While BL may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s hard to pass up a warm coming-of-age love story (unless you’re made of stone) and Sasaki to Miyano seems like it’s going to hit that sweet spot of young love and fuzzy feels. So, of course, we must kick off our list with a little romance with the titular Shumei Sasaki from Sasaki to Miyano!

A dashing and confident young man intent on making the object of his affections swoon, Sasaki is a little bit of sugar, a lot of spice, and all in all, quite nice. Cheerful, impulsive, and a little troublesome, this boy seems to embody all the charming qualities of a sweet first love and our inner hopeless romantics can’t wait to watch him sweep Miyano of his feet!

Shakespeare-inspired plot, betrayal, supernatural abilities, and a bloody war of succession, Requiem of the Rose King has really set the bar up there with how multi-faceted it seems to be, and so it should be no surprise that the MC, Richard Plantagenet, would be someone we’re all looking forward to meeting in the new season! An intersex character with a twisted and tortured upbringing (thanks, mommy dearest), not to mention disturbing visions of Joan of Arc, an unwavering loyalty to his father, and secrets he’d rather never let see the light of day, Richard is quite a complex individual with one hell of a ride coming their way, and to be honest, we’re definitely here for it and can’t wait to see how their story unfolds!

You know how you wish you could go back in time to fix a faux pas? Or wish you had a Phone Wave to avoid cringeworthy mistakes? Well, the boys from the Time Photo Shop have an unusual fix for any and all problems, and all you need is a picture!

No. 3, on our list is Toki from Shiguang Dailiren. Toki has the ability to dive into photographs, link his mind with the photographer, and can even influence actions and outcomes through the photograph. Now, we know it sounds weird but have you seen a time travel conundrum without actual time travel? We think not, and honestly, we’re pretty excited to see how Toki (and Hikaru) helps out clients without massively messing up the past (or is it the present?). We’re getting major Get Backers vibes from this one, so fans of Ban and Ginji, keep an eye out!

It’s no news that the Demon Slayer Corp has always been full of unique and powerful characters. At the very top of the ranks, we have the Corps’ greatest combatants, the Hashiras, each of whom has a specific technique they use against demons. In Mugen Train we met the Flame Hashira, Rengoku, who is arguably one of the best parts of the storyline (tbh, what wasn’t great about that one?). In the Entertainment District Arc, we get to properly meet (the glimpses from season 1 don’t count) the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui (and his wives).

Flashy and fabulous (and frankly, mildly frustrating) Tengen seems to be a super fun character to get invested in this Winter season. While initial impressions may not be favourable, we know Tengen definitely has a softer side, especially reserved for his wives Makio, Suma, and Hinatsuru (and these ladies are awesome in their own right, but that’s for another time) and as his backstory unfolds we’re sure you’ll have a spot reserved for him in your hearts right next to Rengoku.

When the heart-warming story of Tohru Honda and the Sohmas came to an end last year in Fruits Basket, we all felt that bittersweet sadness of saying goodbye to a beloved story with a good ending. However, almost immediately we learned that goodbye wasn’t forever (really, it wasn’t even for a month). Fruits Basket Prelude brings the story of Kyouko Katsunuma and Katsuya Honda to life, and of course, fans can’t wait to see more of Tohru's fiery, spirited mama (not to mention her mysterious late husband). We know we’re only supposed to pick one, but with all the tidbits and glimpses of these two we’ve seen in Fruits Basket, we can’t help but be itching in our boots to meet them both!