Big fan of iDOLM@STER? This season has a fun, bite-sized series to whet your whistle! You probably won’t find many idol performances though, as this take on the ever popular game franchise follows what the girls do in their down time. but don’t let that deter you, as Cinderella Girls promises all sorts of fun adventures starring Uzuki Shimamura and Rin Shibuya!

If you’re already an iDOLM@STER fan, you probably don’t need us to tell you to watch Cinderella Girls Gekijou. Chances are you’re already sold on the series. If you’re unfamiliar with the franchise but have always secretly wanted to get more into the idol scene, Cinderella Girls may be a nice gateway for you. With episodes that only run about three minutes long, it’s not like you have much to lose by checking out at least the first couple of episodes. Plus, it’ll be a nice, light-hearted affair so it’ll serve as a nice pause between the action-centric line-up of this season.

You ever stare at your dinner and think “Man, what if my rice could sing?” Boy, have we got the show for you! Love Kome follows the adventures of five strapping young personified varieties of rice at the prestigious St. Pan Academy, a school devote to bread. Their group is headed by Hinohikari, a spirited youth who yearns to be a pop idol like his hero, Gokokumai. Can he, along with the rest of his troupe, capture the attention of a bread-loving community and show them the pleasures and wonders of rice?

Look, if you’re reading the summary above and think that all sounds really stupid, you’ve missed the point. Similar to last year’s Sekkou Boys, Love Kome looks to use its ridiculous set-up to poke fun of the tropes of the boy idol genre that we’ve all come to know and love. However, unlike Sekkou Boys, Love Kome also seems to be paying tribute to the genre and knows exactly what it is. You won’t be judged if you could possibly use some more hot guys in your life.

If you’ve been into Japanese culture but have somehow never heard of the great general Nobunaga Oda, let’s get you caught up. In 1555, the terrifyingly ambitious feudal lord Nobunaga set out to unify Japan under his rule. However, he had to get his start somewhere. Nobunaga no Shinobi posits that perhaps no one followed him at first, with the exception of one little girl named Chidori, who was as strong as she was clumsy. The two set out to conquer Japan… so long as Nobunaga wasn’t too hung over.

We’re actually on the second season of Nobunaga no Shinobi, so frankly, we’re just hoping for more of the same. Japan has always sort of deified Nobunaga and has made his accomplishments out to have almost mythical qualities. It’s refreshing to have a piece of pop culture from that country that attempts to take him down a few pegs. Plus, if nothing else, we’ll at least get more of the hilarious interactions between Nobunaga and his loyal vassal!

Fen Shi is a lazy idiot with an overbearing younger sister. Mao Shi is a bright young lady who loves her older brother dearly. The siblings end attending the same high school. Mao just wants her brother to put forth some effort for once in his life, but Fen is just too stupid to get the message. So, naturally, Mao has developed a short temper over the years and occasionally has to beat some sense into him.

Ani ni Tsukeru Kusuri wa Nai is the biggest franchise you’ve probably never heard of. While it’s not really big in the Western hemisphere, it’s originally a Chinese manhwa that’s uploaded online with over 500 million downloads to date! Each episode airs at a brisk three minutes apiece, meaning hopefully it’ll be able to capture the punchy nature of the original comic.

Teaching royalty can be a pain. After all, those of royal blood have authority over all they rule, so how do you even go about teaching them? Well, the Grantzreich Kingdom appoints a royal tutor, one who has been determined to be one of the finest teachers the kingdom has to offer, to do just that. This time, Heine Wittgenstein manages to score the position, only to find out that the four princes he’ll need to educate have managed to scare away all their past tutors with their shenanigans! Heine will have to step up and take charge if the Grantzreich Kingdom has any hope of maintaining its stability!

Left with a hole in your heart after the end of Ouran High School Host Club and Hetalia? Just don’t have enough pretty boys in your life? Oushitsu Kyoushi Haine promises similar hijinks with over-the-top bishounen with larger-than-life personalities; like Licht Von Grantzreich, the smooth playboy who puts on a kind show to get whatever he wants. We can’t wait to see how the seemingly childlike Heine can overcome the reservations of his pupils and the goofy misadventures that ensue because of it!

Kazuya Kagami has kept his mother’s obi safe. He’s given it lots of love, as it’s all he has left to remember her by. One day, a spirit rises from the obi and says her name is Kiriha. She practically throws herself at Kazuya, but he, being incredibly shy and timid, has no idea how to deal with this. Kiriha decides right there that she needs him to shed this worrywart nature of his, and remains personified so that she can finally shed this personality deficiency of his once and for all!

While the premise for Tsugumomo may sound like a straight ecchi comedy, there may be a bit more than meets the eye. The manga it’s based off of is actually pretty well known for having some gorgeously depicted action sequences, and the PVs have shown that Zero-G is attempting to stay faithful to that. The brief snippets released online highlight some incredibly crisp and fluid slashes flying through the air in what should hopefully be a great spectacle. It makes a great excuse to give your friends as to why you’re watching. We’ll just keep the cute girls and numerous shower sequences as our dirty little secret.

We don’t always get what we want. Often, we prioritize our careers or our loved ones over indulging in our vices. But, what if we could have our cake and eat it too? Moguro Fukurou offers whatever your heart desires. He won’t even charge you for the opportunity, as he just loves making his customers happy! All you need to do is follow Fukurou’s conditions to a tee… or else.

Our impulses to laugh and be frightened actually stem from our reaction to the unknown. Warau Salesman NEW seems to be playing off that idea with its simultaneously goofy retro art style that feels strangely unsettling. Part of that retro look, though, comes from the fact that it’s actually a reboot of a gag anime from the late 80’s. In that series, they used a tone similar to Grimm’s fairy tales where they presented simple stories of morality with very dark underpinnings. We hope to see if Warau Salesman NEW can revitalize the franchise!

It’s been a year since Sohoku won the national Inter High cycling tournament. Their main third years have graduated, and it’s up to Sohoku’s remaining members to defend their title! Fortunately for them, they’ve still got Sakamichi Onoda, their dark horse climber who won them their Inter High championship! He, along with fellow classmates Shunsuke Imaizumi and Shoukichi Naruko, will have to fit into their new roles as second years. They’ll need to help out their new captain Junta Teshima raise their new members to help them compete against longtime rivals Hakone Academy!

Yowamushi Pedal: New Generation is actually continuing from last season, so we’ve already gotten a sense of where the story is going. Sohoku’s Inter High team has been established, so now it’s time to watch them prepare and train. Hopefully, we get to the Inter High this season so that Onoda and Manami can settle the score once and for all! Plus, if nothing else, last season provided plenty of sweaty, bare-chested athletes, so if that’s your thing, you’ve almost certainly got that to look forward to!