The Best Spring 2020 Anime on Funimation

This article is in partnership with Funimation!

It’s that time again! We’ve entered a new anime season and I wanted to list off some of the series currently listed on Funimation that I’ve had a look at. I’ll give you guys my initial  impressions, or suggest who may enjoy it and what it reminds me of. Without further delay, let’s get into the best Spring 2020 anime!

APPARE-RANMAN

P.A. Works original.

Appare-Ranman follows the story of Appare Sorano, a genius, although socially awkward individual, who cares for little else than creating his next new invention. Along with the much more sensible samurai, Isshiki Kosame, find themselves drifting in the seas between Japan and America. With no money between them, they find themselves competing in the trans-america wild race in order to win the money and make their way home.

Unique character designs, a vibrant world filled with colour and a crazy story with two characters that completely contrast one another. A story that I feel is going to hit us with some serious action, excitement and comedy. Appare Ranman will definitely be hitting the same notes that Redline did. Here’s hoping P.A. Works can smash it out of the park with an anime original on the levels of Shirobako!

Watch on Funimation here: https://www.funimation.com/shows/appare-ranman/?qid=ec3a9e2b08e944ea

GLEIPNIR

Pine Jam adaptation of the manga by Sun Takeda.

Shuichi wakes up one morning with the ability to transform into what looks like a mascot costume. Confused and filled with anxiety, Shuichi tries to get by without ever letting this truth come to light. However, in order to save a girl in a burning building, Shuichi saves her by transforming into his hideous form. The girl, Claire, learns of Shuichi’s secret and holds it over him to gain access to his new found power, all in order to find her sister.

This series is the perfect mix of lewd and badass. Shuichi is understandably filled with anxiety when it comes to his situation, I imagine suddenly being able to transform into a mascot costume is rather scary. However, he lets this get the better of him at times and will fail to act, and this is where Clair becomes his perfect partner. She will take action without thinking of the consequences and continually push on to her goal, but she will assure Shuichi that should anything ever happen to him, she will suffer the same fate. They are a fantastic pairing and I cannot wait to see more from Gleipnir! Clair is also best girl of the season. So yeah, there’s that.

Watch on Funimation here: https://www.funimation.com/shows/gleipnir/?qid=

LISTENERS!

The all new Studio MAPPA original work.

In a world haunted by a race known as the earless, mankind’s only salvation comes in the form of the Players, humans with an input jack on their body, and their mecha known as Equipment. Echo, a boy of humble beginnings dreams of creating equipment and working alongside the Players, this all becomes a reality when he meets a young female Player called Mu as they vow to take on the earless together.

Yes, using rock music to power giant mechs in order to kill evil alien lifeforms is as cool as you think it is. The amps which the mecha suits shrink down to are even based off of existed guitar amps of today! If you’re a music fan or mecha fan, and you’re looking for a series set in a dirty, dystopian future where the only way to win is by utilizing the power of hard rock is what you’re looking for, then you’ve found it.

Watch on Funimation here: https://www.funimation.com/shows/listeners/?qid=8ed68328f0a3af91

WAVE LISTEN TO ME!

Studio Sunrise adaptation of manga by Hiroaki Samura.

Minare Koda, spends her evening at a bar drunk and heartbroken. She pours her heart out in a conversation with a Radio Director, the next day, she hears her drunken tirade being broadcast live on air. Minare storms into the radio station and somehow ends up being duped into an impromptu talk show where she explains herself and her drunken recording. From here, we see how Minare’s life falls ever deeper into the world of radio. 

What’s kind of wonderful about this series, is that you could have absolutely no interest in the subject matter, but the main character is so charismatic and appealing, that you will want to stick around for her alone. It makes you appreciate how difficult it must be to be a good radio host. Huge shout out to her voice actor. It’s an insane role with so much going on, and Riho Sugiyama does a fantastic job at not only keeping up, but making the character really come to life.

Watch on Funimation here: https://www.funimation.com/shows/wave-listen-to-me/?qid=89cfee62453ffba

BUNGO AND ALCHEMIST

Studio OLM adaption of the Bungo and Alchemist Game.

Taking place in the worlds created by famous Japanese authors of the past. Mystical beings known as taints threaten these stories, by trapping the authors inside and forcing the contents to change. These taints attempt to destroy the “Run, Melos!” by Osamu Dazai, by turning this tale of trust and belief into a work of tragedy. This would be the case, if not for the work of Akutagawa Ryuunosuke. Another writer who protects these books by interrupting the plans of the taints and making sure the stories end how the author intended.

It’s a unique concept which introduces viewers to some of these old Japanese stories they may not have previously been aware of. Right after watching the first episode, I immediately started looking into “Run, Melos!”. Maybe we’ll even see some stories that we’ve heard of?

Watch on Funimation here: https://www.funimation.com/shows/bungo-and-alchemist-gears-of-judgement-/?qid=6d94337db7b1538

ARTE

Seven Arcs adaptation of the manga by Kei Ohkubo. 

