It’s that time of year again: we’ve entered the last quarter of 2023. The Fall season of anime has kicked off in full session, and Winter is just around the corner—so let’s take a look at the best show that’s currently airing, and what’s coming down the pipe that should be on your radar! 

Currently airing: Jujutsu Kaisen (season 2)

Chances are if you’re already into anime, you’ve heard about Jujutsu Kaisen. In case you’re living under a rock though, or entirely new to anime, here’s a synopsis: 

Jujutsu Kaisen follows the story of a high-school boy named Yuji Itadori whose world is suddenly upended when he and his friends of the listless ‘Occult Club’ at his school encounter a legitimately cursed item that ends up attracting an evil spirit which attacks them. Desperate to fend off the attacking monster, Yuji eats the cursed item and later discovers that it was actually the petrified finger of a veritable demon, Sukuna Ryoumen, ‘The King of Curses.’ Now, imbued with power yet possibly at risk of losing control of his body to the evil within, Yuji is brought into the folds of the secret world of curse-fighting ‘jujutsu’ sorcerers. 

It's a great story that aptly walks the line between action, horror, and comedy, balancing them all just right for a potent and exhilarating mix delivered in crisp animation by MAPPA, a world-renowned studio that’s adapted lots of past hits like Chainsaw Man and Attack on Titan (which we’ll be covering later).  

We’re currently eleven episodes deep into what will be a 24-episode season, and right in the crux of the mid-season climax—so now’s as good a time as any to catch up or hop aboard and join the ride. I promise it isn’t as bland or cliché as your typical shonen (a show aimed towards a younger male audience). 

Now, for some upcoming shows you won’t want to miss!

The Attack on Titan FINALE

Ladies and gentlemen: mark your calendars. Because on November 4th, it’s finally coming—the final part of the final season of Attack on Titan, an hour-and-a-half-long special, is bringing the critically acclaimed show to its climactic close, ten whole years after it first started airing. If you’re already a fan of the show, you know exactly how monumental this conclusion is going to be; if you’re a new watcher, then trust me when I say that all the hype that’s been surrounding this series for the better part of a decade is well-earned, and you’re going to want to be a part of it while you still can. Because the conclusion of Attack on Titan isn’t just the end of a series: it’s the end of an era.  

It’ll be a bit of a binge, but with just under a month left before the finale airs, you’ve theoretically got plenty of time to blast through (and digest) the first 88 episodes in time to join the world with bated breath. The characters are great, the world is unsettling, and it features some of the most compelling twists and person vs. person conflict I’ve ever seen. As someone who’s already read the manga and knows how the climax will resolve, all I can say is—prepare yourself.  

Because all the knives that the series has been steadily plunging into your heart over the years are about to get a tear-jerking twist. 

Solo Leveling

A niche pick, this anime is actually based on a manhwa (Korean comic) rather than a light novel or manga. Here’s a synopsis: 

Ten years ago, [Gates] started opening up all over the world—mysterious portals that connect Earth to fantastical and paranormal realms full of monsters. While these monsters started spilling out the [Gates] and terrorizing the world, some members of humanity started spontaneously awakening superhuman abilities to combat them. Such people are called ‘Hunters,’ and the story of Solo Leveling follows the ventures of Sung Jin-Woo, who has a reputation for being “the weakest Hunter [in the world],” a measly E-rank. Though he’s technically ‘awakened,’ his physical abilities are barely beyond a normal human’s. Still, he remains a Hunter because the dangerous job pays well, and he needs the money to pay for his mother’s expensive medical bills... 

However, after an adventure into one of the [Gates] goes horribly awry, leaving Sung Jin-Woo as the only surviving Hunter, he awakens in a hospital to find that he’s somehow come to possess a new power—the ability to ‘level up,’ kind of like in video games. If carefully cultivated, this could potentially make Jin-Woo the most powerful Hunter in existence, capable of saving humanity from the threat of [Gates] for good.  

But where did this power come from? Why was it bestowed to him, the weakest Hunter? And what is its true purpose? It’s a story already abounding with mystery and intrigue, and it hasn’t even started airing yet! 

The show premieres in January 2024, so if it sounds interesting to you, I’d highly recommend checking it out in a few months! 

So there: now you know what you need to be watching right now, and what to look out for. Keep in mind this was by no means an exhaustive list—there are tons of good anime out there coming soon, and I’d encourage you to do some browsing on your own time!  

 Tune in soon for more updates—and stay cultured! 

Yo, fellow geeks! My name’s Garrett Johnson; I’ve been a geek for pretty much my whole life, playing video games, reading comics, watching anime—and I’ve developed a bit of a passion for critically analyzing it all! So you can trust that my opinions are both informed and reliable.

A bit more about me: I love to write, and my dream is to one day be a best-selling author, writing fantasy comics or books. I also like to sing karaoke, do fun voice impressions (to varying degrees of success), and occasionally come up with some “philosophical” one-liners (example below).

“To make no enemies is to make an enemy of yourself.”