Welcome to our Most Anticipated Anime feature for the Spring 2023 season. Below you’ll find our editorial team’s (tentative) top picks from the shows slated to premiere in April. There’s a wide variety of shows to choose from and little cross-over for our team’s top picks. If you’re still having a hard time choosing what to add to your queue, or you’re just down for a good time, do check out Anime News Network‘s Spring 2023 Trailer Watch Party!
Richard Eisenbeis
Most Anticipated: Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion
I’ve been vocal about my love of stories where an average person is reincarnated as a villainess in a fantasy setting. So, it’s probably not a surprise that I also enjoy the similar “reincarnated as a side character” subgenre.
In Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion, an ordinary college-age girl dies and is reincarnated as Raeliana, a character in a book whose murder is the plot hook that gets the real story started. Determined not to die young again, Raeliana decides that the only way to survive is to become the temporary fiancé of Duke Wynknight, the king’s brother. This plan has two problems: The first is that Duke Wynknight is a sly, dangerous man despite his kind and handsome appearance. The second is that he is the story’s main male love interest—and Raeliana’s interference threatens to derail the entire story.
What unfolds is equal parts action, comedy, and romance, with Raeliana acting as both a strong female lead and a deadpan snarker. If you’re tired of overpowered isekai protagonists and want to see a heroine survive on her brains and guts alone, this one might be right up your alley.
Runner-up: Tie – Birdie Wing -Golf Girls’ Story-, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, Dr. Stone: New World The Ancient Magus’ Bride
There are a ton of sequels coming up this season that I am pumped for. From the most intense game of mini-golf ever played to a mob war settled by a life-or-death game of golf, how could I not be excited for the second season of the yuri-tastic Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story? Then there’s the second season of equally yuri-filled Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, where we’ll see the fallout of the first season’s bloody cliffhanger.
Beyond that, we have Dr. Stone: New World, which takes our scientifically-minded and eccentric heroes on a quest across the globe to discover the origins of the apocalypse. Lastly, we have the long-awaited return of The Ancient Magus’ Bride with our star-crossed, emotionally damaged lovers trying to find their way within the magical society of the modern world. Honestly, there’s a lot to look forward to.
Rebecca Silverman
Most Anticipated: Tie – Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion and Skip and Loafer
I honestly could not tell you which of these two I’m looking forward to more; I only went with Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion because it has prettier art. Both series are adaptations of manga/manhwa I’ve been enjoying, and they’re good in very different ways.
Based on a Korean novel—the comic adaptation is being released in English by Yen Press‘ Ize imprint—Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion is a twist on the basic isekai story we’ve seen a lot of. The heroine finds herself reborn not in a game world but in a novel she’d read in the past. Rather than being the heroine or the villainess, she’s a side character who dies young instead. She’s had enough of that, so she hatches a plan to use the romantic interest to finagle a way to survive.
While there are plenty of familiar story beats (three guesses about what happens between her and the duke, and the first two don’t count), the plot unfolds with a blend of melodrama and character development that makes it work. Raeliana is committed to her survival, but she’s not all that keen on derailing the novel’s plot, so she’s actively trying to work within the parameters she sets for herself. She comes across as a little smarter than the average protagonist in her situation, and that’s been rewarding to read about.
I’m not entirely thrilled that her past life has been moved from South Korea to Japan because it hardly seems necessary, and I have sour memories of early anime dubs doing similar things. Yet given that the story takes place in a western-based fantasy world, it’s probably not a sign of anything too bad. The art in the manhwa is beautiful, and it looks like it hasn’t been stripped of its flourishes beyond what’s necessary. I’m eager to see the plot play out with motion and voices, and maybe this means there’s hope for an adaptation of Villains are Destined to Die!
Skip and Loafer is nothing like Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion. It’s a slice-of-life high school story about Mitsumi, who moves to Tokyo from her tiny hometown to pursue her academic ambitions. She’s starry-eyed about what it means to live in the big city, cheerful, and more than a little naïve. Like the previous title, it’s not a particularly revolutionary concept, but the way it’s depicted is excellent, making it one of my favorite manga series coming out at the moment. (Seven Seas is releasing it.)
The most striking thing about it is how much the story respects its characters. Everyone has a reason for their actions, from the mean girl in school to the hot guy and everyone in between. Even the people who at first come off as broad stereotypes turn out to be fully fleshed-out characters. It’s also worth mentioning that Mitsumi’s aunt (the person she lives with) is a trans woman. The story handles it with grace, never singling her out or misgendering her; it’s just a part of who she is. The art isn’t great, and that carries over to the character designs, which don’t do much to fix any of the manga’s issues. But this could be a winner if it sticks as closely to the story and writing.
