Action & Adventure Anime - Spring 2019 (Expectation Vs. Reality: How Action & Adventure Anime in Spring 2019 Fared!)

Introduction

Whoa, this 2019 anime year has left some big impressions on us here at Honey’s Anime! We have gotten a ton of incredible series, and most of them have truly been incredible! The action and adventure genre truly was where things got intriguing. With numerous shows airing, we had our hands full trying to keep up with what show to watch and what show were truly worthwhile or skippable. We made a ton of predictions early on in the season via our three-episode impressions, but now with most of these shows wrapping up or coming close a season/series finale, we have to see if our expectations lived up to the reality we were delivered. Welcome to our Expectation Vs. Reality: How Action & Adventure Anime in Spring 2019 Faired article! Remember these aren’t reviews but are just meant to see if our thoughts originally matched our final verdicts currently.

1. Black Clover

  • Genres: Fantasy, Action, Adventure
  • Air Date: October 3, 2017

There is a world where magic is everything. Asta and Yuno were raised by the church, and once they turned 15, they participated in a coming of age ceremony where they were awarded grimores that will raise their innate magic power. There, it is not powerless Asta who is bequeathed a grimore, but rather Yuno, who is given the Four-leaf Clover grimore. However, Asta, in order to prove his own power, and honor the oath that he made with his childhood friend Yuno, sets out with him in order for them to become the Magic Emperor!

What We Got:

Born and raised in an orphanage, Asta has always felt like an undesirable. While others around him can use powerful magic due to being born with mana, Asta is unable to harness his inner powers and must rely on using brute force as his medium. Meanwhile, Yuno—Asta’s rival/friend—can harness powerful magic and the two pray their time can come to prove their worth in this world. That time comes sooner than they planned though when their lives forever change after gaining two powerful grimoires and joining a group that seems hellbent on changing the current structure of the world.

First, we will say Asta’s seiyuu was indeed hard to stomach for quite some time in Black Clover, but by the end of the first season, we came to ignore it and get use to it. Overall though, Black Clover only got better as the series progressed, having some truly cool magic battles and wicked animation. Asta using his Demon Swords never got old and as his anti-magic power increased, he only became cooler to see on screen. Black Clover might feel an awful lot like Naruto, but it’s a fun shounen series that didn’t make for a bad weekly watch.

Black Clover Official PV

2. Fairy Gone

  • Genres: Action, Supernatural, Police
  • Air Date: April 8, 2019

Formerly fairies, they are now weapons...

In this world reside fairies, beings who have a special power that resides in them, which can possess animals. By taking out the organs of these possessed animals and transplanting them into humans, they can invoke the powers of the fairies themselves and fight. They are then used weapons of war by controlling the soldiers within whom the organs reside, they are known as ‘Fairy Fighters’. After the long war has finally end, their role fulfilled, they had nowhere to go. Some became part of the government, some became part of the mafia, and some became terrorists. They each chose their own path to walk.

Nine years have passed since the war ended. Mariya, the main character of this story, is a young girl who has just been assigned to Terotea. Terotea is an organization dealing with the investigation and subjugation of illegal fairy-related incidents as a fairy management agency. In the midst of an unstable government, criminals bearing horrible pasts and pain from the war, appear and commit acts of terrorism.

This the story of these ‘Fairy Fighters’ resisting disorder in a post-war setting, each of them fighting for their own sense of Justice.

What We Got:

What becomes of soldiers when they lose their purpose? Nine years ago, a great war thrived having warriors called Fairy Soldiers unleash their powerful fairy-based weapons on those who needed to be taken down. After the bloodshed ended, these same warriors found themselves scattered to different jobs and places in life, some wanting peace while others wanting violence. Where powerful beings exist, can anywhere in the world feel at peace? War might have ended for the Fairy Soldiers, but their battle hasn’t…

Fairy Gone was a series we didn’t really put much thought into here at Honey’s Anime. When it first was announced and was being done by studio PA Works, our attention was grabbed, but after its run we felt it was a bit of a hit or miss show. The ending was truly bittersweet but overall, that felt like the whole show’s theme. Fairy Gone isn’t a bad series folks, but don’t expect it to be anything you’ll remember after watching all 12 episodes.

