It’s that time again. We’re midway through the season and you need to know what’s worth checking out/binging. This fall season hasn’t been the most exciting compared to previous years. Still, there are a few gems in there that are worth watching. I’ll be honestly, I fell off the band wagon pretty fast this season, but there was one new show that really stuck with me and two returning shows that, as they did in previous seasons, totally blew us away. So if you’re in need of some new shows to watch, myself and Alex Criscione have some great suggestions for you to catch up on before the finale. – Rachel Freeman
My Hero Academia
The heroes of My Hero Academia return for yet another exciting season. In season 4 we see our heroes all growing and doing more professional hero work with pros. With the introduction of a new villain Shie Hassaikai, Overhaul, who has already proved himself as a force to be reckoned with. Following this new villain are his deadly Yakuza, who have been spreading two deadly drugs across Japan. One drug being a Quirk damager which stops and damages the users Quirk. While the other is a Quirk enhancer used to amplify a Quirk just like All-For-One did in his battle with All Might.
My favorite part of the season, maybe even in the series, was Kirishima’s evolution into Red Riot Unbreakable. The buildup and execution of episode 6 was nearly perfect with an amazing villain to battle Kirishima.The villain possessed a quirk that allowed him to create metal blades, almost a direct counter to Kirishima’s hardening. While Kirishima is being volleyed with amplified razor blades he remembers what Bakugo told him and that was his promise to be the horse that will never waver in his trials. This allowed him to harden his body beyond his normal limits to transform into Red Riot Unbreakable. This ability give him 30-40 seconds of invulnerability and even a stylish beast design with it. As a character he never truly received much spot lot other than hitting other people there was never any true development compared to all of the other mid-range and long range users, even Midoriya. Red Riot has now proved that he can compete on the same level as the top students. –Alex Criscione
My Hero Academia season 4 is now streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Ascendance of a Bookworm is pretty much the only new series I’m consistently following this season. It started off a bit slow, but it has really picked up, especially with the most recent episode which dove pretty deep into the feels. It’s also beginning to explain some things I was curious about like what happened to the original Myne and if this world has any relation to our own.
As of the middle of the season, I really enjoy the series and recommend it to anyone who loves books, because seriously, how would you react if you woke up in a world where you couldn’t read any books ever again? It would be devastating.
The story starts out as a rather tragic one despite its cute exterior. Urano, a young Japanese woman, has wanted nothing more in life than to be a librarian, surrounded each day by the books she loves so dearly. The same day her dream comes true to begin working in a library, she dies in an earthquake.
We don’t know how or why, but she is reincarnated in another world as a young, sickly girl named Myne (also spelled Main in the subtitles). Initially optimistic about another chance at life, her hopes are once again shattered when she learns that books are scarce and only the rich have access. Since Myne has retained her memories from her previous life, she decides to create and print her own books so that she can read again. -Rachel Freeman
Ascendance of a Bookworm is now streaming on Crunchyroll
Vinland Saga
Thorfinn, son of one of the Vikings’ greatest warriors, Thors, watches as his father is murdered by Askeladd’s men in an unfair duel. Rather than return home, Thorfinn joins Askeladd’s group of mercenaries so that he may learn how to become a warrior and kill Askeladd in a fair duel to avenge his father. He slowly but surely grows into one of the best warriors in Askeladd’s group, but still has yet to earn the right to challenge Askeladd to a duel. Things change for everyone though when Askeladd receives word that a Danish prince, Canute, has been taken hostage, he comes up with an ambitious plan that will end up dictating the next King of England and drastically alter the paths of Thorfinn, Canute, and himself.
Vinland Saga is a series that continued on from summer, but it’s so good that I can’t exclude it from my recommendations because it only gets better and better with each episode. Since Vinland Saga takes place in 11th century Europe, it roughly follows some very real history, such as the rise of Cnut (or Canute) the Great, who was King of Denmark, England and Norway until his death in 1035.
Though Thorfinn is a fictional character, many of the other characters we meet, including Askeladd, Leif Ericson, and Thorkell, were real. Obviously, as with Canute, this story is an embellishment and shouldn’t be taken as 100% accurate, but it still makes for an unbelievably entertaining and fascinating story about the Vikings and the unification between the Danes and the English. If you’re into history or just into epic sword fights, this is an anime you can’t miss. -Rachel Freeman
Vinland Saga is now streaming on Amazon Prime