It’s looking like a good season for adapting light novels and manga I’ve enjoyed: My Clueless First Friend is heartwarming, Insomniacs After School is fascinating, and Oshi no Ko is its own special take on the idol story. Spring could be a beautiful season if even two of these pans out.
Christopher Farris
Most Anticipated: Birdie Wing Season 2
It’s not enough that Birdie Wing’s golf mafia extravaganza of an opening arc gave way to a high school tournament drama that still preserved all its appealing absurdity. Nor is it because the series’ break wasn’t even a proper « season finale, » stopping mid-storyline with even a preview for the next episode ready to go. Birdie Wing is such a one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-lifetime thing that I have no problem letting Bandai Namco take all the time they want with it.
No, the reason I’m really ready for Birdie Wing to be back is so I and everyone I know can get back to yelling about it online. We’ve had nearly a year for all of you to catch up on account of us yelling about this wacky-ass golf show. If that means more synchronized simulcast reactions to moments like that bit in the first season when that dude pulled out a rocket launcher, then acting as Birdie Wing’s hype caddy will all have been worth it.
Runners-up: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Season 2 and Yuri Is My Job!
Wow, between Birdie Wing and Witch From Mercury both coming back, we’ll have two Gundam shows airing in the same season! Seriously, though, even though it’s barely been three months, I’ve been missing Suletta Sundays already. I don’t want to talk about G-Witch too much because I don’t want to jinx what already appears to be a precarious production. So instead, I’ll just put out a prayer circle of tomatoes and move over to an anticipated manga adaptation.
I checked out the first volume of Yuri Is My Job! a while back on the strength of its clever premise and was surprised out of the gate by its commitment to building genuine drama via some ferociously flawed characters. I will say the inclusion of Passione as a production partner makes me wonder if the anime version might dial the horny quotient of the show up to some more unusual levels. But as someone terminally unable to make time for all the manga I could want, I’m still excited to see where Yuri Is My Job! goes in anime form.
Nicholas Dupree
Most Anticipated: Skip and Loafer
With several high-profile adaptations and hotly anticipated sequels this season, I struggled to pick a top spot. Eventually, I asked myself which title made me smile the most when I thought about watching it, and that is easily Skip and Loafer. I’m pretty new to the manga, but everything I’ve read has been astonishingly, effortlessly charming. I love the heroine, Mitsumi, and how she nervously stumbles through the travails of a high school social life. I adore the often understated and dry wit to a lot of the jokes. When Mitsumi makes that little V-mouth face, it’s like a shot of dopamine straight into my brainstem. I would both die and kill for Nao-chan. Everything from the trailers suggests all that charm and positive energy has made the leap to TV easily, and I’m very much looking forward to a weekly dose of good vibes.
Runner-up: The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2
Honestly, this one is a runner-up entirely because I try not to throw sequels on the top of the pile. That doesn’t mean I’m any less excited to see Chise and Elias’ new journey and how their relationship will grow after the climactic resolution of the first season. I’m ecstatic to see more of the layered, enchantingly vicious fantasy world in which they live and work. With Chise now attending the (magical, of course) college, I’m interested to see an even wider variety of supernatural and mythological creatures and the fascinating powers they portend. The OVA series from last year served to whet my appetite, and I’m ready to sink my teeth into a full-course meal.
Some other, less long-awaited continuations are here too: the second half of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, where we’ll see just how off the rails Suletta and Miorine’s story can get. Birdie Wing is back to make golf worth watching again. I cannot wait to see my timeline meltdown over Oshi no Ko in real-time. The same goes for Heavenly Delusion, which looks absolutely phenomenal from the previews. Lastly, I’m curious about Dead Mount Death Play because anything written by Ryohgo Narita has got to be wild or weird enough to check out.
MrAJCosplay
Most Anticipated: Dr. Stone: New World
I don’t know why it took so long for us to get another season of Dr. Stone, but I’m just glad it’s here. Dr. Stone is one of the more unique shonen anime I’ve watched in quite some time, focusing less on combat and more on scientific intrigue. Following a cast of characters trying to rebuild humanity from the ground up feels like the ultimate underdog story. The fact that the show is mostly accurate with its scientific breakdowns leaves me walking away from every episode genuinely feeling smarter than before. It’s Bill Nye for anime fans. While there isn’t much to Dr. Stone‘s anime production visually, its soundtrack is still up there as one of my favorites, and as someone who has finished the original manga, I’m looking forward to more of the world-building this season should tackle.
