounds like the kind of gimmick you’d see in an isekai anime (wait, what if it is an isekai anime?). It also seems to be a riff on RPGs and frankly, I’m really tired of anime constantly aping games. So yeah, surprise me.

Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yo
(ORESUKI: Are you the only one who loves me?)

Premieres: October 3 at 0:30 JST		Genre: Comedy, Romance, School
Studio: Connect		Source: Light Novel
Streaming: Crunchyroll, Funimation, HIDIVE		Hype Level: Mild
Official Website	Anime News Network	MyAnimeList	Wikipedia

There’s been some pretty silly romance anime this year but while Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yo is also advertised as a comedy, its premise does seem considerably more grounded or tamed than its brethren. This show stars a young boy getting friendzoned by two girls and a dealing with a third one going super tsundere on him. It sounds pretty basic and not all that exciting but the light novel it’s based seems to be well-liked so maybe it’s a basic plot done well.

Houkago Saikoro Club
(After School Dice Club)

Premieres: October 3 at 2:16 JST		Genre: Comedy, School, Shounen
Studio: LIDEN FILMS		Source: Manga
Streaming: Funimation, Hulu		Hype Level: Mild
Official Website	Anime News Network	MyAnimeList	Wikipedia

The quest for the seasonal CGDCT anime continues and Houkago Saikoro Club is looking to be the most appealing offering this season. Board games isn’t a gimmick I’ve seen before and considering the different rules and setups they can have, you could surprisingly do a lot to keep things fresh. Provided that there are good characters to go along with it, this might be a fun time.

Choujin Koukousei-tachi wa Isekai demo Yoyuu de Ikuniku you desu!
(High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World)

Premieres: October 3 at 21:00		Genre: Fantasy
Studio: Project No.9		Source: Light Novel
Streaming: Crunchyroll		Hype Level: Surprise Me
Official Website	Anime News Network	MyAnimeList	Wikipedia

Summer 2019 had five or so isekai anime so I’m even more tired of this genre than I usually am. And wouldn’t you know? There’s a bunch more isekai anime premiering next month because of course there is. Out of the bunch, High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World is the only show that managed to creep into the sequel infested Top 15 most anticipated anime on MAL and LiveChart. And I’ll admit, the gimmick of the protagonists being well-versed in government and business is kind of refreshing and could circumvent isekai’s reliance on teenagers being able to hit really hard. Will the writing be as smart as the characters its for? Only one way to find out.

Azur Lane

Premieres: October 3 at 23:30 JST		Genre: Action, Historical, Military
Studio: Bibury Animation Studios		Source: Game
Streaming: Funimation, Hulu		Hype Level: Mild
Official Website	Anime News Network	MyAnimeList	Wikipedia

I’m kind of surprised this trend of anthroporphizing historical weapons and vehicles into teenagers (usually girls) is still alive and kicking. For real, is anyone in it for the historical callbacks? Does one really need that kind of context for their story…assuming that there is one? I don’t know. Maybe I just don’t get it. Maybe Azur Lane will help me understand. The plot looks to be the exact same as Kantai Collection, right down to WWII references, though I have a feeling that the appeal isn’t going to be the plot but the girls that participate in it. And I’ll admit, the character designs do look pretty good.

Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Denkinai!
We Never Learn: BOKUBEN (Season 2)

Premieres: October 6 at 0:30 JST		Genre: Comedy, Harem, Romance, School, Shounen
Studio: ARVO Animation x Silver		Source: Manga
Streaming: Crunchyroll, Funimation, HIDIVE, Hulu		Hype Level: Optimistic
Official Website	Anime News Network	MyAnimeList	Wikipedia

We Never Learn is one of two returning anime that I’m all ready to return to. Not that catching up was hard to do though. I mean, there was only one season and it was part of my seasonal watching this past spring anyway. I am really glad to be caught up with it though. The first season was one of the most pleasant surprises for me this year. I came in a little biased due to it premiering right after The Quintessential Quintuplets but ultimately, it proved to be good in its own right. It may be more aimless than its “predecessor” but it was also funnier and even more engrossing. And seriously, you know a harem anime is good when you can’t decide who you’re rooting for (every girl is legit, I tell you!). I am kind of surprised that we’re getting a second season so soon after the first but I’m also glad that we’re getting more at all.

