A new year means new anime to look forward to. Last year just kept giving, with smash-hit titles such as My Dress Up-Darling, Attack on Titan and Ya Boy Kongming! each offering their own flair for comedy, drama, suspense and action.
With just as many (or possibly more) equally anticipated titles for the new year, plus new seasons of crowd favorites, here’s a list of anime shows we can’t wait to watch in 2023.
1.
Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 3
Is this really the final season? Misnomers aside, 2023 is set to be the year that the very last part of the critically acclaimed Attack on Titan series will air. The adventures continue with main characters Eren, Mikasa and Armin, whose entire lives within the walls of civilization were turned upside down following a breach by the Colossal Titan.
As the series draws to a close, the truth will come to light as to who Eren, Mikasa and Armin really are and what the titans truly represent. Although the manga was completed in 2021, many have jumped aboard the anime train due to the well-known prowess of animation studio MAPPA. Fans can rest assured that the end of Attack on Titan will happen at some point in 2023, with recent rumors pointing to a March 2023 release.
2.
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2
If sorcery and swallowing cursed fingers sounds right up your alley, Shonen Jump’s action-packed Jujutsu Kaisen could be just the show for you. Set in a world where all living beings emanate Cursed Energy, high schooler Yuji Itadori inadvertently follows the path to becoming a Jujutsu Sorcerer after becoming the host of the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna.
The popularity of the series even saw the story prequel, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, take the silver screen in the form of an anime film adaptation, also by MAPPA. More is in store for the energetic Yuji, oppressed Megumi, and everyone’s favorite mentor, Gojo, in July 2023.
3.
The Way of the Househusband Season 2
Housework and the yakuza aren’t typically words that go together, but these two worlds collide in this amusing comedy series. Tatsu, a former Japanese gang leader, has swapped his suit for an apron to become a homemaker. Watch as the once famously known “Immortal Dragon” now battles the challenges of banal day-to-day activities including making a bento and getting the best supermarket deals with all the skills and intimidation tactics befitting of an ex-yakuza member.
One criticism of this anime has been the very static ‘PowerPoint-esque’ style that’s more akin to a motion comic than an actual animation. However, the wholesome antics of Tatsu and his former employees should help win you over.
The second season premiered at the beginning of the year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Luk_D0g8LbI
4.
Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro! Season 2
Where does one draw the line when it comes to high school bullying? Titular character Nagatoro practically dances all over the boundaries in this high school comedy anime about befriending your antagonizers and maybe falling in love along the way. Naoto is an introvert who avoids all forms of social contact, preferring to draw manga instead. He and his art are discovered by Nagatoro, who calls him senpai and teases him to the point of crying. Somehow, the two are able to overcome this and bond through even more teasing and Nagatoro’s antics, which eventually give way to them developing crushes on each other.
The second season of Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro! premiered on January 7.
5.
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill
Yes, another Isekai anime, though this food-oriented one might be worth keeping an eye out for. Mukouda Tsuyoshi has been transported into a fantasy world to save a kingdom, but it soon becomes apparent that it was a mistake transporting him there. His only skill, the ability to obtain food from the supermarket in modern-day Japan, quickly gets him kicked out of the palace, but his delicious dishes soon garner the attention of many, including the mighty Fenrir. Despite not being able to save the world in a traditional sense, he continues living on as an adventurer, conquering enemies one yummy meal at a time.
This light-novel-turned-manga premiered as an anime show on January 10.
6.
Bungou Stray Dogs Season 4
Literary geniuses are reimagined in this one-of-a-kind story about solving mysteries, supernatural abilities and bizarrely quirky characters. Atsushi Nakajima has just been kicked out of his orphanage. With the help of a detective named Osamu Dazai, he finds out that he has the power to turn into a berserker white tiger. He’s then recruited into the Armed Detective Agency, made up of other people with unique abilities that they use to protect the surrounding Yokohama area from the mafia.
While the settings largely have nothing to do with the actual authors involved, the relationship between Dazai, (Sakunosuke) Oda and (Ango) Sakaguchi was inspired by the their real-life friendship.
The fourth season premiered on January 4.
7.
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre
Get ready for some ghastly tales by none other than the godfather of horror manga himself Junji Ito. A compilation of some of his best work, Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre brings together Ito’s unique perspective and fascinatingly fearsome characters, all drawn in his very own style.
Loyal fans of his work and those curious will be able to see famous titles such as Tomie, The Hanging Balloons, The Bully and more come to life through a cinematic retelling.
The release date is January 19.
8.
Spy x Family Season 2
There was never a doubt in anyone’s mind that 2022’s unofficial anime of the year, Spy x Family would be renewed for another season. This comedy action anime features top spy Loid Forger who must create the perfect false family front as part of a mission to get closer to a political leader. Professional assassin Yor Forger née Briar and telepathic child Anya are alongside him. The kicker is that none are wary of each other’s secret abilities and must feign normalcy in the midst of a chaotic life. Towards the end of the first season, Bond, a dog who can see into the future was added to the mix.
Both the second season and a theatrical movie are set to be released in 2023.
