Spring 2018 anime predictions, premonitions, and precognitions

It’s been a while since I’ve watched seasonal shows (Winter 2018 has been the first time in… 6 years? 7?). It just so happens that next season has a bunch of adaptations of manga I’ve loved and a ton of high profile sequels too. I figure that even though some of these are bound to flop, it’s an important time to record down the hype I’m feeling at the moment.

I have high hopes for seven shows, but first I’ll go through the popular and notable shows I’m not going to be watching: Sword Art Online Alternative may continue on the insane levels of popularity that SAO boasted, but I hopped off that train faster than anybody else. Shokugeki no Souma is a manga that I’ve been reading, but I’ll probably never watch the anime because it doesn’t hold a candle to Yakitate!! Japan in my eyes. Tokyo Ghoul:Re is adapting the sequel manga to the original, but I found myself hopelessly lost in the shitty plot and overwhelming edginess so I’ll pass. There’s also a new season of High School DxD… There’s another Persona anime….

But hey, I’m not a complete anime snob because I’m looking forward to the most popular show of the season, My Hero Academia S3. The upcoming Hideout Raid arc is my favorite part of the whole manga so far, and Bones is gonna make it look amazing as usual. A sequel I’m worried about is the new Legend of the Galactic Heroes, but it’s all good because I already bought and got my Yang Wenli figure (below). It cost $90 and I’ve been buying manga like crazy so I’m gonna be eating beans and PB&J for months, I guess.

Electromeister included so you know it’s mine (Mikotoism forever)

Actually, I take it back — Steins;Gate 0 might be even more popular than the likes of My Hero Academia and Tokyo Ghoul:Re, and I’m definitely gonna be watching it. But for the older fans (me?), the sequel of sequels is finally here: Full Metal Panic! IV. This has been one of those things that’s become a Half-Life 3 sort of joke, along with lofty dreams like Haruhi S3 and Spice and Wolf S3. But it’s here! It’s finally here! THIRTEEN YEARS LATER! I’ve actually been waiting that entire time, too, since I watched FMP TSR way before I really got into anime.

As for new adaptations of manga, I thought Grand Blue was airing this season and was going to prematurely declare it the best season of all time. Still, this season has going for it the homoerotic heist manga about ethnic food Golden Kamuy, the Nichijou-esque absurdist comedy Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro, and the absolute pinnacle of comedic manga (and my #2 favorite manga) Hinamatsuri. From the preview for Hinamatsuri, it looked pretty… bad. The characters have weirdly shiny and oddly colored hair. The anime studio (feel) isn’t really known for making anything good (I guess Tsuki ga Kirei?). But it could be fine because the manga has some shitty art but still manages to pull off the funniest jokes ever, so I guess it depends on the voice actors. Oh wait – Hina is voiced by a complete newcomer. Maybe it’s still gonna be good…? Hopefully?

Anyway, this season has so many big names that it’s hard to say what I’m looking forward to. Maybe the anime of the season will be none of the things I mentioned here. Maybe it will be this thing.

But I guess there should be some bold guesses here, so this are my pre-season predictions of the seven shows I’ll be watching:

1. Golden Kamuy: 10/10
2. My Hero Academia S3: 9/10 <– safest and easiest bet
3. Full Metal Panic IV: 8/10
4. Steins;Gate 0: 7/10
5. Legend of the Galactic Heroes: 7/10
6. Hinamatsuri: 6/10
7. Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro: 5/10