The Spring 2023 AniTAY Sequel Guide, Featuring Demon Slayer

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Another season has begun, as tends to happen several times a year, and with it brings a brand-old crop of continuations and surprise comebacks. We at AniTAY eagerly look forward to every single one of them being overshadowed by the new season of Demon Slayer, which has been casually placed in the title of this article to drive up search engine optimization. But hey, at least we’ll be watching Birdie Wing!

As a reminder, the Sequel Guide only covers what we as contributors decided to write about. Some entries may have both a “for” and “against”, written by different authors, and anything that is not present here is missing only because nobody signed up for it. If you were hoping to see something here that’s missing, maybe you should come join our crazy club and sign up for the next one! (Contact us here!)

Also, unfortunately, one of our entries (Eden’s Zero) appears to be stuck in French jail for the time being, but we’re sure eventually it will be freed to satiate the starving masses.

Without further ado!

The Ancient Magus’ Bride

Presented by Nomad

Studio: Wit Studio (Season 1), Studio Kafka (Season 2)

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Drama, Romance

Spoiler-Free Synopsis: Spurned by family and friends for her errant magical energy, the orphaned and abandoned Chise Hatori is sold into slavery as a prized magical resource. Chise is quickly bought and whisked away by Elias Ainsworth, a feared fae mage of near-human appearance and seemingly primordial origins. She becomes part of Elias’ household, and subsequently his new magical apprentice, slowly exposed to alluring yet dangerous magic flowing through the world. Yet, Chise’s latent natural abilities attract the attention of the many roaming supernatural forces and creatures. Chise may finally have a home where she belongs, but she is not yet safe.

Why You Should Catch Up:

Fiction involving otherworldly entities frequently anthropomorphises unnatural creatures too greatly. But the tendency to overly humanise sometimes robs the peculiar of its strangeness and rids the surrounding fantasy of its mystique. What remains is magic made mundane. Not so with The Ancient Magus’ Bride.

The Ancient Magus’ Bride restores the wonder of magic. Steeped in folklore, the world feels unfamiliar — even unknowable — and the magic within it runs wild. The enchantments feel archaic; the alchemy, illogical. There are strange beasts appearing out of the miasma. Phenomena beyond divining. The tone of the series allows for humour, but it is the contemplative, sometimes foreboding dramatic moments where the series is at its best. The spectacularly animated etherealness makes it all the more immersive watching the eponymous bride slowly discover her place amongst the sorcery.

As the title suggests, the developing relationship between Chise and Elias is central to this series and the unequal circumstances of their encounter — Chise is purchased after all — may give the audience pause. However, ascribing the exact same horrible abusive implications of such circumstances that would apply in real life amongst victims and captors mischaracterises the connection between Chise and Elias, overlooking the atmosphere of the Ancient Magus’ Bride. Indeed, one of the first scenes is Elias immediately elevating Chise to a mage’s apprentice, and literally and metaphorically liberating her by removing her shackles, then acknowledging her personhood, something which she has been denied.

More than the relationship, the crux of this story is Chise’s emotional emancipation: this is a journey where she discovers her own self-worth and talent. Chise slowly transitions from depressed and suicidal to discovering joy and purpose in life through magic. Likewise, she goes from someone abandoned by society to finding a home. Chise opens her eyes to the beauty of her surroundings. Whether agency can truly be attained from a foundation of ownership and within the construct of her apprenticeship or relationship is a valid question, but it would also be a facile reading of dynamic character arcs and subtextual shifts that ignore the evolving circumstances for Chise, or that she never asserts herself as an independent person with choices in her own right.

Furthermore, what ameliorates the situation is Elias’ portrayal. The wolfen skull, goat horns, and pinpoint glowing red eyes are unsettling, but his personality really establishes him as mystical. He is some fae abomination and acts as such. He is a mercurial being akin to those found in legend: kind or protective, even funny; and at times terrifying or possessive. Granted, these could also be the traits of a domineering adult, but the mood and atmosphere construed in The Ancient Magus’ Bride textures these qualities as a monster unable to innately understand humanity, yet someone who is trying. Of the many direct dangers Chise faces in The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Elias is not one of them. He is most often dispassionately existential, and in which Chise finds quiet comfort. There is nuance that should not be overlooked.