Fairy Gone Official PV

3. JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Ougon no Kaze

  • Genres: Action, Shounen, Adventure
  • Air Date: October 6, 2018

Giorno Giovana is a young man who lives in Naples, Italy. He is the son of DIO, a longtime enemy of the Joestar family. When he was a child, Giorno was persecuted and this lead to him becoming a wild individual. However, when he was saved by a lone gang member, he learned how to believe in others.
By chance, he never forgot his debt of gratitude and it was this gang that he came into contact with that set his honorable heart on the right path. Then, Giorno decided that he wanted to become a ‘Gang Star’.

At just 15 years old, Giorno causes problems with the ruling gang of the underworld in Italy, and they start to come after him...

What We Got:

The year is 2001 and Giorno Giovanna has big dreams. Giorno wants to become a Gang-Star. Luckily, Giorno isn’t just a small-time thief but has bloodlines from the Joestar family tree, making him a stand user! When he meets another stand user by the name of Bruno Buccellati, the two begin to work together to change the gang there in and make their names light up! The path ahead of them won’t be an easy one though. Other stand users are noticing their actions and they will have to fight them if they want their dreams to become a reality!

JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 5: Ougon no Kaze, or simply JoJo part 5, was going to be good and everyone knew it. Not only were manga readers hyping the series up before it even aired, we knew from the past JoJo titles that this fifth part was only going to be more JoJo greatness! Giorno has stolen the show being one of the coolest and stylish JoJo leads we’ve seen, and while the show hasn’t finished yet, we know its only going to get better.

JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Ougon no Kaze Official PV

4. Karakuri Circus

  • Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
  • Air Date: October 11, 2018

When elementary school 5th grader Masaru Saiga’s father was killed in an accident, he inherited an enormous fortune. This lead to attempts being made on Masaru’s life. At the same time, Masaru happens to meet a young man named Narumi Katou who decides to help Masaru.

However, what came after Masaru were not humans, but rather puppet masters who possessed incredible amounts of fighting ability. Then one day, the two find themselves in a desperate situation against these puppet masters when a girl with silver hair named Shirogane who controls a marionette appears and saves them.

Then, these three individuals who met in Japan are dragged into a strange fate as the cogs of fate begin to turn…

What We Got:

After his father’s passing, Masaru Saiga has found himself rich. With so much money though, life wasn’t going to be easy for him. Shortly after his gains, Masaru is attacked by strange assailants who he later learns to be puppets! Saved by a clown named Narumi, Masaru asks for his hero to help him survive this powerful threat. Unfortunately for the two, the enemy they face isn’t a simple puppet master and has many more tricks in store for them.

Originally, we were very iffy with the set up behind Karakuri Circus. Due in large part to having a whiny main character and a strangely created main hero, Karakuri Circus just seemed… odd. Sure, this odd set up doesn’t change much as the series goes on, but we’ve enjoyed it nonetheless. Filled with some cool martial arts moments and supernatural themes, Karakuri Circus is just a silly series that will be liked by some and hated by others. Our initial impressions haven’t changed much, which goes to show you that our original thoughts on the series were pretty on the nose.

Karakuri Circus Official PV

5. Kimetsu no Yaiba

  • Genres: Action, Supernatural, Historical, Shounen
  • Air Date: April 6, 2019

Taisei Period. Japan. Tanjirou is a kindhearted, young boy who sells coal to make a living. One day, his entire family is killed by demons. What’s worse is that the sole survivor of the massacre, his sister Nezuko, has been transformed into a demon herself. Tanjirou is about to be overwhelmed by his bleak reality, when he steels his resolve to become a “demon hunter” in order to not only turn his sister back into a human, but also to destroy the demon that killed his family.

