You do not need me to tell you that this year’s Fall season is absolutely stacked. And as per usual, I will be trying my best to avoid all of these big name shows. Nearly all of those shows are ones I never watch or got into anyway. Urusei Yatsura? My Hero Academia? Bleach? Mob Psycho 100? All well-known with huge fanbases, and yet I just could not get into any of them. Spy x Family will get its second cour here, but I’ve been watching that in my own time, so there’ll be no coverage of that here. And so instead I’ve sifted through the long list and found some shows that I probably would otherwise completely ignore. Take a look below and you’ll see what I mean:
Raven of the Inner Palace
Studio: Bandai Namco Pictures
Begins: October. 01.
(Available on Crunchyroll)
A show set in the past is something I’d normally stay away from, but Raven of the Inner Palace really did catch my eye here. I can’t quite explain how or why though. Will my curiosity get the better of me once again, like it has often done?
In fictional ancient China, deep inside a hidden palace, resides a special and mysterious woman, who does not serve the emperor despite being named The Raven Consort. Some who see her see an old woman, and to others they see a young girl. The legends say she is able to use her powers to find missing people, help find romance, and even lift curses. One day, the young new emperor calls for her aid with an unusual request, and the fates of the both of them will change forever.
This really is a bizarre pick for me, considering nearly all of my show choices have been set in modern times or in the not-too-distant future. But after watching the trailer, there’s just something about the story and the characters that really drew me in.
What mystifies me just as much is that I’m not 100% sure which names to refer to the characters to. I read various synopses of Raven of the Inner Palace, and I see character names in two different styles; the trailer below uses the Chinese ones, yet sites like ANN use the Japanese ones. Maybe I should use the Chinese ones for the sake of immersion, but I don’t want to confuse you all too much. And speaking of immersion, I wonder if I’ll able to watch a Mandarin dub of this…that’s only if I’m really enjoying it, of course. I’ll check out the first episode and see where I go from there.
I’m genuinely looking forward to seeing what this has for me. I don’t often highlight mystery/supernatural shows to watch, especially those set in ancient times. Well if you think this is an unusual pick for me, wait until you see the next one:
The Eminence in Shadow
Studio: Nexus
Begins: October. 05.
(Available on HIDIVE)
First a show set in ancient China, now an isekai pick? Please folks, tell me that I’m okay…
Here in The Eminence in Shadow, Cid Kagenou had never wanted to play the almighty hero type, or even the moustache-twirling final boss type. Instead he was the kind to just sit back as a minor character until the time is right to show the world how much of a mastermind he really was…or at least try to be one. And when he is isekai’d to another world, he gets his chance at just that.
With his wild and overactive imagination, he spins a fictional tale of an evil cult that needs to be taken down, recruiting members to his shadow organization. Except the one thing his imagination didn’t count on was that this evil cult actually exists, and they’re not too pleased that someone like him wants to thwart their nefarious plans.
If you read this column, you’ll know that I normally avoid isekai shows completely. So what was it exactly that got me interested in this one in particular? I think it’s the main character if anything else. People who end up isekai’d to other worlds normally end up becoming someone that is a direct mirror of themselves. In Ascendance of a Bookworm, the protagonist shows her love of literature by teaching the world how to read, while in something like Saga of Tanya the Evil, we get to see how much the protagonist just wants to live a cushy job, even if it means having to become a formidable flying mage to do it. Cid’s chuunibyou tendencies are laid to bare here, and that’s what interests me a lot.
Characters with chuunibyou identities are poked at a lot in shows and movies, and for good reason to be fair. And so with the main character weaving a tall tale of an evil cult that needs to be taken down (only for it to actually exist), well I’m pretty sure I’ll be spending the next 12-13 weeks laughing at his character’s ridiculousness.
The question though is that whether that character design (along with everything else in the show) will work well together to make a decent show – an isekai show I’ll actually remember in the future. So in terms of unusual show picks, The Eminence in Shadow interests me just as much as Raven of the Inner Palace does.
But am I going to pick a third show that I’d never pick before? No, not this time. My third pick is something a little more standard.
Bocchi the Rock!
Studio: Cloverworks
Begins: October. 08.
(Available on Crunchyroll)
So many will look at this show and think of K-On! straightaway, and I don’t blame them. So what will set this show apart from one of Kyoto Animation’s magnum opuses.
