Even within Japan, there are varying "degrees of anime." While your typical shonen and magical girl anime air during the early morning and weekend time slots, the anime that makeup Fuji TV's noitaminA programming black air in the wee hours of Friday night in Japan (12:45 AM - 1:45 AM). In short, it's the Toonami of Japan TV, however, whereas Toonami is filled with action-packed shonen and mecha series, noitaminA is comprised of seinen and josei shows - anime aimed at adults that aren't aiming to promote an ongoing manga or sell scantily-clad figures.
For the last couple of years (since March 2016), the anime in the noitaminA block were airing exclusively behind the double paywall of Amazon's Anime Strike. Previously, FUNimation brokered a deal in 2010 to air these titles. With Strike's demise, these shows will now air as part of the regular Amazon Prime video subscription. How long Amazon's initial contract lasts and if they will renew it after scrapping Anime Strike is currently unknown. However, it's nice to know that even if Amazon's deal with noitaminA subsists, shows like Scum's Wish and Inuyashiki will be more accessible.
Click the next button below to see what's airing on noitaminA for the foreseeable future. The line-up for this calendar year is going by the subtitle "Plus Ultra." (No word yet on whether All Might is suing for copyright infringement).
Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii aka Otakoi: Otaku Can't Fall in Love?!
Premiere Date: April 13
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Staff: Yoshimasa Hiraike (director and scriptwriter). Takahiro Yasuda (character designer).Akimitsu Honma (music composer).
Info: Two otaku friends from middle school reunite in their mid-20s when they discover that they work at the same company. They begin dating but their closet otaku behavior leads to hilariously awkward situations at their company.
The series is based on a web manga created by a mangaka who goes by Fujita. In September 2017, it took home the top honor from the Web Manga General Election.
Banana Fish
Premiere Date:July
Studio: MAPPA
Staff: Hiroko Utsumi - director; Kouji Seko - series composition writer; Akemi Hayashi - character designs
Info: Don't let the strange name of this anime title fool you, the subject matter is very intense. Akimi Yoshida's manga ran from 1985 - 1992 and focused on Ash Lynx, a beautiful runaway who grew up as the sex slave of a perverted crime lord. Selected as the heir to the crime lord's empire, Lynx's story shift's into high gear when intriguing information on his older brother surfaces just as he crosses paths with the oblivious young photographer, Eiji Okamura.
Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System
Premiere Date: First of 3 films premieres January 2019
Studio: Production I.G.
Staff: Naoyoshi Shiotani - director
Info: Nearly four years after the conclusion of the anime's second season and three years after the anime film, Psycho-Pass is back. That's right, the Crime Coefficient will be back to mess up more lives in the upcoming trilogy. However, the series of films will focus on three separate pairs in Unit One of the Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division, just not the most popular one. Read details from our initial coverage on the next Psycho-Pass entry by
clicking here.
Koutetsujou no Kabaneri: Unato Kessen
Premiere Date: Unknown
Studio: WIT
Staff: Tetsuro Araki - director
Info: Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress debuted to strong buzz during the Spring 2016 anime season due to its high production values. However, the series lost a bit of that fanfare by the 12th and final episode of the first season due to its meandering plot. Fans have been eagerly awaiting news on a second season ever since, however it appears that a film is set to debut first. Director Tetsuro Araki confirmed that the film picks up 6 months after the events of the season finale.
Ingress
Premiere Date:October 2018
Studio: CRAFTAR Inc.
Staff: Yuhei Sakuragi - director
Info: INGRESS is actually an augmented reality mobile game and the first offering from Niantic, the makers of Pokemon GO. How one turns an augmented reality game into an anime is anyone's guess, however, a few details have been revealed by Niantic. It seems the anime is set in a futuristic world where a mysterious energy is discovered that might actually have sentience. Some belive it is here to benefit mankind while others seek to oppose this mysterious force.
Revisions
Premiere Date: Winter 2019
Studio: Shirogumi
Staff: Gorou Taniguchi - director; Sunao Chikaoka - character designs; Makoto Fukami and Taichi Htitlemoto (writers)
Info: The tite of the anime refers to huge mechanical monsters that run amok in Japan, 300 years in the future. Five childhood friends who were abducted and experinmented on receive the ability to travel to the future where Shibuya is a city surrounded by ruins. The five end up piloting the mobile suits to fight the Revisions while simultaneously seeking a way to return to their own time.
Carol & Tuesdays
Premiere Date: Spring 2019
Studio: Bones
Staff: Shinichiro Watanabe - director; Aya Watanabe - script; flying DOG - music
Info: The only thing that could have made the announcement of a new Shinichiro Watanabe project better would have been the reveal that Yoko Kanno was providing the music. Sadly, that's not the case but a music based anime from Watanabe will surely be a treat. Little is known about the plot but the story focuses on the two young girls pictured in the key art above. Currently, open auditions are being held for the two leads so if you have a strong singing voice,
click here to apply.