The hurdle to investing in Chise and Elias really lies in believing something so ultimately inhumane could fulfil the emotional needs of a person throughout a very mortal experience that is an equitable, loving, and caring relationship. To the series’ credit, this is also at the heart of Elias’ character conflicts and an interesting dilemma and adaptation for Chise. Despite the hugging, the relationship itself is generally indirectly affectionate and reserved in a way that feels fitting and in many ways respectful. Throughout ancient mythologies across various cultures and civilisations, there are examples of humans and gods and creatures romantically entangled, and The Ancient Magus’ Bride follows that canon. This leaves The Ancient Magus’ Bride at odds with the myriad fantasy relationships that dominate modern storytelling, which try to humanise werewolves, vampires, angels, and fairies as acceptable, even idealised romantic partners, but Chise and Elias are no less worth your time.

This quality also makes it unique. Combined with stellar production values, The Ancient Magus’ Bride is one of the most captivating anime series of the last few years. This series is deeply magical.

Time to Catch Up + What You Need to Watch:

• Those Awaiting A Star OVA, 3 episodes (~ 1 hour, optional yet recommended prequel)
• Season 1, 24 episodes (~9 hours)
• The Boy from the West and the Knight of the Blue Storm OVA (~ 1 hour, optional)

Where to Catch Up: Crunchyroll

Birdie Wing: Girls’ Golf Story

Presented by Nomad

Studio: Bandai Namco Pictures

Genres: Sports, Romance

Spoiler-Free Synopsis: Eve spends her evenings helping her orphaned and self-made family escape poverty by wagering that she can beat any golfer in the European country of Nafrece. With her aggressive, unconventionally straight-shooting style — aptly called the “Rainbow Bullet” — she almost certainly can, but it is merely a means to an end. Her prodigious skill soon catches the attention of fellow golfing savant and Japanese rising star, Aoi Amawashi. Enamoured with Eve’s abilities, Aoi is desperate to play a full round against her, and likewise Eve feels passionate for the first time while practicing together. Eve cannot so easily pursue her burgeoning ambitions: the seedy underworld of Nafrece beckons, the mafia have disputes to resolve, and they, too, have their eyes on Eve for a job…

Why You Should Catch Up:

Most sports anime find drama in the difficulty of success: the underdog beating the perennial champions, or the labour of a sportsperson ascending through the ranks. By contrast, the victor is hardly ever in doubt throughout Birdie Wing. There are still hurdles the protagonists must overcome, especially Eve, as the dangers of crime and exploitation sometimes add an unsettling edge to Birdie Wing, which otherwise revels in exaggerated absurdities, such as a golf-based mafia.

Birdie Wing balances seriousness and joviality, delivering several appropriately sobering character moments, while never shedding its overall levity. The fact that it feels coherent and fresh, rather than obtuse, is a testament to the tonal control Birdie Wing exhibits. The result is a series that, despite plundering at-times deadly dilemmas for conflict, never removes the sense of fun carrying it forwards.

The series manages this feat by framing itself essentially as a love story between Aoi and Eve: two supreme golfers trying to reunite with each other against the odds, each believing the other is their destined rival. The juxtaposition of their respective backgrounds is drawn as starkly as any fateful relationship between poor and rich lovers, and features all manner of romantic clichés filtered through a sporting lens (or simply overtly). Likewise, Eve and Aoi are a comedic odd couple whenever they are paired, Eve’s bold yet taciturn personality playing foil to Aoi’s relentless enthusiasm. This story is built on a relationship of romantic contrasts, but each individual is compelling enough to hold their own.

That elevates Birdie Wing from a curiosity because of the distinctive combination of occasionally bizarre elements, to one that might be remembered as a genuinely great and worthwhile sports anime. An entirely unrealistic representation of golf, Birdie Wing nevertheless aims as directly for the audience’s heart as Eve aims for the green, and this addictive experience is absolutely aces.

