For many of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s getting chilly outside. Thankfully, there are a handful of promising new anime to keep us warm as the long isekai winter continues. Despite there still being too dang many shows about dying and being reincarnated in a milquetoast videogame world, this season has a few highlights, including an excellent returning rom-com, a bounty of stories led by compelling heroines, and not one but two examples of culinary-minded fantasy. There aren’t many high-profile sequels this time around, but a few pleasant surprises have helped avoid an outright drought. Here are the best new anime of the winter.
Honorable Mentions
While The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic is undeniably one of those isekai I was just complaining about, its charming cast and gags elevate it above much of the pack. In particular, I enjoy the contrast between our protagonist’s gentle demeanor and the menacing aura of his extremely cool mentor, Rose, who has promised our hero a brutal battle-shonen training regimen. It may not be reinventing the wheel, but solid execution goes a long way.
Sengoku Youko is the latest spin on a Satoshi Mizukami manga, and unlike the Biscuit and Hammer adaptation, thankfully, this premiere doesn’t suffer from immediately-noticeable production problems. The dynamic between our central trio is already an amusing one, and I particularly enjoy Tama’s spirited speeches for peace that haven’t exactly landed with the denizens of this Eiroku-era setting. As a huge fan of Mizukami’s Planet With, I’ll be sticking around to see where this goes.
Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp is just one of this season’s many “villainess” stories, but it manages to stand out thanks to how effectively it conveys its heroine’s regrets, grief, and determination to make good on her past mistakes. Although I’ll admit I’m likely more interested in its initial modern-day setting than its subsequent backdrop, this first episode did a great job establishing its lead.
The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash’s debut took a somewhat different angle than what we’ve come to expect from many isekai. Instead of lore-bombing us, it focused on the inner world of its protagonist, Ivy, a young girl hunted by her village for being “starless.” With striking direction that emphasizes the grounded details of her daily life and a command of ambiance, it seems like this may prove to be one of the most interesting sleepers of the winter.
5. ‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess
Don’t let its seemingly grizzly title mislead you, ‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess is as goofy and lighthearted a gag comedy as they come. After the Demon Lord and his Hellhord capture the Princess, who is also the mighty Commander of the Imperial Third Legion, they begin subjecting her to a series of interrogation techniques. However, instead of the fire and brimstone one would expect, her captors take the kill ‘em-with-kindness approach, offering her a variety of tasty treats and enjoyment in exchange for state secrets. While this setup is repeated ad nauseam, these jokes are delivered with a blistering maximalism that completely sells the visual comedy of this recurring bit, with constant style shifts, Dezaki references, hilarious reaction faces from our protagonist, and over-the-top imagery. Every aspect of this adaptation sings, from the inspired melodrama of its voice acting to its gorgeous animation.
And most of all, dear lord, is it good at conveying that this food is delectable and mouth-watering; as a piece of toast is torn, we see the warm fibers of its interior breaking apart and hear the crackle of its perfectly crisped exterior. Takoyaki sizzles in a stall, and after biting in, our heroine is taken to a cosmic level of delectable enjoyment. Admittedly, if I have a concern, it’s that the show is quite repetitive, and although this shortcoming has been minimized thus far by stellar execution, in an increasingly over-scheduled and overwhelmed anime industry, this type of visual excellence is very difficult to maintain over an entire season. Thankfully, there are some allusions towards more depth with our lead, as we’re keyed in on the Princess’ spartan upbringing, which left little room for the types of pleasures she’s now enjoying. If it can continue to develop this thread, ‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess may not need to maintain its impressive production quality to remain enjoyable (although its delectable visuals have me hungry for both).
4. Delicious in Dungeon
Considering the abundance of fantasy anime these days, it’s always nice when one has a novel angle (or at least somewhat novel, considering the overlap with Torture Princess). As its name suggests, Delicious in Dungeon is not only about spelunking through D&D-esque labyrinths, but also about the joys of cuisine, specifically dishes made from hunting monsters. We follow Laois, Marcille, and Chilchuck, three adventurers who resort to cooking dungeon spawn so they can quickly return to the depths and save their companion Falin before she’s digested by a dragon that swallowed her whole. Despite its seemingly grave premise, the series has a chill vibe, mostly focusing on delicious meals and the hijinks that ensue from their preparation. Studio Trigger brings these entrees to life with fastidious animation that highlights the details that go into making each, along with the mouth-watering end results.
When our crew meets Senshi, a dwarf who’s dedicated his existence to tasting subterranean delicacies, it fully clicks how this fantasy milieu overlaps with cooking: both often rely on an avalanche of factoids about flora and fauna, and the first episode managed to revel in its lore without feeling over-indulgent. It also helps that its comedy largely lands thanks to hilarious reactions from Marcille, the monster-meat skeptic in the group, and a general eye for visual humor. Although I’ll admit that I’m not particularly sucked into its overarching journey yet, I’ve heard enough good things about the source material that I’ll give this more time to marinate. Regardless, Delicious in Dungeon lives up to its name thus far.