The tragic story of an older brother and younger sister woven together by humans and demons begins now...

What We Got:

Tanjirou Kamado has lived a very grueling life of both pain and joy. In his village, a rumor has always existed of demons lurking at night outside in the forest. Unfortunately, Tanjirou learns the reality of this rumor first hand when his whole family is brutally eliminated. Tanjirou’s sister Nezuko survived the incident, but has found herself now a demon still possessing human thought and emotion! Tanjirou makes a vow to save his sister and face the demons… even if it means a life of only pain.

Studio Ufotable was easily one of the reasons why we wanted to watch Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba initially. From the beautiful previews and the cool theme of supernatural action/adventure, our thoughts were betting this series would kick some serious demon behind. Guess what readers, it did! Currently airing, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba has been a thrill ride of drama, demons and action since it released in April of 2019. We pray the series keeps going with its beautiful narrative and amazing art/animation!

Kimetsu no Yaiba Official PV


6. One Punch Man 2nd Season

  • Genres: Action, Comedy, Parody
  • Air Date: April 3, 2019

This is the 2nd Season of One Punch Man.
Saitama is a man who picked up being a hero as a hobby. Undergoing special training for three years, he now has an undefeatable power. However, now he has become too powerful and with simply one punch, he is able to eliminate any foe, no matter how powerful they are, with one punch.

“Having such an overwhelming power is rather boring.” He says.

Today as well, a new enemy appears in front of our powerful hero who keeps his cool in all situations. Is he going to really go all out today!?

What We Got:

The world’s great unknown hero returns in One Punch Man season 2! Saitama and his robotic companion Genos are once more going to need to muster up their strength to fight new baddies and those who wish to do harm to the world and its inhabitants. Making matters worse, the Hero Association is in dire need of new recruits and turn to villains to make up for lost heroes! Is this going to lead to some future problems for Saitama? Does it matter when no challenge has ever presented itself for our bold headed hero?!

Alright, first things first, One Punch Man 2nd Season isn’t the nicest looking anime we’ve seen. Switching studios from Madhouse to J.C. Staff didn’t go unnoticed as the art/animation took a bit of a nosedive. However, we originally thought One Punch Man 2nd Season would still be fun and enjoyable, and that much hasn’t changed. Saitama still kicks butt with his extremely OP skills, and the other heroes return with some interesting fights due to a mid-season tournament and numerous new baddies for them to face off against. Basically, One Punch Man 2nd Season looks meh, but at least its action still works and the comedy still will make you laugh out loud.

One Punch Man 2nd Season Official PV

7. Shingeki no Kyojin 3rd Season Part 2. (Attack on Titan 3rd Season Part 2.)

  • Genres: Action, Shounen, Drama
  • Air Date: April 29, 2019

This is part two of the 3rd Season of Attack on Titan.
The world is ruled by Titans. Humanity, the prey of the Titans, have built a giant wall that is 50 meters high. In exchange for freedom to explore the outside world, they are protected from invasion by it.

A certain ten-year-old boy has never seen the outside world. His name is Eren Yeager. Eren feels uncomfortable surrounded by people who have given up going outside of the walls for the transient peace that they are currently enjoying. Eren refers to them as livestock while they refer to him as an outsider.

However, one day that all changes when a Giant Titan appears suddenly smashing to pieces both Eren’s ‘dream’ and society’s ‘peace...’

What We Got:

After realizing they needed their home back, Eren, Mikasa, Armin and the other scouts begin their most dangerous mission: retaking Wall Maria! Their main goal is to remove the titans within, seal the wall and venture into the basement of Eren’s home. However, once they arrive their home seems deserted and they soon learn their plan was expected. Now trapped behind the Beast Titan, Armored Titan and Colossal Titan, our heroes will face a battle unlike any other.