Hitori Gotou is nicknamed ‘Bocchi-chan’ by the kids at school; ‘Loner-chan’. She hasn’t been able to make a single friend in middle school, but dreams of learning how to play the guitar and joining a band. She sits at home in her room, strumming on the guitar. However her dream might just come true when she meets Nijika Ijichi, who plays the drums, and is just as keen on putting a band together as she is. With Ryou Yamada and Ikuyo Kita in on it too, ‘Kessoku Band’ is born.
Cloverworks have only two shows out this season. We can joke here, but two is a low number compared to the number they’ve done in the past. I have no doubt that the staff there will be putting in a lot of effort to make sure Spy x Family ends on a high note, so where does that leave Bocchi the Rock!? Well curiously, not much else has been revealed about the show’s story other than these four girls putting a band together. I’m already guessing that it’ll be nothing like what K-on! was, even if we’re still getting a ‘cute girls doing cute things’ show.
What will be my expectations for Bocchi the Rock! though? Well as I’m expecting some kind of mystery story in Raven of the Inner Palace and some ridiculous isekai action in The Eminence in Shadow, I think it’s safe to say that I won’t be expecting anything out-of-the-ordinary here…and that’s just fine with me. I think that if I picked three shows that I would never normally pick before, then I might burn out sooner. The year hasn’t been the best for me anime shows-wise, and the way I see it, if I can end the year with some shows that’ll keep me both entertained and intrigued, then it’ll be a win.
Oh, and one other thing: it seems like Bocchi the Rock! is set in the same ‘universe’ as Slow Loop – kind of. They are two different shows from two different studios, based on two different mangas, and yet they still make a cameo of sorts in an episode of Slow Loop. This is more likely just a teaser for manga readers that an anime show of the cute girl band they’re reading about was in the works.
A strange season to end the year on for me. But what about my out-of-season show? Will be blow me away the same way that Akebi’s Sailor Uniform did? Well…I actually think it will.
Odd Taxi
Studio: OLM/P.I.C.S.
(Available on Crunchyroll)
Seen by many as the most underrated show of 2021, a lot of people wanted me to have this as my out-of-season show. Set in a Tokyo filled with anthropomorphic creatures, Odokawa is a forty-something asocial taxi driver walrus. He fills his work shifts with a mixture of conversations with his eccentric passengers. The college student who wants to become an online celebrity. The nurse holding a terrible secret. The comedy duo who can’t catch a break. The up-and-coming and insecure idol. But when a local high-school girl goes missing, Odokawa catches the eye of the police who want to know what his passengers, who are all potential suspects, have been telling him.
The show came out in the same season as Tokyo Revengers, To Your Eternity, and season five of My Hero Academia, and I think it stood out for many reasons. Its unique style of animation, its dry and mature humor that isn’t too black, the ensemble cast that all have very memorable qualities about them…the list goes on. At the time, I had to take a step back from the column due to sudden real-life issues, and so I had missed out on Odd Taxi entirely; I didn’t even get around to catching up on it. So now here’s my chance to watch it properly, and like Akebi’s Sailor Uniform, I really hope I’ll love this.
One other thing I did want to add here: I’m very curious on the show’s studio itself. OLM have been around for a very long time, and have mostly been doing shows meant for children like Future Card Buddyfight, Beyblade, Yo-kai Watch, Cardfight!! Vanguard…and Pokémon, their biggest show and moneymaker. But it’s only been until recently when they’ve begun to change direction and make shows for an older audience – shows like Komi Can’t Communicate, Summer Time Rendering, Don’t Toy With Me, Nagatoro-san!, and even played a part in the reboot of Bee & Puppycat. They’ll keep on with making these kids’ shows, I’m sure, but I’m still very interested in why they’d choose to go in this more mature direction.
I’m hoping that, with the very unusual show picks for this season, that I won’t get too burned out, and that when 2023 starts, I’ll be a little more hopeful. Will you be seeing any coverage of the big name shows here though? Well that depends on the shows themselves. As of time of publishing, we still don’t know if the new Bleach show is a Disney+ exclusive, like the rumors seem to say, and on top of this for all we know, Chainsaw Man might not be the great show people are making it out to be. The way I see it right now, I’m just counting the weeks until 2023 comes with some fresh new shows and stories. Call me pessimistic, I guess…