Anime is at its best around the times seasons change over, when old shows wrap up and the new ones surface offering something new to get invested in. The event that signals this regular changing of the guard every few months is when the seasonal lineups are announced. Both Crunchyroll and Funimation signaled the official start to the Fall announcing their fall simulcast lineups.
Headlining the fall slate of shows are a return to form for a couple of old favorites. First is Bleach creator Tite Kubo’s return to anime in Burn the Witch and the Inuyasha spinoff series Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon. Crunchyroll got its first crack at audiences when the entire Burn the Witch three-episode series released on October 1. Yashahime premieres on Funimation October 3.
Both shows earned that spot because of their attachment to a couple of beloved anime, but there are are other shows worth a true first look. On Crunchyroll, Jujutsu Kaisen and Noblesse offer the most intrigue as anime adaptations of two popular comics. Jujutsu Kaisen is one of the few series to crack the top 10 bestsellers in the weekly manga anthology Shounen Jump and not have an anime adaptation. The show follows high school student Itadory Yuji as he battles supernatural beings after swallowing a cursed finger. Noblesse is a vampire anime with Korean roots, adapted from a comic that ran in Webtoons. It follows the recently awakened vampire turned high-school student Cadis Etrama Di Raizel as he adapts to a new world.
Among the returning shows that also got release dates are Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? This ongoing anime franchise follows the hero Bell Cranel and his patron goddess Hestia during their adventures in the labyrinth city of Orario where the gods of different myths choose adventurers as their champions. Crunchyroll also has two popular fall shows that are still awaiting a release date in volleyball anime Haiykuu!: To The Top and the war epic Golden Kamuy.
Funimation has a pair of intriguing new anime making their debut this year. The first is the murder mystery anime reboot Higurashi: When They Cry making its debut October 1. Akudama Drive, an anime that features the stylings two artists from the hit game Danganronpa, releases on October 8. On the Crunchyroll side, the girls sports anime about rock climbing Iwakeru - Sport Climbing Girls has yet to receive a release date.
The initial fall lineup looks strong this season and there may yet be more announcements to come. Crunchyroll still needs release dates for some of its shows and there are still a few mystery titles listed yet to be revealed. One thing that is clear at this point is that the fall season is finally here.
Burn The Witch (Crunchyroll) and Higurashi: When They Cry (Funimation) release October 1. Jujutsu Kaisen (Crunchyroll) and Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (Crunchyroll) on October 2. Noblesse (Crunchyroll) releases on October 7. Akudama Drive releases October 8.
Source: Crunchyroll, Funimation