I did this last time for fall so why not continue it as it meant a lot of people could recommend shows and is the few times we can be positive about CURRENT entertainment.
Putting in two caveats though:
- I didn't watch everything so only listing what I've seen with a few exceptions
- This season has suffered a lot from production issues and delays, I'll mark some as such as it might be better to hold off watching till they are done
Honorable mentions: Vinland saga, To your Eternity, Blue Lock. I'm too far behind on all of these so can't be fair in giving a review.
Ongoing from last season: Eminence in shadow: finding the perfect balance of cringe and cool, good thing we are getting a second season
Iruma-kun: nice wholesome show, some good character development this season for all the misfit class
New stuff:
Attack on titan: was really an hour long episode but they REALLY went all out, including showing how fucked you are if the rumbling catches up to you
Trigun Stampede: a very good adaptation of a classic series, I know, I know, CGI but this is GOOD CGI that actually makes it great.
Nier Automata Ver 1.1a: production delays A great adaptation from the game, a few jank 3D art here and there but a good watch
BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense Season 2: You had that one friend that breaks the game by playing it for fun, witness the anime. Excellent anime for gamers.
The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady: if you liked Lycoris Recoil, You'll love this as the mc has major Chisato vibes. It has not one, but 2 yuri relationships so if you are 'no gay relationships EVER' skip but it's done organically compared to western media.
Tokyo Revengers Season 2: Building up from season 1, there is more character developments and set up for future seasons, watch if you enjoyed season 1
Tomo-chan is a Girl!: The beginning of tomboy supremacy. A girl that can hang out so well with the guys, she gets bro-zoned. Very funny series plus really love Carol not just as a character but her VA is the same in sub and dub. (Side note Carol and Ko aren't direct cousins, it's a mis translation due to how asian cultures record relations)
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten: a good wholesome romance anime, a nice pallette cleanser
Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire: very basic story but the art is WAY too good for this series. If you like the 'battle junkie mc' premise, recommend watching Black Summoner instead, arts not as good but more character.
Buddy Daddies: Don't go in expecting a Spy Family alternative, it's got funny and wholesome moments but a lot of dark moments as it's about 2 hitmen taking care of a child after they kill her dad (she doesn't know)
Handyman Saitou in Another World: very unusual as the story is segmented in every episode, it might go to what a side character is doing, a flashback or different perspective. A mix of humour and dark fantasy.
Danmachi Season 4: Went A LOT darker this season, lots of death, desperation and close calls
Nagatoro Season 2: inching closer to an actual relationship with this one, maybe if there's a third season we actually get a commitment
Farming Life in Another World: very chill Isakai where mc is reborn with a godly farming tool, best boy Kuro, best girl Zabuton
Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don’t Believe in Humanity Will Save the World: a group of people, all betrayed in different ways set up their own adventuring group to fund their own coping hobbies. Art isn't the best but likable characters.
Chillin’ in My 30s after Getting Fired from the Demon King’s Army: like the title, a chill anime with a timeskip halfway through. Also no question about the son's parentage, he's just as 'cultured' as his dad lol
The Misfit of Demon King Academy Ⅱ: Production delays Despite the chamge in VA, still stays true to the formula, gigachad mc walks in, owns his opponent, walks out.
My Life as Inukai-san’s Dog: I got 5 mimutes in and noped out, I ain't 'cultured' enough so anyone else watch this?
Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement: Simple but brilliant premise, mc gains the ability to teleport between ours and a fantasy world so uses it in the most genius way, Income tax evasion. Lighthearted but alludes to dark elements
The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World: basically the title but added note, was betrayed because he was too powerful so in this life, looking to be in the party with the hero so that he can be more conspicuous. Is ok, best part is some of the monsters he summons like that terrifying one that interrogated a demon
Campfire Cooking in Another World with my Absurd Skill: our mc gets summoned with 3 other people, they get the standard isekai abilities but our boy, he gets 'online shopping'. Smarter than your average mc ducks out of the kingdom that summoned him and travels the world with this broken ability of amazon prime/Uber eats on demand. Great show to watch but eat beforehand as you will get hungry watching and Overlord fans will enjoy the VA for Fenrir.
Dishonorable mention: The Fruit of Evolution 2: I watched 3 episodes of season one, dropped it as it was so bland, thought I'd try 1 episode of season 2, see if it improved....it got WORSE, how did it get even worse! This has overtaken Isekai cheat magician as the worst Isekai I've ever watched!
That's everything, feel free to use it as a guide if you were on the fence, if you think something better should be mentioned or hidden gems I missed. A more calm season compared to fall.
Attack on titan: S tier and the only hype show of this season, its conclusion.
Nier Automata Ver 1.1a: good because of source material.
Trigun Stampede: good production values, 0 fucks given about source material, above average show.
Chillin’ in My 30s after Getting Fired from the Demon King’s Army: Generic but decent OP isekai type trash.
Ningen Fushin: generic but decent RPG style isekai trash.
Eminence in shadow: Cringe as fuck middle schooler hot topic bullshit show. It's semi-watchable but don't you dare say this show is cool. It's fucking stupid. Half the time, the MC is doing cringe power fantasy. And yes, it's so fucking cringe. It also makes 0 sense and has 0 internal logic or consistency. It is the trashiest of trash and I have no idea why it is as popular as it is other than that people have trash taste.
Danmachi: honestly fucking weird. It went from a comedy show with lots of fanservice rpg style dungeon show, to... some whacked out survival horror shit. It just completely changed genres out of nowhere. Also last half season was some dumb shit centered around a monster loli that almost made me stop watching. The only reason I watched it was because I was stuck on a cruise and only had downloaded a few shows to watch this this was one of them.
Strongest Exorcist: generic as fuck
The Misfit of Demon King Academy: boring "MC is OP and always wins with 0 challenge" typical generic demon lord show. "Demon lord" is basically its own genre now, similar to isekai. Overlord gets away with this premise because it has other things going on, though Overlord fell off.
Farming Life in Another World: boring generic isekai trash.
I think one point you're not taking into account is that some of those are comedies. I didn't get too far into Eminence, but that's why a lot of other people like it, is the comedy/cringe.
And The Misfit of Demon King Academy: History’s Strongest Demon King Reincarnates and Goes to School with His Descendants (I like the full title because even that's ridiculous and hilarious) basically defines "OP MC" and does so intentionally. It's tongue in cheek. And how can you hate on a show that gave us such memes as "Did you really think killing me would be enough to make me die?"
I wish I could say these are comedies but they take themselves VERY seriously.