Beastars

Premieres: October 10 at 0:55 JST		Genre: Drama, Psychological, Shounen, Slice of Life
Studio: Orange		Source: Manga
Streaming: Netflix		Hype Level: Optimistic
Official Website	Anime News Network	MyAnimeList	Wikipedia

Okay, am I crazy or does Beastars sound exactly like Zootopia? A world populated by talking animals dealing with a sharp societal divide between predators and prey? The mouse ain’t going to be happy about this! Joking aside, I have heard great things about Beastars and call me a furry but I find it kind of refreshing to see an anime about completely anthropomorphized animals and not just humans with cat ears or something. There does seem to be a lot of CGI being used here but studio Orange is that rare studio that’s able to do CGI well (look at Land of the Lustrous) so I’m not too worried in that department. Now if only this show wasn’t stuck in Netflix jail…

Assassins Pride

Premieres: October 10 at 23:30 JST		Genre: Fantasy
Studio: EMT2		Source: Light Novel
Streaming: Crunchyroll, HIDIVE		Hype Level: Mild
Official Website	Anime News Network	MyAnimeList	Wikipedia

Shouldn’t there been an apostrophe between the “n” and “s” in “Assassins”?

Joking aside, I’m actually pretty curious about Assassins Pride. Set in a world where magic is real, the show stars a young assassin who is hired to tutor a girl who is trying to hone her mana at school. Should the girl show no magical aptitude, she is to be assassinated. It sounds kind of edgy and it wouldn’t surprise me if this show has all the pitfalls a lot of light novel stories suffer from. For once though, I’m hoping for the best. That premise has some potential in how it articulates the relationship between its two leads.

No Guns Life

Premieres: October 11 at 1:28 JST		Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Seinen
Studio: Madhouse		Source: Manga
Streaming: Funimation, Hulu		Hype Level: Mild
Official Website	Anime News Network	MyAnimeList	Wikipedia

One look at the key visual and trailer thumbnail and I immediately asked, “Wait, does that guy have a gun for a head?”. I’m sure there’s an explanation (there better be) but I’m sorry, I don’t know how I’ll be able to take a gritty sci-fi series if the protagonist looks like that. Nothing about the staff really screams confidence to me either. It does have Madhouse as the studio though…

Kabukichou Sherlock
(Case File n221: Kabuchiko)

Premieres: October 12 at 1:55 JST		Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Studio: Production I.G		Source: Original
Streaming: Funimation, Hulu		Hype Level: Optimistic
Official Website	Anime News Network	MyAnimeList	Wikipedia

Kabukichou Sherlock was supposed to air this past Spring but for whatever reason, it was delayed to this coming Fall. I didn’t pay much attention to it at the time but in a season where I’m currently limited at what I can anticipate, this show is looking mighty appealing now. There’s been plenty of modern-day reinventions of Sherlock Holmes from Elementary and Sherlock but a Japanese take on it should still prove to be worthwhile. The biggest appeal right now is that it has Taku Kishimoto for series composition and Kishimoto’s last original work was the excellent 91 Days back in 2016. Here’s hoping lighting will strike again.

Rifle is Beautiful
(Chidori RSC)

Premieres: October 13 at 23:00 JST		Genre: Comedy, School, Slice of Life
Studio: 3Hz		Source: Manga
Streaming: HIDIVE		Hype Level: Mild
Official Website	Anime News Network	MyAnimeList	Wikipedia

Another CGDCT anime on my radar. I’ll admit that Rifle is Beautiful stood out to me simply because it’s about a school club that plays with guns. I’m assuming the girls will specifically shoot airsoft but man, can you imagine if they’re firing real guns in their club room? Also a slight point of interest is that this show will be animated by studio 3Hz and I’m still very curious what they’re up to these days (where’s my Princess Principal movies?).

Short Series:

• Ani ni Tsukeru Kusuri wa Nai! 3 – 10/7 | N/A | Optimistic – Really stunned this series has lasted this long in anime form. I guess it’s pretty popular in China and/or Japan? I’m all for it though, this has been one of my favorite short series in recent years. A shame it’s still not simlcasted anywhere in the US.

Movies:

• Black Fox | 10/5 | Crunchyroll | Optimistic – A new, original film by 3Hz about a ninja living in a futuristic city. I’m kind of disappointed that this isn’t a TV show like I had originally assumed but like with Rifle is Beautiful, I’m still really curious what 3Hz has been up to (again, where’s my Princess Principal movies?).
• Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata. Fine | 10/26 | High – Saekano is one of my favorite anime of 2015 and 2017 and possibly my favorite harem anime in general. Admittedly, that almost entirely has to do with Megumi Kato being the best of Best Girls but tell me there isn’t a more legitimate reason than that? I’m looking forward to the movie when it comes out and I’m hoping it’ll be successful enough to green light a third season.

OVAs/Specials:

• Midnight occult civil servants | 9/25 – Not the biggest fan of this show (the art direction is incredibly underwhelming) but three more episodes of this wouldn’t hurt.
• We Never Learn | 11/1 | Optimistic – More We Never Learn? Yes, please!

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