Time to Catch Up + What You Need to Watch:

• Season 1, 13 episodes (~5 hours)

Where to Catch Up: Crunchyroll

Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc

Presented by Alistair Hyde (for), Marquan (against)

Studio: Ufotable

Genres: Action, Fantasy, Adventure, Martial Arts

Spoiler-Free Synopsis: After his father passed away, Tanjirou Kamado became the main support of his family, living a relatively peaceful life in the remote mountains. One day, Tanjirou arrives back home from a routine trip to the local village to find that his entire family was slaughtered by demons. His younger sister Nezuko survives and is turned into a demon, and the two meet Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, who confirms that Nezuko is still able to show signs of human emotion, recruits Tanjiro to meet his retired master Sakonji Urokodaki. Urokodaki trains Tanjiro to become a demon slayer, beginning his quest to help his sister turn into human again and avenge the death of his family.

Why You Should Catch Up: Tanjirou is an empathetic person, showing compassion to whoever crosses his path while displaying self-awareness and the ability to distance himself from the typical genocidal role consumed by vengeance . His companions are great people with admirable traits as well; their simplistic, understandable, and tolerable natures will make you laugh and enjoy how they help Tanjirou in his fight against demons. The demons and the members of the demon corps have a wide variety of personalities that help make them stand out.

The development of the plot presents the common tropes of shonen anime in a refined form, like the training montage, the introduction of the antagonist, the explanations about techniques, powers, and enemies, etc. This gets the viewer as fast as possible to the good stuff where the main cast kicks the crap out of some demons with few moments in between to chill and recover. In this instance, Demon Slayer complements the manga by adding content to show what the manga only tells us or does not explain at all, a welcome change to avoid plot contrivances. It also provides more comical tropes to keep the humor flowing. The system of power is well explained and easy to grasp; however, the character development shows the flaws of the manga because Nezuko is a Mary Sue, and some situations lack explanation or rely on exposition dumps. Nonetheless, these features of the plot make Demon Slayer one of the most accessible anime stories of recent times for newcomers and fans alike.

The animation work done by Ufotable elevated the quality of the manga by establishing a new standard with awesome designs for the characters, fantastic textures, lively colors, a unique soundtrack and recreation of transportation or buildings, dynamic camerawork during actions sequence, creative choreographies, awesome sound effects, astonishing special effects, and impressive backgrounds. This stellar animation is the result of a studio refining the art to its core during a decade or so and it shows. In this matter, Season 1 is amazing but season 2 kept the quality and even went further.

Why You Shouldn’t Catch Up:

Demon Slayer is known for its masterful animation, breathtaking action, and striking character designs. But there always seems to be something missing. Maybe it’s the fact that when I tried to get my wife to watch it, she thought the main character was Deku from My Hero Academia. Or maybe it’s how…indistinguishable it is from most other shonen anime. Though, indistinguishable is probably a bit harsh. Sure, I guess you could argue it has some of the best animation the medium has to offer, but is that enough to carry the show? For most, yes.

The story is pretty generic, and while the character designs are pleasing, the characters themselves are nothing to write home about. The biggest draw for me to watch this show isn’t even the main character. It’s everyone’s favorite imouto, Nezuko. She is just too cute. But all in all, there’s nothing that consistently brings me back to this show apart from how pretty it looks a lot of the time.

Character motivations are one-note, the plot is nothing we haven’t seen before and by God, if we get one more protagonist who constantly cries to convey how much they care about everyone and everything everywhere. I think I’ll catch up on the big fights of the season once it’s concluded, because I doubt I’ll really miss much.

Time To Catch Up + What You Need to Watch:

Essential:

TV series: 22 hours

• Demon Slayer Season 1: 26 episodes covering volumes 1–7 (chapters 1–54) of the manga.
• Demon Slayer Season 2: 18 episodes covering volumes 7–11 (chapters 54–97) of the manga.

Optional:

Movie: 2 hours

• Demon Slayer: The Movie Mugen Train: covering volumes 7–8 (chapters 54–69) of the manga.

