Could you slow down a bit, October? I don’t think I can handle this!
This is the most stacked season of anime we’ve seen in a while now. Tons of shows are airing this month, from returning classics to remakes to highly anticipated new shows. So much to watch and so little time to do it!
Real quick, let’s blast through the notable sequels airing this season. I’d love to put them all on the list, but I don’t want to squeeze out any of the new or notable stuff. Consider this an honorable mentions list.
- Mob Psycho 100 season 3 (my #1 show of the season)
- Spy X Family part 2
- My Hero Academia season 6
- Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out season 2 (I don’t care for it, but good for those who do)
- Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun season 3 (give me more cute Amerie and I’ll be happy)
- Pop Team Epic season 2 (god damn, never thought I’d see the day)
- Golden Kamuy season 4
Those are just a few of the notable sequels airing this season. There are plenty more, but as those are for shows I’m not familiar with/ not particularly interested in, I’ll leave them be.
Now, with all that out of the way, we can get started.
Chainsaw Man
Let’s get the big one out of the way.
Chainsaw Man is one of the most popular manga of recent years. Everyone seems to agree that it’s a modern-day masterpiece. When the first teaser for the anime came out, it set the fanbase on fire! No other show this season is getting nearly as much hype as this one, and this season is stacked with heavy hitters!
Now, is that hype deserved? Dunno. I’ve actually been avoiding this series as much as I can. Haven’t read the manga, despite numerous people telling me to, and I haven’t even watched any of the trailers. I want to go into this series as blindly as possible.
Even if I have seen a lot of porn of the characters. Does that count as a spoiler?
This is set to rock the anime world. Whether it lives up to the massive hype is yet to be seen. But no matter what happens, it can’t be denied that this is the single biggest show coming out this month.
Oh, those poor overworked MAPPA animators…
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc – Memorial Edition
I’m obviously very biased. But I also don’t care, so I’m gonna give this one a slot anyway. Besides, this has the potential to be something big for Berserk fans.
A quick breakdown for people who might not know what this is. Back in 2012/2013, a trilogy of movies adapting the Golden Age saga of Berserk was released, aptly titled Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 1-3. These films would receive a mixed reception for their heavy use of CGI, as well as for cutting out several iconic scenes from the manga.
Now, in 2022, something interesting is happening. Those original movies are being re-edited into a TV format, titled the Memorial Edition. It’s not just a lazy edit and rerelease, either; several of the scenes cut, including the legendary Bonfire of Dreams, are being added to the run to address the issues people had with the original films. On top of that, we’re getting new music from the legendary Susumu Hirasawa, as well as Shiro Sagisu.
Why is this a big deal? For a few reasons. One: this is the first Berserk anime project since the disastrous 2016/17 anime. Two: the amount of effort going into it is much higher than projects like these usually receive. Three: not long after the first episode aired, a mysterious countdown started on the official Berserk website. Link here:
Right now, nobody knows what it’s counting down to. People are speculating that it’s another reboot, another attempt at a Berserk anime, but there’s no solid proof of that. Whatever it is, it’s got the entire Berserk fanbase on the edge of its seat.
As for the show itself… yeah, it’s the films again with new stuff in it. It’s more Berserk. And for me, that’s an instant win.
Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War
Holy shit. It’s actually happening. Never thought I’d see the day.
I watched Bleach way back in high school when I first got into anime. Like many other shows, I binged the whole thing pretty quickly (minus the filler because Naruto taught me the hard way how to dodge that stuff), and then moved on with my life. Unlike many other shows, however, my feelings towards Bleach have only worsened over time. Each attempt I make to rewatch it ends in boredom and failure.
But am I going to watch Thousand Year Blood War anyways? Yes. Yes, I am. Not as an ironic hate-watch, either. I genuinely want to see where it goes.
When the original Bleach anime ended, I thought that was it. The series was done and it would never come back. The fact that they actually decided to come back to it has got me intrigued. Is it just because of the legacy Bleach has as one of the Big 3 of the early 2000s? Or is there a nugget of gold hidden in the manga pages that were never adapted?