3. A Sign of Affection
Despite its recurring winter motif, A Sign of Affection’s debut is defined by a general sense of warmth. The story follows Yuki, a bubbly first-year college student who finds herself crushing on a mysterious boy in her class. She also happens to be deaf, and while I’m in no position to evaluate the quality of this representation as a whole, the series has come across as quite thoughtful thus far, largely because of how well it presents events from our protagonist’s point of view. We’re placed in her headspace through well-conveyed inner monologues, sound design, and visual metaphors, each providing her perspective on the minute details of social situations. We see that being hearing-impaired is just one aspect of Yuki’s life, and although others can sometimes be somewhat insensitive or patronizing towards her, this feels like it’s the viewpoints of some of the people in this world and not the narrative itself. And while these moments are present, the tone is generally buoyant, delighting in Yuki’s growing romantic feelings and gentle upbringing.
This firm emphasis on seeing the world through her eyes comes across in specific details, such as when she explains the way people’s fingers move when using sign language reflects their feelings or when she expresses that even if she can’t see someone’s face to lip read, she can always tell when they’re talking down about her disability. These particular facets of her experience go a long way in making the story feel specific and empathetic instead of defined by tropes. All this is aided by the fact that this is simply one of the prettiest shows of the season, with appealing character designs and strong direction that helps express Yuki’s inner life. If I have a misgiving, it’s that I’m not totally sold on the male lead, Itsuomi, who is difficult to read and doesn’t seem to grasp the idea of personal space. Still, the second episode expresses exactly why Yuki is interested in him, which goes a long way in making this situation more palatable. Thanks to its beautiful aesthetics and well-considered protagonist, A Sign of Affection is one of the most exciting series of the season.
2. 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!
While one could argue there’s an oversaturation of shows about what it’s like to become, befriend, or date the villainess from an otome videogame, it feels as though a surprising number of these stories find relatively unique riffs on this premise. For 7th Time Loop, the twist is that the “villainess,” Rishe, finds that when she dies, she returns to the day the crown prince unjustly annulled their engagement and banished her from their kingdom. Despite being initially crestfallen, she quickly finds purpose in the outside world. Thanks to a genuine love of learning, she dives into a new trade with each loop, becoming a merchant, doctor, maid, sword master, and more, finding purpose and dignity in each of these positions. This first episode not only satisfyingly conveys its protagonist’s competence but also her joy at realizing all these lives outside the restrictive expectations she was born into.
The series can even be quite tense when it wants to be, featuring a gripping cold open where a warlord cuts down a swathe of opposing knights. Although I wasn’t sure at first if Rishe’s current life, where it seems she’ll enter a Pride and Prejudice-styled will-they-won’t-they with the mysterious future emperor of an enemy nation, is as intriguing a setup as the previous ones, its second episode allayed most of these doubts by still largely keeping things on her terms. Bolstered by its compelling heroine, 7th Time Loop has me hooked to find out if Rishe’s latest reincarnation will be as eventful as what came before.
1. The Dangers in My Heart Season 2
The Dangers in My Heart got off to a somewhat rocky start due to its main character’s edgelordian inner monologues, but quickly blossomed into an unexpectedly heartwarming tale. We continue to follow two junior high students, Kyoutarou Ichikawa, a seemingly gloomy kid who scares others away with Hot Topic-fashion sense and an apparent love of gory true crime, and Anna Yamada, a tall model who’s the most popular girl in class. Although this setup initially reeks of wish-fulfillment due to its “dreary boy” and “bubbly girl” pairing, it transcends this thanks to how specific both characters come across. We find that Ichikawa’s awkward chuuni tendencies are a shield meant to deflect disappointment, while Yamada is a messy, non-idealized dork. Through cute vignettes, it conveys the burgeoning relationship between these two with fluffy delight.
As for this first episode back, it embodies everything the series has done right so far. Its leading pair are motivated by complex, messy feelings and, mercifully, are capable of actually communicating rather than letting minor misunderstandings linger for the sake of dramatic convenience. Small incidental moments slowly accumulate until you’re ready to ugly cry along with its cast, who have already come a long way in being increasingly honest with themselves and others. Beyond its strong writing, this episode’s animation did a much better job matching pace with its comedy and bigger emotional swings, improving on the last season’s biggest shortcoming. The Dangers in My Heart seems like it will be as engaging and adorkable as ever.
Elijah Gonzalez is an assistant TV Editor for Paste Magazine. In addition to watching the latest on the small screen, he also loves videogames, film, and creating large lists of media he’ll probably never actually get to. You can follow him on Twitter @eli_gonzalez11.
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