Where to Catch Up:

• Demon Slayer Season 1: Crunchyroll.
• Demon Slayer Season 2: Crunchyroll.
• Demon Slayer: The Movie Mugen Train: Crunchyroll.

Dr Stone: New World

Presented by Arcane

Studio: TMS Entertainment

Genres: Action, Shounen, Comedy, Science

Why You Should Catch Up:

Many of the best shounen anime of all time have been works that took the typical trappings of the medium — fights, rivalries, the power of youth — and translated them into different kinds of stories. Think Food Wars, or Hikaru no Go, or Haikyuu!.

Dr Stone ups the ante by tossing its cast into an extremely high-concept world — one so far past the technical extinction of humanity as to essentially be prehistoric — and placing the fate of the entire world onto one teenage genius and his friends who were either frozen in stone like everyone else in the world or [spoiler redacted]. Some of them decide to try to recreate the world they knew, and some decide that the future ought to be different to avoid the pitfalls that befell humanity in the distant past.

This shakes out into a tale about accelerating our way to the future despite starting from almost nothing, and the story blends the heightened emotions that this kind of situation would bring with a solid dash of comedy to keep the mood from getting overly depressing. It’s a show that is, at its core, built on hope for the future.

Dr Stone is also one of the rare shows that utilizes its entire cast to good effect — our hero is smart but not exceptionally physically capable, placing him in the role of a planner. Everyone he knows becomes a part of his evil-genius scheming, but this also means that they all get chances to shine frequently, and the villains at the center of the first two seasons are very well-chosen as they could not exist in any other show.

I love a show that knows what it is and what it wants to be and carves out an identity that can’t be mistaken for anything else. If other shounen sagas are starting to blend together for you, I highly recommend Dr Stone as an exciting and refreshing take on the medium.

What You Need To Watch + Time To Catch Up:

• Dr Stone (24 episodes, ~9 hours)
• Dr Stone: Stone Wars (11 episodes, ~4 hours)

Where to Watch: Crunchyroll

Edens Zero 2nd Season

Presented by TheMamaLuigi (for), Dark Aether (against)

Studio: J.C. Staff

Genres: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Comedy

Spoiler-Free Synopsis: Shiki’s life is turned upside down by the sudden arrival of Rebecca Bluegarden and her robot cat friend Happy. Before he knows it, Shiki is off on a cosmos-spanning adventure to find the space goddess Mother and see what the universe has in store for him. Joined by Rebecca, Happy, and an ever-increasing crew of misfits and fast friends, Shiki’s adventure will take him to places unknown to discover things unseen!

Why You Should Catch Up: Edens Zero comes to us from the mind behind such shounen hits as Rave Master and, most notably, Fairy Tail. I personally haven’t read or watched any of Hiro Mashima’s works, but was encouraged to give the Netflix-distributed Edens Zero a shot. My expectations low, I cynically turned on the first of twenty-five episodes, not thinking I would stick it out.

Twenty-five episodes later, I can definitively say that Edens Zero is an enjoyable, lighthearted, and fun anime that should definitely be on your radar.

I feel like I make this argument a lot, but Edens Zero nonetheless succeeds because it knows exactly what it is. Hiro Mashima writes shounen — the kind of shounen you think of when you hear the word. Heavy on action, light on consistent plot, a loveable cast of characters, and plenty of fan service all define Edens Zero. And, yet, it defies its tropes by fully embracing them. The animation throughout the first season is consistently top-notch and visually engaging. It’s not Jujutsu Kaisen level, sure, but it’s also not far behind. Though its plot moves slowly, the individual arcs are interesting and, at points, emotionally evocative. I certainly didn’t expect to feel tears well up in a late-season moment.

Most importantly, Eden Zero crafts a compelling cast of characters, a group of loveable misfits that slowly let down their guard and come to truly care about each other. Rebecca and E.M. Pino are particular highlights. The former rises above her status as the show’s resident sex symbol by displaying remarkable agency — though she does occasionally get kidnapped, a damsel in distress she is not. E.M. Pino, on the other hand, is both an adorable robot sidekick and a compelling example of the show reaching for higher themes; namely, the degree to which a robot is “human” and what a robot might do if faced with the chance to become human.

