T5W#387-Top 5 Titles I’m Considering for Review in 2023

With the new year well underway, the Gundam Anime Corner is continuing on the road to it’s 9^th Anniversary and the eventual 10^th Season that will follow.  There’s just one tiny problem.  Even though I’ve worked a lot to map out the paths of my year long Sailor Moon project and my usual Extended Summer Series Review, most of 2023 still has a ton of undecided review slots.  In fact, as I probably noted in my “Welcome to the Gundam Anime Corner 2023 Post”, the only months that are totally locked in with titles right now are January and February…and the months that belong to the aforementioned Sailor Moon seasons.  That’s a ton of dead air that needs filling but I’ve been looking at a bunch of titles in my downtime, all with valid reasons for review.  So today, I’m counting the Top 5 Titles I’m Considering for Review in 2023.  Right now, every title on this list has about a 90% chance of becoming a sure fire review later in the year.  Naturally this is always subject to change but right now, theyre right next to garuntees.  Onto the candidates.

 
#5-Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

I did a First Impression Friday on Edgerunners back in Late 2022 (you can check it out here if you missed it: http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2022/11/fif171-cyberpunk-edgerunners.html ) and I was actually surprised.  Given Cyberpunk 2077’s less than stellar reputation in the gaming world, an Anime shouldn’t even be on my radar.  And then I watched the first episode and in seconds saw a draw…and no it wasn’t Lucy (though she not a bad draw herself).  One Studio: Trigger.  Yeah, how CD Project Red managed to get one of the juggernauts of the Anime industry to run a side project for their flegedling title is beyond me but apparently it works and even those who don’t care for Cyberpunk have spoken this ones praises.  I doubt it would convince me to actually give the game a try (especially when I don’t have a console to run it properly), but the first two episodes showed promise and I wanna see if Edgerunners can deliver where Cyberpunk 2077 is still trying to.

 
#4-Komi Can’t Communicate

2022 became a year where I looked at a lot of female centric Anime and 2023 seems to be no different with Sailor Moon occupying much of it plus My Next Life as a Villainess and Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl coming in February.  I’ve had my eye on Komi Can’t Communicate since I saw the first season and I’ve debated whether to try and sit down, and rewatch it for review purposes.  It certainly is funny, even if it’s debatable how it handles social anxieties.  But I think the positives outweigh any negatives on this one and Komi herself is simultaneously a gorgeous Goddess and adorable shy wreck all at once, it's adorable.  This could easily be a Summer Season Review but more than likely I’ll save it for the fall in favor of something more action heavy for the summer but more on one of those candidates later.

 
#3-Suzume

Ok so this one is definitely happening, I just don’t know when.  For a while I was hoping Suzume would be my front running candidate for my 9^th Anniversary Review.  However, it’s US run isn’t starting until Mid April, two weeks after the Anime Corners Anniversary, so that’s been ruled out.  I’ve been excited for Suzume since I saw the first trailer, that theme song is as gorgeous as the animation.  No doubt, Makoto Shinkai has been on a roll since Your Name and Weathering With You (my 7^th Anniversary Review in 2020), was a near perfect match for it.  I have equally no doubt Suzume will be a welcome addition to that little universe he’s craft.  But when will I finally review it at the Gundam Anime Corner, that’s the big question but you can bet it’ll be as soon as possible.

 
#2-Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045

This one has been a long time coming.  Ghost in the Shell is probably my second most favorite Anime franchise after Mobile Suit Gundam and I’m always excited when a new entry comes out.  SAC_2045 aka the more or less Third Season of the Stand Alone Complex TV Series is certainly an odd one with its animation style and questionable storyline.  But it’s still Ghost in the Shell and whether it turns out to be good or bad, I’ve always planned on reviewing this.  In fact I did consider looking at it last Fall before opting to go with Blade Runner: Black Lotus.  Right now, I have this tentitvley penciled in for March as one of the last reviews of Year 9 but it could also be positioned for that Summer Action Tentpole slot in June.  Time will tell but it’s about time I got back to the adventures of Major Motoko Kusinagi and Section 9.
 

#1-Trigun

A new Trigun series is almost upon us and while I’ll most certainly do a First Impression article on it, it looks freaking terrible and I am not excited.  Still a new Trigun emerging means that the timing is perfect for me to revisit the 90s classic that was a gateway title to many Anime fans in the Early 2000s, especially thanks to Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim Anime Block.  I’ll admit, what little of Trigun I did see, it didn’t grab me like it did a lot of people though the finale was certainly something.  Maybe a revisit with fresh eyes and more wisdom could change my mind, it def worked when I looked at G Gundam a couple of years back.  Right now, I’m thinking Trigun could open Year 10 of the Gundam Anime Corner in April and kick off that historic milestone for the blog with a bang.  Here’s hoping whenever I review it, Vash the Stampede hits his mark.