We now enter the last week of a steller 2022 closing out the Winter 2022 anime season. We look ahead at what’s to come in the Winter 2023 anime season next month on Crunchyroll. The Fall/Winter 2022 anime season brought forth some heavy hitters in the form of Chainsaw Man, the third and final season of Mob Psycho 100, Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War Arc, Season 6 of My Hero Academia, Blue Lock, the second cour of SPY x FAMILY, and many, many more. Crunchyroll recently revealed their Winter 2023 anime slate, so we looked at that list and selected five anime series you must watch once we enter 2023.
5. In/Spectre Season 2
After a massive cliffhanger at the end of season one, In/Spectre returns with a second season after year and a half long hiatus. The new season is looking to further explore the relationship between Kuro and Kotoko. The second season of In/Spectre teases that a wedding is looming but what will be the outcome of Kuro and Kotoko’s relationship, now that Kuro broke things off with Saki? This is not the end-all-be-all for In/Spectre season two, more supernatural mysteries lie ahead for the unlikely duo. Fans who were and still awaiting the highly anticipated return of In/Spectre season two will have to wait no further as the second season premieres January 8th on Crunchyroll.
Iwanaga Kotoko became the god of wisdom to the supernatural beings and spends her days solving problems for them. However, the boy who she fell head over heels for, Sakuragawa Kuro, is someone that is feared by all supernatural creatures. The two of them face various mysterious incidents involving the supernatural in this love x romance x mystery series. Where will these fantastical incidents lead them and what will happen with Kotoko’s crush?
4. Bungo Stray Dogs Season 4
Bungo Stray Dogs is an anime beloved by many. With such a huge fanbase, Bungo Stray Dogs has seen itself listed as one of the all-time greats in the anime world. Praised by many for its premise, designs, animation, and action. Emotionally driven with relatable characters, Bungo Stray Dogs, despite all of its praises, suffers from only one thing, and that is its slow pace. Nevertheless, that has not stopped fans and critics of the anime alike from praising the series for its themes, characters, and character journeys.
Although the fourth season of the series arrives at the very start of 2023, fans have enough time to binge the first three seasons of the series and its films (given you are also on a holiday break and do not have to suffer from this thing called adulting). The fourth season of Bungo Stray Dogs arrives on January 4th on Crunchyroll, the first three seasons of the series can also be streamed on the platform.
When a new mysterious group, the Decay of the Angel, seeks to destroy the Armed Detective Agency, they do it from the inside. What seemed like a murder investigation turns out to be a trap set by Fyodor, who was originally thought to be captured! With everyone now a suspect, a special unit of the military police, the Hunting Dogs, are ready to sniff out any corruption.
3. TRIGUN STAMPEDE
A return that is 24 years in the making. One 26-episode anime season and a feature film later, TRIGUN is making a return with TRIGUN STAMPEDE. Up-and-coming animation studio ORANGE has made a name for itself with shows like BEASTARS, BEASTARS Final Season, and Godzilla: Singular Point will take the reigns from MADHOUSE bringing a new iteration of Yasuhiro Nightow’s original work.
Frequently listed as one of the Best Anime Series of All-Time and one of the Top 10 anime series, TRIGUN has always been praised for its setting, writing, story, and animation, with Vash the Stampede, the series’ main protagonist often being noted as a fan favorite MC (although the series uses Meryl Stryfe as the MC rather than Vash). TRIGUN’s near-perfect mix of western and science fiction and Vash’s cheerful, almost playful demeanor is what separated him from the cliche action hero; avoiding killing and dismembering the enemies he found himself at odds with.
Watch the official trailer for TRIGUN STAMPEDE above and catch the premiere of the series on Crunchyroll on January 7th.
2. NieR:Automata Ver1.1a
If you’re a fan of the NieR: Automata video games or video game anime adaptations in general, then this anime is just for you. A-1 Pictures tackles this beloved video game first released on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC back in 2017. Praised for its gameplay, visuals, and storyline, this ARPG (action role-playing game) puts players in control of 2B and 9S as they explore an open world using navigations by foot, animals, and mechs.
Fans of video games like Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengeance, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Final Fantasy, or anime series like Mobile Suit Gundam, Claymore, Ghost in the Shell, or From The New World will heavily gravitate toward NieR: Automata Ver1.1a. All of these video game titles and anime series feature similar themes, and mechs, some feature a female protagonist and a world with grey morals. As an added bonus we’ll throw in Neon Genesis Evangelion for the sole purpose of being an all-time classic.
Check out the latest teaser for NieR: Automata Ver1.1a below and the anime series’ official synopsis and catch the anime’s premiere on Crunchyroll this January.
The distant future, 5012. The sudden aerial invasion of Earth by <Aliens> and their creations <Machine Lifeforms> led mankind to the brink of extinction. The surviving number of humans who took refuge on the moon to organize a counterattack using <android> soldiers to recapture Earth. However, the war reaches a stalemate as the <Machine Lifeforms> continue to multiply infinitely. In turn, humanity deploys a new unit of android soldiers as an ultimate weapon: YoRHa. Newly dispatched to Earth 2B joins 9S, the analyst currently stationed there, where amid their mission, they encounter a myriad of mysterious phenomena… This is the story of these lifeless <androids> and their endless fight for the sake of mankind.
1. Vinland Saga Season 2
Everyone’s favorite historical anime (outside of Attack on Titan, Berserk, Castlevania, and others) is aiming for the top spot of the Winter 2023 anime season and also takes our very first spot in our personal list of must-watch anime series for this upcoming season. Vinland Saga has been on hiatus since December 2019 and left many fans of the series anxiously waiting for a second season.
The series which first broadcasted exclusively on Prime Video and animated by fan-favorite animation production studio WIT Studios made its return announcement with some shocking revelations. Not only was the series officially coming back for a second season, but the series was also making its move to Crunchyroll with MAPPA taking over the series’ animation production.
The reception was obviously mixed but readers of the manga and anime-only viewers alike found common ground by sharing their excitement for the series’ big return on January 9th. The first season of Vinland Saga can be streamed currently on Netflix.
A new millennium begins in the southern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. After the death of his longtime enemy, Askeladd, Thorfinn lost his purpose in life. He was bought by the landowner Ketil as a “slave” and engaged in land reclamation work on his farm. Thorfinn meets a young man there, Einar, who was also a slave like him. The encounter of Einar led Thorfinn to face the sins he had committed and began to find meaning in life.
On the other hand, Canute, who became the King of England, attempted to extend his territory for the establishment of “the promised land”. This is “The Story of a True Warrior (Saga)”. “The story of Atonement and Salvation (Saga)” that lies beyond the prologue.
Do you agree with our top picks? Let us know which anime series you are looking forward to the most this Winter 2023 Season. All of these titles and more will be streaming on Crunchyroll.
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