Our clueless and passionate hero Shiki, the prickly genius Weisz, and the forthright Homura all stand out, too, and give Edens Zero the heart it needs to succeed. Go into the anime expecting lighthearted action and shounen shenanigans and you’ll have a stellar time. Leave knowing that sometimes we need shows like this. Not ones where we turn our brains off, but ones where we surrender ourselves to the simple joys they bring. That’s how we reach the cosmos.

Why You Shouldn’t Catch Up: There are shonen fans, and then there are Mashima fans. When the manga was first announced, Kodansha made it a point to emphasize that fact, putting series creator Hiro Mashima’s name all over the synopsis and on the back of the first volume, all without ever mentioning even a single character by name.

While one can argue that Mashima has built the reputation to be able to sell by name recognition alone following his previous works, it was a red flag of what was to come. Rather than build on the individual elements that made series like Rave Master and Fairy Tail successful, Edens Zero instead draws on nostalgia baiting and literal carbon copies of existing popular characters to fill its weak world building and storytelling. “Hey, you like Happy? He’s in this too and also a robot! Did you enjoy Fairy Tail? Here’s a bunch of references who may or may not be the same character you know! How about sci-fi story with none of the nuance and otherworldly intrigue, but plenty of sexual harassment? Boy, do I have the anime for you!” By the time I got to the 12th episode, I was having more fun playing “Where’s Waldo — Fairy Tail edition” than I did watching the actual plot.

Speaking of “plot,” the final straw came when it entered the Guilst arc, or as some prefer to call it, the “human trafficking — oh yeah, we totally went there and this is a children’s story” arc. Needless to say, Mashima has always been better regarded for his art and character personalities than his writing, but when you pivot to trying to tell a mature, “dark” and interpersonal story while simultaneously selling yourself as a fun and whimsical fantasy adventure — for children — only to tell one of the most baffling and immature storylines by using a serious topic as a punchline, your critics might have a point.

In the story of Adam and Eve, Eden is considered “a place of pleasure and delight,” the genesis of human life. Featuring a recycling of old ideas and assets and an onslaught of the most derivative and outdated shonen tropes by doubling down on past criticism, Edens Zero is the anime equivalent of putting the authorial cart before the storytelling horse, making a mockery of the genre and Mashima’s own authorship. It truly is Paradise Lost, for all the magic is long gone.

Time to Catch Up + What You Need to Watch:

• Edens Zero Season 1 (25 episodes, approx. 9.6 hours)

Where to Catch Up: Netflix

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

Presented by: umrguy42

Studio: EMT Squared

Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Isekaai

Spoiler-Free Synopsis: Yuna is a 15 year old shut-in who prefers to spend her days ensconced in her favorite VRMMO, World Fantasy Online. After maxing out her character, she receives a special set of equipment: a bear costume… and an unexpected trip to a new life in the fantasy world of her game, where her costume’s abilities earn her the nickname “the Bloody Bear.”

Why You Should Catch Up:

For all the shows that had issues with production in 2020, there were not one, but TWO shows about Cute Girls Being Cutely Overpowered VRMMO Players that managed to air. The first was BOFURI, whose own second season began airing this year. The second was Kuma Kuma Kuma (please don’t initialize those K’s together!) Bear. Unlike BOFURI, 3K Bear is a no-doubt isekai, with Yuna trapped in what appears to be an actual fantasy world similar to her favorite game world.

Now, undoubtedly, some of you may groan and think “oh, not another isekai, there’s been too many of those already” — especially when the main character is, frankly, ridiculously overpowered. And there is no doubt, Yuna’s abilities go to 11 — and likely beyond. This show provides hints of a mystery, with the suggestion (yet to be followed up on in the anime at least) that this is intended by “God” (or so it’s claimed) to teach her some kind of lesson about believing in God, and/or maintaining relationships with her family and the world outside of games.

