DNA, Crunchyroll, Netflix: anime not to be missed in January 2023

news culture DNA, Crunchyroll, Netflix: anime not to be missed in January 2023

January 2023 anime: what’s new

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel – Northern War

While waiting for the release of the opus Trails into Reverie on July 7, 2023 in Europe, the JRPG franchise The Legend of Heroes developed by Falcom is available as an animated series. As its name suggests, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel – Northern War is based on the Trails of Cold Steel arc, but it is not an adaptation of it. The story indeed incorporates a cast of new characters (including the protagonist Lavi) and is set between the end of Cold Steel II and the beginning of Cold Steel III.. The action takes place in North Ambria, the poorest region of the continent of Zemuria. We follow a group of spies sent to Erebonia with the aim of obtaining information on the “Imperial Hero”, who poses a mysterious threat to North Ambria. Everything is the result of a collaboration between the creators of the license, UserJoy Technology, Funimation, NADA Holdings and the animation studio Tatsunoko Production, with Hidekazu Satou directing (Basquash!).

• Available January 6 on Crunchyroll

NieR Automata

We continue with another adaptation of a video game franchise, and not the least. The much appreciated NieR Automata is also entitled to an animated series subtitled “Ver1.1a”. The details on the scenario are still unclear, but we will find the emblematic 2B, 9S and A2 of the game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix, or the android Lily, already appeared in the manga published in France by Kurokawa editions. As a reminder, the story of NieR Automata takes place in 11945, on a planet Earth abandoned by humans, forced to flee after the arrival of formidable extraterrestrial machines. On the ground, combat androids controlled from an orbital station fight to destroy the invaders in a real war between machines. It is the studio A-1 Pictures (Sword Art Online, Your Lie in April, Erased …), subsidiary of Aniplex, which is in charge of the project alongside obviously Yoko Taro, thinking head of the NieR license. On the casting side, we will find the voices of the game, including Yui Ishikawa in the role of 2B and Natsuki Hanae for 9S.

• Available January 7 on Crunchyroll

Maniac by Junji Ito: Macabre Anthology

Netflix invites us to shiver with Maniac by Junji Ito: Macabre Anthology, a series based on the stories of the master of horror manga. More specifically, 20 stories dealing with the theme of madness are adapted here, including “Les Ballons aux pendés”, “Tomié: Les Photographies”, “La Chambre aux quadruples doors” and “L’Intrus”. Each episode is approximately 24 minutes long. This isn’t the first time Junji Ito’s work has been adapted; the Tomié series was notably entitled to a saga of nine films. Beyond the adaptations, his disturbing universe has also inspired many other creators, including in the field of video games.

• Available from January 19 on Netflix

But also…

January 2023 anime: the sequels

Bungo Stray Dogs (Season 4)

The Armed Detective Agency Returns to Service with Season 4 of Bungo Stray Dogs. This anime mixing investigation and supernatural has the particularity of featuring characters who all bear the name of an author of Japanese literature. Like the protagonist, Atsushi Nakajima, an orphan who finds himself on the street, alone and without money. His life will take an unexpected turn after he meets Osamu Dazai, an agent working for a mysterious police organization whose members all possess supernatural powers. Their role: to solve cases too risky for the traditional police. The original manga, written by Kafka Asagiri and drawn by Sango Harukawa, is still ongoing with 22 volumes. The anime is headed by studio Bones and director Takuya Igarashi.

• Available January 4 on Crunchyroll

DanMachi (Season 4, Part 2)

Born from the imagination of Fujino Ōmori and the pen of Suzuhito Yasuda, DanMachi (Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?) is one of Japan’s best-selling light novels. This series immerses us in the Dungeon of the City-Labyrinth of Orario, where gods and humans live together. Last descendant of a family protected by the unpopular goddess Hestia, Bell Cranel decides to conquer the dungeon accompanied by the beautiful swordsman Aiz Wallenstein, with whom he immediately falls in love. A mix of action, fantasy and romance, here adapted by the JC Staff studio. Spread over a total of 22 episodes, the fourth season resumes its course after a first part broadcast last summer and centered on the exploration of the Great Falls.

• Available January 5 on Crunchyroll

The Misfit of Demon King Academy (Season 2)

Adapted from a light novel The Misfit of Demon King Academy follows the new life of a tyrannical ancient Demon King, reincarnated 2,000 years after the time of his reign. If he now longs for peace, he did not expect the magic level to weaken so much and the inhabitants of the world to become so weak. He then joins the Demon King’s Academy, determined to regain his former title… but his powers are far too powerful for this world, so that no one can judge him correctly and he therefore finds himself considered a pariah. A mix of humor, action, romance, slice of life and fantasy, this anime from the SILVER LINK studio can appeal to a very wide audience.

• Available January 7 on Crunchyroll

By The Grace of the Gods (Season 2)

Far from the usual isekai where the protagonist is in search of glory, By The Grace of the Gods features Ryoma, reincarnated as a young boy in a peaceful and colorful world enhanced by the animation of the Maho Films studio. To earn a living, he tames hundreds of slimes and uses their multiple abilities in various tasks: hunting, combat, cleaning, crafts… After creating his own successful laundromat, our protagonist sets out to explore alone in the goal of finding the ideal location for its new store. A relaxing work that you can also discover in manga at nobi nobi editions.

• Available from January 8 on Crunchyroll

Vinland Saga (Season 2)

Adaptation of Makoto Yukimura’s excellent viking-themed adventure/historical fiction manga, Vinland Saga is making a comeback. After following Thorfinn’s revenge quest in season 1 (24 episodes), which corresponds to the first great arc of the work (i.e. the first 8 volumes of the manga), season 2 focuses on the arc of the slaves and the our young warrior’s quest for redemption. On the animation side, a change of studio should be noted: Wit Studio leaves the hand to MAPPA, knowing that Shuhei Yabuta remains in the production.

• Available from January 9 on Crunchyroll and Netflix

And Tokyo Revengers then?

After a first season broadcast on Crunchyroll which met with immense success,tokyo revenge returns with a season 2 that covers the clash between the 10th generation of the Black Dragon gang and the current Tokyo Manjikai gang. Only here, Disney + has offered itself the exclusivity of its broadcast outside Japan, and the platform has not yet communicated on a possible simulcast. It is therefore the same situation encountered by the final season of Bleach, the color of which fans have not yet seen in the catalog of the broadcaster.

But also…

anime still in progress