April - June • 198 anime
Spring 2019 was one of those seasons that kept surprising people — 99 titles came out and a handful actually left an impression. Carole & Tuesday mixed great music and worldbuilding, and Promare was a loud, gorgeous blast of color.
This spring leaned into big personalities — a few shows were so distinct you remembered them months later. Carole & Tuesday stood out because it actually made its music feel like a character; the sci-fi backdrop and the duo’s chemistry gave its pop songs real weight. Promare, meanwhile, was basically an over-the-top fever dream of color and motion; it wasn't subtle but every frame kept you grinning.
Sarazanmai felt like the weird heart of the season, being thematically messy in a way that made it fascinating, not just odd. Kono Oto Tomare! wrapped up a long, earnest run with scenes that actually landed emotionally for fans of the manga. Hitoribocchi no Marumaruseikatsu quietly became the go-to short laugh-track for anime-watchers who liked their comedy gentle and specific.
Studios like Wit and J.C.Staff showed up with confident work, and smaller teams like Bibury produced moments that lingered. Overall the season had a lot of originals that weren't afraid to try something noisy or tender, so the memorable shows were the ones that committed fully to whatever they were doing.