Despite the setup of “teenaged loner who’s very OP and can do any magic she can imagine”, one of Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear’s strengths is that we see that Yuna, for all her teenage cynicism and attempts to be “mature,” clearly has a massive soft spot for younger children. She wonders if she has a bit of a little sister complex (not in that way), but as an anime-only viewer, I rather suspect it’s a deeper-seated desire to be seen as the caring older sister, combined with some kind of yet-to-be-revealed past trauma regarding her family.

Besides adorable fluffyness, the show provides enough action, and even some minor intrigue plots, to prevent it from being too overly saccharine, and yet, the stakes are never quite high enough to make the show anything but an enjoyable, easy ride. Oh, and let’s not forget the undercover food show that half the episodes work in as well as part of Yuna’s motivations. Helping children, helping her friends, and getting this fantasy world she’s stuck in sold on the idea of cooking with eggs, potatoes, and cheese.

Production-wise, the show’s art is an interesting mix. The original character designs were done by artist 029 (“Oniku”), who also did the work for the recently-resurrected Devil is a Part-Timer! The action sequences are nicely done, yet at other times, the visuals are clearly stylistically simplified, giving parts of it an almost comic book look. The musical direction is pleasant and works well with the episodes, and if you’re a sucker for bouncy character-sung OPs/EDs like I am, you’ll enjoy Maki Kawase (Yuna) singing “Ano ne, ano ne, ano ne” to end each episode.

In conclusion, if you enjoy a cute, fluffy show about a girl finding a new family and friends, bringing delicious foods to a fantasy world, while just happening to be so ridiculously overpowered that her “kuma punch!” can send a pack of wolves flying through the air, then Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear is right up your alley.

Time to Catch Up + What You Need to Watch:

• Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear season 1: 12 episodes (4.5 hours)

Where to Catch Up: Crunchyroll (sub and dub), Blu-ray

Mix: Meisei Story Season 2

Presented by: TGRIP

Studio: OLM

Genre(s): High school sports, comedic slice-of-life

Why You Should Catch Up: Because not only is this a surprisingly good sports anime, but because Mix: Meisei Story also has one of the most underrated dubs of the past decade. Now, I don’t want to get too deep into the eternal “sub vs dub” debate. I’ll just say that it’s always a case-by-case basis: some shows are decent either way, some are fine as they originally are, and sometimes a new cast and direction can help the material reach its full potential. Mix, shockingly, is an example of the third option, as this was a show I initially wrote off due to an unimpressive sub but when trying out again dubbed clicked so hard that it ended up as one of my favorite shows of 2019. It’s hard to say exactly what the dub fixed, but I think it’s a combination of better voice casting, more enthusiastic acting, and a minor shift in the overall tone that makes the whole show feel way more fun.

That show in question is one of the more underappreciated sports anime of the 2010s. While Haikyu deserves its spot as the defining example of the genre in that period of time, Mix deserves a shout out, too, thanks to a production that strikes a solid balance between being a relaxing time and a more involved sports narrative. . It has an artstyle that, at first glance, almost looks a little too cartoonish in action, however, it reveals itself to be grounded, matching with how the sport of baseball moves: “not at all, and then all at once”. This visual style also exposes a weakness of the sub, where the character expressions can be a bit stale too much of the time. The dub remedies this with voice acting that really brings its cast to life. The tone is another strength too, as it knows it’s a show you’re supposed to have fun with; I wouldn’t call it an outright comedy , but it consistently puts a smile on my face with its chemistry between characters and their reactions to various scenarios. This reserved kind of storytelling might not be enough for some people, but for someone who wants something a little more chilled out than Haikyu and plays up a bit more of the high school aspect of high school sports (relationships and family issues, etc.), there is little out there like Mix. Fingers crossed that Crunchyroll can recapture the magic that Funimation brought to this show four years ago…

What You Need to Watch + Time to Catch Up:

Mix: Meisei Story season 1: 24 episodes, approx. 9.5 hours.

Where to Catch Up: Crunchyroll and Hulu

Contributors in Alphabetical Order:

• Alistair Hyde
• Arcane
• Dark Aether
• Marquan
• Nomad
• TGRIP
• TheMamaLuigi
• Umrguy42

First time experiencing our seasonal sequel guide list? Check out last season’s here!

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