James Beckett
Most Anticipated: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury
This year’s winter season may have felt a bit barren, but holy heck-in-a-handbasket, Spring of 2023 seems dead set on making up for it. I had a harder time picking out my most anticipated than I thought I would, mostly because I felt bad that so many of my picks were sequels, despite the wealth of cool-looking new adaptations and original material on the horizon. Still, I’m not about to metaphorically look you all in the eyes and tell you that the thing I’m the most eager for isn’t the return of everyone’s favorite little war criminal. Never forgetta the Suletta, my friends, or Chuchu is liable to punch you right in the brain.
I may be relatively new to the Gundam scene, but let me tell you, in a franchise that has been going on for as many decades as this one, with so many stone-cold classics under its belt besides, it says something that The Witch from Mercury still feels as invigorating and exciting as it does. Despite some of the production issues the show has allegedly been suffering from, the series is consistently gorgeous. Its actors all do wonderful jobs bringing their characters to life, especially Kana Ichinose, who somehow manages to make Suletta a stuttering, fumbling mess who is also perfect in every way, even when she…um…takes her high-five game a little too far. Given how intense the action and drama got at the conclusion of last season’s storyline, I can’t wait to see just how wild the series gets in its back half. We’re either going to get a “Good Second Half” kind of Gundam or a “Hot Mess Second Half,” and we’re probably going to be entertained either way (although please, for the love of God, don’t screw this one up, Sunrise).
Runner-Up: Birdie Wing -Golf Girls’ Story-
Do I even need to explain this one? Can I even explain this one? Those of you that have seen Birdie Wing obviously get it, but what can I possibly write to explain what makes this series so utterly perfect for those poor, unfortunate souls who have not witnessed the Glorious Golf Gospel (aka the Golf-spel) themselves?
Do I tell of the insane and deeply intricate world of underground mafia golf war operating under our very noses right this minute? Do I describe the Mario Golf cartoon superpowers with which competitors such as our heroines, Eve and Aoi, do battle against the forces of gold-adjacent evil, such as the voluptuous snake-woman who poisons people with her magic perfume but also, you know, does golf-stuff really good? Do I share the secrets of the absurdly expensive underground arenas of transforming golf courses that exist so that the world’s criminal elite can settle their scores and eliminate their enemies on the green?
All of that is probably folly. It would be like trying to convey the wonder of the Sistine Chapel to an unfamiliar tourist simply by describing the shapes and colors that Michelangelo immortalized on its ceiling. Instead, I can only implore you to go and watch the first season of Birdie Wing for yourselves so that you may be ready to receive its wonders and blessings when it returns to us again from its throne in heaven this spring.
Lynzee Loveridge
Most Anticipated: The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2
My favorite problematic couple is back! The first season by Wit Studio got me obsessed with Kore Yamazaki‘s manga series (Frau Faust is also good) in a move that surprises exactly no one who knows me. The first season was probably one of my favorite anime of the decade, and here we are, over half a decade later, and I’m ready to follow Chise into alchemist college. After watching the OAV, I’m pretty confident that Studio Kafka (like Studio Bind, Kafka was formed specifically for one project. In this case, it’s Mahoyome) can carry Wit Studio‘s torch into this new, magical locale. It’ll also allow Chise to grow apart from Elias, encounter some actual peers, and interact with more creatures from folklore. I am PUMPED.
Runners Up: Oshi no Ko
Spoilers: I know the twist already, which is why I’m backing Oshi no Ko. I dove into the manga recently, so I get a sense of what this series was really about and almost fell off early on because I wasn’t interested in « adult ob/gyn thirsts after his teenage idol patient, » but things quickly ramped up from there. If I had to summarize the premise the best I could without giving it away, it’s sort of like Skip Beat! but darker. The series combines two powerhouse mangaka: Aka Akasaka (Kaguya-sama: Love is War) and Mengo Yokoyari (Scum’s Wish). I’m a big fan of their works for entirely different reasons. I’m excited to see how the series comes together in that 90-minute opening « episode. »
Honorable Mentions:
- Hell’s Paradise looks amazing.
- Heavenly Delusion also looks like a must-watch, assuming it doesn’t get locked away in Hulu Jail.
- Magical Destroyers could be a hilarious alternate reality series
- Of course, I’ll be watching the second season of Gundam: The Witch From Mercury.
Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.
Disclosure: Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc. (Sunrise) is a non-controlling, minority shareholder in Anime News Network Inc.
