Happy New Year my little dorks! We’ve made it a quarter of a century through the 2000s, and the change in animation from the nineties to now is nothing short of awe-inspiring. This is the season of lesser-known gems, so here are some anime recommendations I’ve seen and think you’ll enjoy.
1. My Happy Marriage
Many of you may not be privy to the wholesome love story that is My Happy Marriage. Without giving too much away, it follows the journey of a young woman who was abused by her family and married off to a military general known for his cold demeanor. Despite societal expectations, the two care for and learn from each other.
When the show premiered in summer of 2023, I was one of many who saw the first two episodes and immediately fell in love with the story. It’s like if you took Cinderella and had the prince teach her that she deserves nice things and how to love herself — perfect for the self sabotaging or insecure girlies.
With an adorable main cast, gorgeous use of color, and an unexpected touch of action that adds perfectly to the suspense, I can’t wait to see what happens next and highly recommend this show to anyone looking for an easy binge. The first episode of season two premiered January 6th and streams on Mondays. I am a traditional nerd and prefer to watch on my favorite reliable anime sites, but you can stream it on Netflix.
2. Beastars
Actually, Netflix will have a few titles from this list to check out. Next, we have the final season of Beastars. Shut up, I know what you’re thinking. If you heard about this show back in 2020 and wrote it off as furry fodder, you’re one of many. I regret to say that I was also narrow minded and side eyed the show at first, but got over it once I checked it out and realized it’s just a deeper dive into Zootopia.
Much like said movie, Beastars revolves around anthropomorphic characters living in a society divided by carnivores and herbivores and depicts the challenges of trying to find one’s place in that segregated kind of society. All of the problems the characters deal with are real world issues, like selling your eggs as a chicken to make more passive income in school, carnivores microdosing blood before an event so they perform better, being socially awkward because you’re a bigger animal and your classmates expect you to be aggressive, or tackling love between predator and prey species because that’s really not supposed to work.
Beastars is rich with tangible characters, an incredible soundtrack (they do that thing where there’s a different ending song for almost every episode, and it never fails to impress me), and enthralling fight sequences that you wouldn’t expect. Not to mention the first two seasons are all about solving a murder mystery!
3. The Apothecary Diaries
Another show you might be itching to get back to is The Apothecary Diaries. Season 2 premieres January 10th and is already at the top of my list. Remember when I mentioned My Happy Marriage being an easy binge? Well, this goes right up there with it. The story follows Maomao, a young girl working as a handmaid for one of the emperor’s four wives, but gains notability as her apothecary skills and quick thinking help her solve medical mysteries within the palace walls.
If you’re in dire need of an intelligent female lead who’s completely obtuse when it comes to romance, this is the show for you. Not only is Maomao wickedly smart, but she’s hilariously unaware of how her good looks affect the people around her, especially the head eunuch, Jinshi, who’s a little too pretty for his job description. One of the best things about this show is that it starts off strong and doesn’t lose its momentum, keeping most viewers engaged from start to finish.
Considering how the end of the first season opened the doors to a new conspiracy to solve, I’m really hoping that Maomao succeeds in uncovering the truth this season. Romance, mystery, an adorable MC and an easily flustered male lead – need I say more?
4. Solo Leveling
Next up is the extremely popular adaptation of the famous webcomic Solo Leveling. Now I went into the show completely blind and thought it was gonna be another isekai.
It’s not an isekai. It’s more like ‘hey I died brutally and got a second chance at life but now there’s rules I have to follow unless I wanna die again’ which actually works. The story follows Jinwoo, a notoriously weak E rank hunter who fights dungeon monsters for pay. After a chance encounter with death, he wakes to find a mysterious magical program that only he can see and use, but makes him more powerful – as long as he follows its rules. As Jinwoo grows stronger, taking out both man and beast, he journeys to discover the secret behind both the dungeons and his new powers.
This show is a wild ride from start to finish and if you’re hoping to find some action or need a new character to model your gym routine after, this is the place to go. Season two premiered January 4th and is streaming on Crunchyroll.
5. Castlevania: Nocturne
Lastly, my favorite show, Castlevania: Nocturne. As a lifelong vampire sympathizer I can tell you that this is honestly the best vampire universe I’ve ever seen. It’s stylish, witty, sexy and philosophical all while having kickass characters who have a mind of their own. It takes on the idea of what it means to be a monster, the morality of the catholic church (they’re villains of course, it’s like the 1400s), and whether or not revenge is justifiable under certain conditions. Dracula has the greatest crash out of all time in the original Castlevania series from 2017, but his son lives long enough in this spin-off to tell his father’s cautionary tale four hundred years later.
Not to mention, the vamps are extremely diverse: they’re Black, Scottish, Native American, lesbians, non binaries — the possibilities are endless! (Shoutout to the racist fans of the original show who said that Black and brown bloodsuckers couldn’t exist, Drolta is one hell of an argument.) Watching Alucard serve undead prince of the damned in perfectly pressed slacks and a boneless thirty inch bussdown.
6. Sakamoto Days
Now, more shows are being animated for the first time and flew under my radar. Shows like Medalist (January 5), Honey Lemon Soda (January 9), and I Want to Escape Princess Lessons (January 5) are all worth checking out if you’re looking for something new. Some popular shows returning or making their debut worth keeping an eye on include Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun (January 12), Dr. Stone season four (January 9), and the most anticipated yet, Sakamoto Days (January 11).
If you’re unaware, Sakamoto Days follows a notorious former assassin who was the best in the biz, but gave it all up to start a family. He’s gained weight, owns a store with his wife and has a kid now. At first glance, he’s a shadow of the man he used to be, but when hitmen start coming out the woodwork to find him, he proves how deceiving looks can be. As someone who hasn’t read the manga, I’m expecting this to be The Way of the Househusband with better fights, a little more plot and tighter animation. If the hype surrounding this is anything to go by, I know we’re bound to be entertained no matter what.
What are you most excited to watch this month? I’m sure there’s plenty of titles I missed, so leave a comment and drop some names!