Whatever the case, it is cool to see this legacy show return. And no matter where it goes, whether it’s good or bad, the fact that it’s getting adapted at all is a big deal. Thus, it earns a spot on my list.
Uresei Yatsura (2022)
Remake time, baby!
I know nothing about Uresei Yatsura. Literally nothing. And I sure as hell ain’t gonna do any research; that would spoil the surprise. I’ve seen a few screenshots and I know there’s a girl wearing tiger-striped clothes, but that’s it. It’s a legacy anime that completely passed me by.
But I’ve seen quite a bit of excitement buzzing around this show, and I’m nothing if not curious. Besides, it looks interesting; I’m into the art style they’ve chosen, and everything I’ve seen (little as that is) is charming. So I’ll keep an eye out for this show. Who knows? Maybe it’ll steal the season.
Competition sure is stiff, though. I wish it the best of luck.
Shinobi no Ittoki
Time for the all-new stuff!
So far, this show seems like fun. A young boy descended from ninjas, suddenly thrust into shinobi shenanigans? It’s a simple concept, but so far it’s been pretty enjoyable. I doubt it’ll rock the world, but it’s a good time, so that’s all that really matters.
How did the protagonist not have any idea about the whole ninja thing, though? His childhood friend stalks him from afar while wearing a ninja mask in broad daylight! How does that not sound alarm bells in your head? Or does this series take place during COVID and she’s the only one taking it seriously?
That aside, Shinobi no Ittoki is off to a solid start. It may not rock the world like some of the heavy hitters, but it does what it sets out to do fairly well. Hopefully it doesn’t get swept away in the torrent this season; I’ve got a good feeling about this one.
Please don’t let those words come back to bite me for once…
Reincarnated as a Sword
Now for this season’s obligatory isekai hate-watch.
The isekai genre has become so oversaturated that it’s genuinely hilarious at this point. Japanese teenagers have been hit by so many trucks and reincarnated as so many different things that it’s become meaningless. The genre is the anime equivalent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Enter Reincarnated as a Sword. An isekai where the protagonist is… reincarnated as a sword. The title really says it all, doesn’t it? Well, at least it’s short.
Being honest, my expectations for this show are really low. I’m not going in wanting an expensive steak. This is junk food at its least healthy. If nothing else, I hope to have a good laugh at it.
But who knows? I said the same thing about Skeleton Knight a few seasons ago and I actually kinda liked that one. Maybe this show will surprise me too.
I just hope there’s less attempted rape in this one than there was in Skeleton Knight.
The Eminence in Shadow
Oh look. Bloody murder and attempted rape in the first episode. And it’s an isekai?! We’ve struck edgy gold!
The Eminence in Shadow makes it pretty clear what it’s about right off the bat. But to be fair: so far, it isn’t actually all that bad. It could become a complete and utter disaster if it takes a few steps in the wrong direction. But so far, it shows promise. Maybe it will actually turn out pretty good!
Even if it doesn’t, I’m sure this will be a fun one to watch. Whether that ends up being for ironic reasons or not is yet to be seen. But the simple fact that the first episode didn’t make me roll my eyes or laugh at it has given me some hope.
This is all it takes to make me watch an anime. I’m so desensitized to it at this point that I’ll watch just about anything. Just so long as it isn’t boring. So far, Eminence in Shadow has not been boring.
Conclusion
This is the most exciting anime season we’ve had in a while. The last few have had some pretty great stuff, like Lycoris Recoil, Call of the Night, and Overlord 4. But against the absolute mountain of content October is offering us, even that feels like small potatoes!
Whether or not it’s a mountain of gold or… something less pleasant… is yet to be seen. Call me a fool, but I’m feeling optimistic! New or old, sequel or remake, many of the shows this season are like dreams come true!
I only hope the dreams don’t turn into nightmares.
Jonah's Daily Rants 