This could be a great season…or it could be a bad one. It really just depends on how the shows are distributed between the licensors and how the adaptions turn out…

I decided not to separate the shows like last time, since it was too much effort.

• If a show doesn’t appear here, it may show up if it gets favourable ratings before I begin the spring 2019 season.
• Bold is Crunchyroll, underlined is Funimation (or my local equivalent to it) and strikethrough is locked behind the paywall at Sentai/HiDive or Amazon/Netflix. I’m not sure what those guys are doing with simulcasts in spring 2019, but I guess I’ll list everyone separately just in case. (This is up-to-date as much as I know it for this post.)
• I’m releasing this now (rather than March 31st, when I originally scheduled this post) because as of proofreading, I’m having talks about spring collabs already.
• Ratings are most hyped to least.

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What I’m Already Watching

• Rising of the Shield Hero – Shield Hero was better than expected outside the first episode kerfuffle, so it’ll be interesting to see how Naofumi evolves in this second cour.

Out of the stuff that’s on hold, there’s still Boogiepop.

What’s Coming Up

• One Punch Man 2 – ONE PUNCH! I worry about the switch to JC Staff, but the fact this is one of my highest-rated anime and highest-rated manga (despite only having seen two volumes of the latter and a weeny bit of the web version) means the expectations are high for this one! I’ve heard nothing but good things about Garou as a character, which…doesn’t help matters for its expectations.
• Bungou Stray Dogs 3 – Cannibalisation arc! This’ll be the first time I’m wandering into unexplored territory with this show, so expect some interesting reactions. Also, there was no Christie or Fyodor in season 1, so I worry about how the season might start, but I’m sure it’ll get some momentum later on – that’s quite typical of this show.
• Fruits Basket (2019) – The remake we all want, but is it the remake we need? Luckily, I finished the manga when I had access to it years ago (and haven’t touched the Deen adaption outside most of one dub episode I saw at the anime club – I remember leaving the club early the day I watched it, though, which is why I don’t just say “one episode”), so this will be a real test of my memory.
• Kimetsu no Yaiba – Seen the first chapter of this. Whether it’ll be on Netflix or Amazon remains to be seen…although knowing Aniplex, it will probably appear before me.
• We Never Learn – Off the top of my head, I’ve seen 2 or 3 chapters of this (meaning there is still a chance for it to get better later on). I think it’s pretty par for the course for its genre, so it’ll be fine for the people that like that sort of thing…but I might get off the bandwagon early, even though as an Aniplex anime it’ll be on most anime streaming platforms…just sayin’. By the way, I always thought the English title was a great joke in regards to the implications. That is, the Japanese title is Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai, which means “We Don’t Study”, but “We Never Learn” implies Nariyuki and co. don’t get any work done…because they’re too busy with their harem shenanigans (plus Furuhashi and Ogata suck at the subjects they’re studying for)! It’s a great title in regards to marketing, don’tcha think?
• Fairy Gone – Now here we are in “it looks good but it’s original/not territory I’ve been in before so it’s a big ???” territory, which is always a notch down from the “safe adaption/sequel” territory. Fairy Gone has a cool premise, but considering the whispers around the block of PA Works fantasy series going to Netflix, I wouldn’t be surprised if I don’t get it.
• Sarazanmai – Basically an Amazon shoo-in. Even still, on the off chance I see it, it’ll be…weird, to say the least. It’s Ikuhara though, whaddaya expect?

Sidebar: I get the feeling the name is meant to be interpreted as “Sara’s Three Dishes”, referring to the character Sara and how kappa are sometimes portrayed with water dishes on their heads…or some other flat item, belonging to the boys, which is counted using 枚 (mai)...but that’s just empty speculation at the moment. If you’re watching the show for me, please tell me if I’m right!

• Yu-No – I thought the premise was kinda cool and so was the art. The only thing I’m not so hot on is the fact it’s adapted from an adult visual novel…This might appear on Crunchyroll based on how they did some promotional stuff for it, but…you never know with these things.
• Kono Oto Tomare – I’ve been reading the manga of Ao Haru Ride lately and figured this would fill the hole in my heart that corresponds to such things. “Why do that when you can just watch the Ao Haru Ride anime?” you ask? Unfortunately, that anime is licensed by Sentai Filmworks and it isn’t on Crunchyroll in my region…so I can’t. At least, not until I actually pay for HiDive (which I now consider a possibility, but…yeah, that’s still a work in progress at the moment).
• RobiHachi – This’ll probably be on Crunchyroll, based on how Pony Canyon things normally get on there. Basically, I’m on board for reconciling with Shinji Takamatsu after my less-than-stellar relationship with Boueibu Happy Kiss.
• Shoumetsu Toshi – The premise looks cool. I’m in.
• Mayonaka no Occult Komuin – The fact Arata Miyako looks like he came out of Koi to Uso is a thing I shake my head at (I find Koi to Uso faces creepy, to be honest with you), but the premise is good and might override my fears.
• King of Prism – Shiny 7 Stars – Masuda and Maeno are here! I know nothing about the rest of the King of Prism franchise though, but it’s been hugely popular in Japan with its films, so I guess I should expect the worst and hope for the best here with the idol stuff.

As for shorts, we have one:

• Jimoto ga Japan – Looks like my kinda tourist trap. I haven’t read the manga though.

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What are you looking forward to the most in the spring 2019 season? Did I pass over anything of worth?