April - June • 193 anime
Spring 2020 had 107 shows and ended up being quietly memorable for character-first storytelling more than big spectacle. Kakushigoto proved unexpectedly touching, and Wave, Listen to Me! was the season's most joyful oddball.
My impression was that Spring 2020 leaned small and focused: a lot of shows were content to build character moments rather than chase flashy set pieces. Kakushigoto earned its praise by balancing gag manga energy with genuinely tender father-daughter beats, and the payoff in later episodes landed in a way that stuck. Wave, Listen to Me! rode on exceptional voice work and surreal monologues — it was loud, weird, and hard to forget.
Sing "Yesterday" for Me handled melancholy romance with a slow burn that matched the source material, and Ascendance of a Bookworm's second cour rewarded patience with thoughtful worldbuilding and steady character growth. On the sequel/frontier side, Psycho-Pass 3: First Inspector wrapped a darker arc in film form, while Appare-Ranman! brought kinetic, goofy racing that kept the energy up. With 107 titles (lots of ONAs mixed in) and contributions from studios like CloverWorks and White Fox, the season felt defined by well-executed small ideas rather than one big headline show.
