Top 10 Anime of Fall 2019

Yeah, Yeah, another isekai - but we were rather delighted to discover this little piece of satire, one that wastes no time in dismantling the many tropes of the genre in an uproarious fashion. Tasked with protecting a doomed world, a goddess seeks the aid of an overpowered human (from Japan, of course) to help bring peace. Just a small issue; he’s cautious to the nth degree. Not only does he refuse to start questing until he’s maxed out, but he doesn’t know the meaning of the word restraint. Whether you’re a level one slime or a demonic general – this complete chad will give you Armageddon all the same.

Watching a unremarkable, everyday high schooler suddenly approached by various ladies who have a major confession for him isn’t anything new. At least until you realize this series has taken that premise and flipped it on its head, hard. Turns out our leading man isn’t the newest addition to the harem hero collective, but something of a supervillain who, after discovering the girls of his affection isn’t directed towards him, schemes to help set them up with his popular best friend… just so he can swoop in at the last second and get the loser for himself. Yes, he’s horrible, but man is it ever hilarious!

The fact we got a second season so quickly within the same year is something we’re oh so grateful for, after all this charming study session is one of the best examples of a romantic comedy we’ve seen in years, with this outing only deepening the bonds Naruyuki now shares among his genius peers…albeit in the funniest ways imaginable. Just when you think Rizu’s crazy makeover has secured her the best girl spot, along comes Uraka with that whole adorably bad English schtick. We’ve never seen a harem series like this, where all the girls are top tier so we have no idea who to root for!

While still finding its feet and yet to show signs whether or not it’s slipping towards Psycho Pass 2 territory, at the very least we’ve got our favourite short-statured, kick ass waifu Akane back… well sort of. Throw in the endearing characteristics of this new cast as well as the mysterious agenda of the insidious Bifrost organisation, and things are looking pretty good for this sci-fi noir’s third outing. Let’s hope it stays that way. At the very least we can expect plenty more Dominator-action down the line!

From the moment that stop-motion intro paraded itself onto our screens, we knew we were in for something very different. So how did anime’s answer to Zootopia turn out? Pretty damn good actually. Following the murder of a student, tensions between herbivores and their more predatory classmates soon begin to escalate, all the while the gentle grey wolf Legoshi finds himself unexpectedly infatuated with spunky bunny Haru. How he’s supposed to focus on a school production when there’s romance and potentially deadly impulses on the brain we don’t know. Good luck to him though!

The karuta mania is in full swing this season! As the love triangle continues to tighten, all our resident ray of sunshine can think about is getting back into her passion in time for the upcoming competitions, with the rest of the cast helplessly caught along for the ride. Throw in school hijinks, some serious karuta montages and plenty of reason to support both Arata and Taichi in their romantic endeavours, and it looks like Chihaya’s luck and warmth has won out again. Better hurry up with the confessions lads!

While its title still has no right to be that long, this latest adaptation from the Fate-verse’s insane catalogue turned out to be surprisingly impressive. The idea of a Master and Servant travelling through time in order to fix temporal incidences brought on by the Holy Grail’s wishes is a pretty interesting concept for the fate-verse. While it may not be the entry point fans who haven’t played the game, have been looking for, and maybe a little confusing at times, you can still appreciate this series for the absolute spectacle of the fight scenes and gorgeous world design.

It’s a non-stop series of Shokugeki, a culinary showdown between the Elite Ten and the rebels as Soma and the gang forge on ahead to shatter the totalitarian gourmet dreams of Erina’s twisted father. All in all, this season of this delicious shounen is pulling out all the stops while simultaneously dazzling us with all manner of creative cuisine. You’ll have a hard time deciding whether to lose yourself to the hype of the intense kitchen brawls, or desperately trying to reach through your screens to grab a bite!

Kirito is comatose, Alice is finally busting out her integrity knight powers again, and Asuna is about to join the fray. If you ever wanted an apology for Alfheim Online, here it is. With the battle lines drawn both inside and outside the virtual scape, it looks like things are about to get wild. Not only does new best girl Alice have to deal with the consequences brought on by Kirito and Eugeo in the previous season, but there’s also the looming threat of the Dark Territory to contend with. Stay in your chair Kirito, she’s got this.

Before we reveal our number one pick, here are a few honourable mentions.

“Stars Align” (2019)

“No Guns Life” (2019)

“Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun” (2019)

From the moment we saw Overhaul have his showdown with the league of villains, we knew were in for a hell of a time. As Class 1-A begins their Hero Work Studies, Midoriya finds himself taken under the watchful and cynical wing of Sir Nighteye – All Might’s former side kick who isn’t exactly thrilled in at One for All being handed to what he considers a sub-par successor. This is only further complicated with the arrival of young yakuza Chisaki, whose terrifying plans for society send him on a crash course with the world’s next greatest hero.