Taking place in 16th century Italy, during the Renaissance where art is thriving more than ever, the journey to become an artist begins for the young Arte. She was born into a noble family, provided a sheltered upbringing, but longed to go against what her mother had planned for her. She wants to be an artist! As long as she has a pencil and paper, she can be happy. So, she sets off in search of a teacher that will take her under their wing as an apprentice, but being a female artist in this period was unheard of, and Arte is met with nothing but rejection. Until she meets an artist by the name of Leo.

Seeing series about all sorts of fields of study is always a joy to me. You get to watch the journey of a passionate individual as they chase their dreams, while they are constantly met with adversity and being told they can’t do it purely because of their gender, then to see them rise above it. It’s always wonderful to watch! 

Watch on Funimation here: https://www.funimation.com/shows/arte/?qid=4d29bf17bb950dc3

DIARY OF OUR DAYS AT THE BREAKWATER

Doga Kobo adaptation of manga by Kosaka Yasuyiki. 

Hina is an indoor-loving, crafts-obsessed young girl who has moved to a seaside town as she continues on to her high-school life. One day she meets Kuroiwa, an upperclassman and the president of the mysterious Breakwater club. Hina gets tricked into joining this new club by her crafty upperclassman. With her original plans to join the craft club now ruined, Hina gathers up the courage to give the club a chance. Despite her fear of sea creatures, with the help of her club members and childhood friend, Hina learns to love living by the ocean.

There are constants in anime that I absolutely love, and cute girls doing cute things is definitely one of them. I love when a series takes place in a more rural area of Japan, and delves into the culture of that area or some common practice associated with it, in this case fishing. Breakwater is hitting some of those notes that Yuru Camp gave me, so 100% count me in!

Watch on Funimation here: https://www.funimation.com/shows/diary-of-our-days-at-the-breakwater/?qid=b78e8d2a654b8171

GAL AND DINO

Kamikaze Douga and Space Neko Company combined adaptation of the manga series by Moriko Mori. 

One night the young gyaru, Kaede, lets a dinosaur into her house. She’s isn’t too thrown off by this extremely bizarre and unique situation and before she knows it, she’s room mates with a dinosaur. Join them in the day to day lives of a gyaru and her dinosaur room mate.

A very easy, no stress watch where we get to follow along this bizarre scenario of a girl and her friend dinosaur. An enjoyable and easygoing series filled with comedy and a ton of different animation styles. The second half of the first episode even switches from animation to live-action and if you thought it was bizarre before, this will really throw you for a loop.

Watch on Funimation here: https://www.funimation.com/shows/gal-dino/?qid=c11030893eccabd2

TAMAYOMI: THE BASEBALL GIRLS

Studio A-CAT adaptation of manga by Mountain Pukuichi.

Centering around Yomi Takeda, a young girl with aspirations of being a baseball pitcher, equipped with her ultimate weapon the “magic throw”. During a cross-school tournament while in junior-high, the catcher is unable to receive Yomi’s “magic throw” resulting in a loss for their team. Filled with regret, she decides to leave her dreams of baseball behind as she enters Shin-Koshigaya high-school. All was going smoothly until Tamaki Tamazaki, a childhood friend and fellow baseball player, shows up begging Yomi to join her once more on the road to becoming baseball players!

I love some sports anime, and the sports formula is one of those constants that always manages to deliver the action, suspense, crushing lows and the most insane hype. As much as I love sports series, I think there is definitely more room for those focusing on an entirely female cast aspiring to reach the top in their chosen sport, and Tamayomi has come at the perfect time. For those who enjoyed series such as HaneBado or just sports anime lovers in general, you should definitely give this series a chance.

Watch on Funimation here: https://www.funimation.com/shows/tamayomi-the-baseball-girls/?qid=c0412b91571e15e8

THE MILLIONAIRE DETECTIVE: BALANCE UNLIMITED

Cloverwork anime adaptation of the novel by Yasuktaka Tsutsui.

Assigned to the “Modern Crimes Task Unit” a specific task force composed of troublesome officers. Daisuke Kanbe, a man with an abundance of assets, joins forces with fellow officer, Haru Katou. Mysteries begin to unfold, and these two detectives must join forces in order to overcome what lies ahead. The only problem, Haru and Daisuke are complete opposites when it comes to their methods.

The best way for me to describe this series would be to simply say “Anime Bruce Wayne”. Daisuke Kanbe is a character who’s main “Superpower” is his seemingly unlimited bank balance. He’s arrogant, and doesn’t care much for the consequences as long as the job gets done. Haru Katou, on the other hand, is always looking out for others and will put himself in harm’s way to help someone else. For anyone into their detective series or looking for something with some good characters that rub off of one another, whether it’s in a good way or bad, this series is for you. I can tell you right now, Daisuke Kanbe… people are going to fall in love with this character. I can guarantee it.

Watch on Funimation here: https://www.funimation.com/shows/the-millionaire-detective-balance-unlimited/?qid=4b19bf200636bfc2

There you have it. Funimation has a fantastic selection of new series to have a look at this season, so why not get started today? With such a wide variety of shows with different genres, make sure you give everything a chance and remember the 3-episode rule!

Let us know your thoughts on any of the series we’ve mentioned! Go watch some anime!

Check out Funimation here!

Wondering how COVID-19 is affecting anime? We’ve got you covered.

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