by Kambole Campbell

I've been tasked with compiling a whole bunch of anime lists through various outlets at this point, so we thought it might be nice to send one as a little newsletter blast as the new year begins. It's a pretty rock-solid season with a lot of big hits making their return, but we wanted to flag the most exciting ones for you, specifically.

JOURNAL WITH WITCH

It feels strange to call a story about an orphaned girl moving in with an estranged art "cozy," but there's a compelling gentleness to Journal with Witch. Asa moves in with her aunt Makio (a surly and reclusive author) after the death of her parents. While strikingly different in their demeanor and outlook, they do both share a rather atypical reaction to the shock death: Makio immediately admits that she hated her sister. Journal with Witch hooked me at this point. More so with its representation of the people around Asa appearing as vague abstract shapes, akin to how the worldview of the protagonist of A Silent Voice would represent people he ignored with crosses over their faces. Only Makio with her shocking but refreshing honesty appears as a flesh and blood person.

JUJUTSU KAISEN SEASON 3

I have my frustrations with Jujutsu Kaisen – its needlessly esoteric and lengthy explanations of special techniques make the eyes glaze over, its interest in actual character study tops out at slight (or if we're lucky, "angry, guilty and/or traumatised" is as good as it gets). The bells and whistles of MAPPA's production still tend to uplift the sometimes shallow and slapdash dramatics of the story it's telling, at least.

The "Culling Game" arc of the comic is an incredibly mixed bag, one which so often dips into the same well as it tries to keep its audience on their toes but becomes numbing as a result. The second season began to fall into this trap, and I don't see the anime deviating much from this, given the value placed on "faithfulness" in manga adaptation, but on the other hand at least it's a nice show to look at – atmospheric, even. The new season, which leads with main character Yuji Itadori facing off against Yuta Okkotsu (the lead of the prequel movie) is immediately as stylish and handsome as any work they've done, which still counts for a lot, given that this is a visual medium. If the animators can mine any extra depth out of its cast of cool eccentrics (like for how one arrogant shithead adjusts his hair during a fight), then that's a small victory already, even as it indulges in jumping through any character work that might slow it down.

FRIEREN SEASON 2

Handily the biggest highlight of the anime season, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End was the best anime of its year and could very well be the same this time. Tomoya Kitagawa (who directed multiple episodes in season one) takes over directorial duties from Keiichiro Saito (who also directed another recent favorite of mine, Bocchi The Rock), who is now "director support" according to Anime News Network, who note a handful of other staff changes: 100 Meters character designer and chief animation director Keisuke Kojima stepping in for character design here too, for one.

The first season walked a lovely balance between melancholic reflection and exciting fantasy action, both of these tones realised with equal care and illustrative rigour. A friend once noted to me that character drama in anime can be exciting because faces are a little more inscrutable than a human face, and there's a stillness embraced by a lot of shows (out of necessity) which works in Frieren's favour – who displays emotions with reservation, though the heartbreak over outliving her old friends is always clear without being overbearing. Like the rest of the show's swings in mood and tone, it walks that tightrope with grace.

OSHI NO KO S3

I'm going to give you fair warning – the manga for Oshi No Ko has one of the most miserable and disappointing endings in recent memory. But the anime's not finished yet, and the twisting journey of Aka Akasaka's manga remains enjoyable at this stage still. It helps that the premise is completely batshit – two fans of an idol, Ai, are reincarnated as her children. Ai is murdered by a stalker, and the children swear revenge on the man who made it possible – their father. From this point Oshi No Ko doesn't fully pivot into revenge thriller, instead it uses this inciting premise to become an exploration of the entertainment industry and its many branches, and the stresses and exploitations of each.

The first season, which explores reality television, is a little more compelling than its take on theatre in the second, which is hampered by some rather vague and wishy-washy notions about the craft of acting. Still, the exploration of how the emotional stresses and joys are tied in with the technical work and logistics of these mediums is what represents the show at its best, and hopefully season three can find that sweet spot again.

MEDALIST S2

I don't have a lot to say about Medalist – a figure skating sports anime about a young girl and her trainer – other than that it's very sweet and very fun. It's burdened with being on Disney Plus, but try not to let that stop you.

MY HERO ACADEMIA: VIGILANTES S2

The anime adaptation of My Hero Academia has finally concluded after nearly a decade of broadcast, but its spin-off Vigilantes looks to pick up the torch. It's got a slightly more traditional conventional approach to the dual identities and dichotomies of superhero comics, with its main character Koichi having to assume a secret identity due to his working outside of the system detailed in My Hero Academia. So where Deku's story became one about the big picture, Koichi's feels refreshingly focused, on the delicate balance of his personal life and his relationships with his small crew of good samaritan heroes – who help without promise of fame or fortune.

It's a delightful show, and one which feels like one of the few examples of any lifeblood left in superhero television, something which feels pretty run into the ground at this point.

TRIGUN STARGAZE

Trigun Stampede raised some eyebrows with its announcement – another run at a cult classic, a seemingly yassified take on the charismatic, affable gunslinger Vash the Stampede, CG animation all choices which levied some skepticism. But studio Orange's approach to Yasuhiro Nightow's space western was pretty exhilarating, characterised by an approach to CG which embraced cartoonish expression and texture while taking full advantage of the freedom of the camera.

Also a point in its favor, is that while it sought a different spin on Trigun, it doesn't try too hard to move away from the spirit of the manga or its initial adaptation. There's some soap opera theatrics in its revised backstory for Vash and his evil twin brother (called Millions Knives, a more literal moniker than one might expect), but it never feels like too much of a weight around the show's otherwise breezy momentum and vibe. This new season looks to continue along that path while re-introducing some fan-favourite characters. Hopefully it focuses in more on the fun of Trigun than on the melodrama.