Season 3 part 1 focused on a very human element of the Shingeki no Kyojin storyline. Instead of fighting titans, a lot of the first part was about Levi coming face to face with an old mentor/father figure while commander Erwin discussed his past, which truly made us weep a bit. Part 2 of Shingeki no Kyojin 3rd Season has gone back to its roots with epic titan fights, but hasn’t removed that human element which we so much enjoyed from the first part. We had a lot of love for the first several episodes of season 3, and thankfully that isn’t fading. We’ve also learned what’s in the basement and now, we’re learning how the Titans came to be. This season has met our expectations and is only going beyond them.

Shingeki no Kyojin 3rd Season Part 2. (Attack on Titan 3rd Season Part 2.) Official PV

8. Ultraman

  • Genres: Action, Fantasy, Superhero
  • Air Date: April 1, 2019

Several years have passed since the events of Ultraman, with the legendary "Giant of Light" (光の巨人 Hikari no Kyojin) now a memory, as it is believed he returned home after fighting the many giant aliens that invaded the Earth. Shin Hayata's son Shinjiro seems to possess a strange ability, and it is this ability, along with his father's revelation that he was Ultraman, that leads Shinjiro to battle the new aliens invading the Earth as the new Ultraman.

What We Got:

Shinjiro Hayata has always felt a little… odd. Even at a young age, Shinjiro has possessed incredible abilities and skills he couldn’t explain not even to his father, Shin Hayata. When an alien being attacks for the first time in seven years since Ultraman disappeared, Shinjiro learns first hand why he’s different. Shin Hayata is Ultraman and his son has clearly obtained his powers upon birth! With his father unable to continue fighting as Ultraman, Shinjiro joins the Science Special Search Party to help take down aliens and keep the world safe as Ultraman. However, is this a power Shinjiro wants, and does he really wish to eradicate aliens like his father did?

We wrap this Expectation Vs. Reality piece with ULTRAMAN, which released all in one fell swoop on Netflix. Thus, we already have reviewed ULTRAMAN, but we can say we knew this would be a series meant for fans of the original series. Ultraman has been a long running franchise, and having a direct sequel to the original was bound to be intriguing. That’s why when it came out, we knew it would please us, and it did a great job meeting our expectations. While Shinjiro could be a bit annoying with his flip-flop hero mentality, the animation was mostly stellar and the fights were really wicked. Overall, we expected ULTRAMAN to be a great addition to this 2019 season and weren’t too surprised to see our predictions were correct.

Ultraman Official PV

Final Thoughts

The action & adventure anime this 2019 spring season truly met our anticipations quite well. We knew these series above would be stellar, and most didn’t disappoint. While some were a bit weaker here and there when compared to our initial thoughts, all of the shows we mentioned are truly fun and enjoyable. What shows did you feel met your own expectations this Spring season? Comment below to let us know! And for all your anime article needs, be sure to keep stuck to our hive here at Honey’s Anime!

BLack-Clover-5th-Cours-Visual-333x500 Action & Adventure Anime - Spring 2019 (Expectation Vs. Reality: How Action & Adventure Anime in Spring 2019 Fared!)

Writer

Author: Aaron

Hey everyone I’m Aaron Curbelo or Blade as I’m called by my YouTube Subscribers. I’ve been an anime/manga fan since I was a young kid. In terms of anime I have watched nearly a thousand shows and have read hundreds of manga series. I love writing and honestly was so happy to join Honey’s Anime to get a shot to write articles for such a wonderful site. I’m a firm believer in respect in the anime community being the most important embodiment we should all have. We all love anime and we have varying opinions of series but we should respect one another for those differences! Life is too precious to spend it making needless arguments in a community that should be the shining example of loving an amazing medium. I hope as a writer for Honey’s Anime I can bring you folks some amazing articles to read and enjoy!

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