Winter 2019 Anime

Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane are the top students at the elite Shuchiin Academy, and both are in love with the other. But their pride makes them see love as a battle: the one who confesses first loses. Kaguya is the vice-president and heiress of the powerful Shinomiya family; Miyuki is the hard-working student council president who earned his place from outside the wealthy elite. Together with secretary Chika Fujiwara, treasurer Yu Ishigami and maid Ai Hayasaka, their meetings turn into clever mind games over the smallest things, a movie ticket, an umbrella, a lunchbox. Over three TV seasons (2019–2022), one OVA and the film The First Kiss That Never Ends, the 'war' slowly becomes a real romance, and the jokes often turn into some of the most moving scenes in modern anime. A TV special, The Stairway to Adulthood, aired in December 2025, and a concluding film has been announced to finish the main story on screen.

The Promised Neverland follows Emma, Norman and Ray, the brightest children at Grace Field House, a warm and loving orphanage run by their devoted caretaker, 'Mom' Isabella. The children eat well, study hard and play freely. The only rule is never to pass the gate or the fence around the grounds. One night, Emma and Norman follow a younger girl who has been 'adopted' to the gate, and discover the truth: the home is a farm, the children are its livestock, and demons are waiting on the other side. What follows in the first season is a masterclass in tension, a silent game of tag, codes and lies in which three eleven-year-olds plot an impossible escape against the one adult they trusted most. The second season takes the survivors beyond the wall, into a demon world of forests, shelters and uneasy allies, as Emma fights to keep a bigger promise: freedom for every child on every farm. Across 23 episodes, the series blends mystery, horror and heartfelt family drama, powered by Takahiro Obata's delicate score and CloverWorks' expressive animation. It remains one of the most gripping thriller anime of its era.

Naofumi Iwatani is summoned to a fantasy kingdom as one of four legendary heroes, the Shield Hero, armed with a shield and nothing else. Betrayed and falsely accused within days, he loses his money, his name and his trust in people. With the demi-human Raphtalia at his side, he has to grow strong enough to stop the Waves of monsters threatening the world. A gritty underdog isekai about rebuilding from zero. Because his shield cannot attack, Naofumi wins differently: he cooks, crafts, trades, heals and builds a party and a village that fight for him, while the kingdom that framed him slowly learns it needs its most hated hero. The story keeps widening, from Waves and rival heroes to other worlds with their own heroes and rules. Animated by Kinema Citrus, it now runs four seasons (62 episodes), with a fifth season announced for 2027.