Now that Christmas is over, and all the kawaii bishoujo and suteki bishounen are finished with their Kurisumasu daitos, it’s time to talk about the next season of anime! This has all the makings of a terrific season, starting with a bunch of high-caliber adaptations, including Japan’s Lord of the Rings from the Record of Lodoss War guy Grancrest Senki, KyoAni’s hotly anticipated automaton assistants in Violet Evergarden, the no less anticipated humanoid android drama BEATLESS, and another spin of the servant battling wheel (with a twist!) in Fate/EXTRA Last Encore. The sequels are no slouches either, which includes such favorites as the bicycle speedsters of Yowamushi Pedal GLORY LINE, the shounen battlers of Nanatsu no Taizai: Imashime no Fukkatsu, the dark lich lord of Overlord II, and, wonder of wonders, after twenty years, a sequel to one of the defining magical girl series with Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Hen. If that wasn’t enough, there are a smattering of originals as well, most notably Trigger’s newest sci-fi exploration Darling in the Franxx. There are a ton of promising series getting ready to air, so let us tell you about all of them. This is Random Curiosity’s Winter 2018 Preview!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the anime is so delightful. Or hopefully it is, which is what we’re here to find out. This season features some strong sequels, including the long-awaited return of the exorcist battle anime Ao no Exorcist, another hilarious adventure with the dysfunctional goofballs of Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!, a new generation in Yowamushi Pedal, and a second season of the universally lauded Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu. Not to be outdone, there are new adaptations of several promising properties, including the cop/spy/bureaucratic drama ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka, the Seo Kouji 100% certified ragefest adaptation of Fuuka, the classic salesman-transformed-into-magic-loli war story (haven’t we seen that a million times) Youjo Senki, and a period property you’re probably unfamiliar with, but which Japan has been gobbling up for years in Onihei. There are only a few originals airing this season, but standing tall among them are the first full season (finally!) of Little Witch Academia and the spiritual successor (hopefully) to Amagami SS in Seiren. There’s more where those came from, so let’s get on with it so you can figure out what to watch. This is Random Curiosity’s Winter 2017 Preview!