The Winter anime season is nearly over, and it brought us a breath of fresh air with a decent number of good anime. But if you were impressed then, Spring will surely exceed your expectations as it looks to be a stacked season!

For fans of these ongoing series, there will be a plethora of great sequels returning, including Kaguya-sama Season 2, Sword Art Online Alicization – War of the Underworld Part 2 and Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 2 to name a few.

But sequels aside, it’s going to be tough for any new show to take off with Spring’s roster of new anime. That’s why we’ll make your job a little easier with our top anime picks of the season (in no particular order)!

BNA

An original anime by Studio Trigger, BNA is set in the 21st century but with a twist–the existence of humanoid animals has been revealed to the world after living in the darkness for centuries. One day, a high school student named Michiru suddenly turns into a tanuki person. After going to live in Anima City, where she meets a wolf named Ogami Shiro, she goes on to investigate how she became an animal and gets mixed up in even stranger events in the process. (Source: Tokyo Otaku Mode)

After some success with Beastars, we will have another furry anime series, and this time, an original anime by the famous Studio Trigger. Being an original anime, we hope that it will be a good show with a good ending.

Unlike some of their previous works, this show seems to be promising as their character designs, especially in the form of animals, are pretty neat. Definitely a show to watch out for!

Gleipnir

Kagaya Shuuichi is an ordinary high school kid in a boring little town. But when a beautiful classmate is caught in a warehouse fire, he discovers a mysterious power: he can transform into a furry dog with an oversize revolver and a zipper down his back. He saves the girl’s life, sharing his secret with her. But she’s searching for the sister who killed her family, and she doesn’t care how degrading it gets: she will use Shuuichi to accomplish her mission. (Source: Kodansha Comics)

This manga has actually been quite a hit for a while and we have high hopes for the anime adaptation to do it justice. Kagaya has to fight off the negative perception of being a furry while fighting to defend the girl. The story has some interesting plot twists and PINE JAM studio seems to be doing a good job in animating the show. We’re definitely looking forward to this one.

Appare-Ranman!

Towards the end of the 19th century, the genius but socially awkward engineer, Sorano Appare, and the wise yet cowardly samurai, Isshiki Kosame, find themselves drifting in the sea between Japan and America. With no money, the duo decide to enter the Trans-America Wild Race to win the prize money, so they can get home. The two encounter rivals, bandits, and challenges in the wilderness, racing through America, from the starting line in Los Angeles to the finish line in New York, in the steam-powered car they built. (Source: MAL News)

It’s another interesting original story by P.A. Works. With previous works which ended in a let-down, we hope this anime can shine through and break the streak. A wild American race is an unusual anime setting, but this show seems to possess many elements of a great show. Will this show be another miss for P.A. Works? Or will it be an exhilarating race with subterfuge and charm? Let’s find out when it airs in April!

There you have it! Our top non-sequel picks for the Spring 2020 season. What are you personally looking forward to? Do let us know in the comments below. We’ll check out your favourites as well!

*This article is originally on The Magic Rain. Head here for the full feature.