Spring 2023 Anime Awards

Hey guys! The Spring 2023 Anime Season has officially come to a close this week and I'm excited to shout out my superlatives for the season!

(Original) Anime Of The Season

Oshi no Ko is my pick for the anime of the season and seriously you if haven't seen this anime yet you definitely have to! The first episode was a full hour long and it will give you whiplash with how many different genres of anime it goes through until it finally settles into what it will be and I loved that about it! I am also low key fascinated with shows that focus on celebrities and though I've seen a lot of kdramas about idols, I don't think I've really watched an anime about them that isn't focused on handsome bois doing handsome things or pretty girls doing pretty things. I was fascinated that this show actually looks at the dark side of the entertainment industry without sugarcoating anything and yet gives you enough reason to understand why someone would even bother getting into such a dark world! The main lead is so grey in terms of his morality and it makes it so fun to watch him play everyone else like a puppet.

Runner Up - Heavenly Delusion 

Hidden Gem 

My Love Story With Yamada-kun At Lv999 is my pick for hidden gem of the season. I really do have such a soft spot for romance anime so when one actually hits and hits hard I'm thrilled. A lot of romance anime either fall apart in the middle or have so much will they won't they misunderstandings in them that I get bored but this show managed to balance character development and emotional growth alongside a growing romance. The leads changed as people separately and found a groove together and I loved that about them. This show also had an amazing supporting cast that were fleshed out and given time to shine on their own so they didn't just feel like props for the leads. 

Runner Up - Skip & Loafer

Best Sequel 

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Swordsmith Village Arc is definitely the best sequel of this season which might be a bit unfair cause duh it's Demon Slayer but how can you not be so hyped about this show?? I mean okay in all fairness the middle chunk of this season did falter a bit but then the ending hit so hard that I ended up forgiving everything else! I mean Nezuko literally became a daywalker and she can speak now which makes me so excited cause I've loved her but felt like she got such a raw deal with how she couldn't speak! I do wonder why this season highlights two Hashira rather than just one like the previous two seasons cause it gave us less time to emotionally connect to either Tokito or Kanroji and less time to see everyone in action.

Runner Up - Birdie Wing: Golf Girl's Story Season 2

Greatest Animation/Character Design

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Swordsmith Village Arc had the best animation this season which once again might be cheating cause if Demon Slayer can't do anything else it's animation will always hit.

Runner Up - Oshi no Ko

Best OP 

Idol by Yoasobi from Oshi no Ko is the best OP of the season. It truly slaps no matter how many times I listen to it!

Runner Up - Innocent Arrogance by BiSH from Heavenly Delusion

Protagonist(s) Of The Season

Aquamarine Hoshino from Oshi no Ko is my protagonist of the season because like I said in my original anime of the season section, I'm fascinated with him as a lead. He's not our typical anime protagonist cause he's not idealistic or kind or forgiving. In fact most of the typical protagonist traits went to his twin sister Ruby who could support an argument that she's the co-lead of this show but in all actuality we spend most of show in Aqua's head and I'm more interested in the way he's playing everyone. Aqua is ambitious and obsessive and cunning. He's able to read a person and play whatever character they need him to be and yet he's still not a villain cause he's doing all these twisted things in order to solve him mother's murder. Underneath it all he's still a good kid and it's just his singleminded focus and PTSD that seem to stop him from acting as anything but cold and calculating.

Runner Up - Chise Hatori from Ancient Magnus Bride Season 2

Antagonist(s) Of The Season

Aoi Amawashi from Birdie Wing: Golf Girl's Story Season 2 is my antagonist of the season and maybe you're surprised by this cause Aoi isn't actually a villain like my usual picks but by definition an antagonist is simply just someone who acts in opposition to the protagonist and no where does it say that this person can't be a good or even a low key love interest! All that to say that I find that I no longer really watch that many anime that have clear cut heroes and villains so it opens up the antagonist pool if I don't just focus on villains. If I did that the demons from Demon Slayer would be my only option to choose and I really didn't care for either of them from this season so I went with Aoi. Aoi was the reason that Eve went to Japan and joined the Golf school in the first place and she's also the reason that she left and went back home to find her family and go pro. She was the reason that Eve was able to fight hard enough to create her own golf and to come in number 2 in the competition!

Runner Up - Demons from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Swordsmith Village Arc

Ship Of The Season

Raeliana McMillan and Noah Volstaire Wynknight from The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke's Mansion are my ship of the season which is hysterical cause they didn't even end up together by the end like Yamada and Akane but I was just fascinated by these two. Whereas most guys are obsessed with overpowered isekai harem shows my guilty pleasure is definitely a villainess anime and I especially love when the lead isn't the typical soft sweet naive heroine. I loved that Raeliana and Noah both had schemes of their own and wanted things for themselves and yet fell in love with each other anyway. I love that he was fascinated by her wit and intelligence and she his gentle nature despite the coldness he shows to the world. She was able outwit him several times and he was down to do crazy things for her even before he realized she meant anything to him. It also low key helps that I've read the manga for this show and I know where the story goes!

 

Runner Up - Akane Kinoshita and Akito Yamada from My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999

And with that I'll see you all in the Summer 2023 Season!! Here's hoping that we get a better crop to choose from!

xoxo Allie