April - June • 239 anime
Spring 2018 leaned into originals more than usual — 136 shows across TV, ONA, movies and specials — and it ended up being one of those seasons where a few unexpected titles stuck. ReLIFE closed out its story with a proper final arc, and B: The Beginning arrived as a Netflix-aimed mystery with cinematic ambitions.
My takeaway was that spring 2018 felt like a season of tidy finales and bold experiments. ReLIFE Final Arc actually gave the series a sense of closure: it wrapped character threads in a way that most fans wanted, even if the pacing rushed toward the end. B: The Beginning leaned into stylish noir and crime mystery — its visuals and worldbuilding were interesting, though the plot left room for debate.
Golden Kamuy started showing why people were excited about its mix of historical detail, dark humor and brutal action, and it made the setting matter instead of just being wallpaper. Aggretsuko proved short-form could hit big emotionally — the workplace rage bits landed hard and went viral for a reason. The season also had solid output from studios like TMS, A-1, Bones and White Fox, with a lot of originals trying new angles. Overall it was a season where a few titles carried cultural momentum and a lot of smaller experiments paid off creatively.
