From FX trading to plant people, fall anime gets weird

In Japan, anime arrives in seasonal batches, four times a year, and even as someone who covers it for a living, keeping up with all the new titles can be tough. For example, this fall brings more than 60 new and returning series to our screens, making me wonder when I’m supposed to get some sleep.

So I’ve waded through the lineup to highlight five new series that caught my attention, with everything from magical eighth graders to human-plant hybrids and a show whose main villain is … the fluctuating exchange rate.

I chose series starting this season (no returning titles like “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” and “Black Clover”), and tried to venture off the beaten path with my picks (while still including a couple near-certified bangers).

Consider this a survival guide to the autumn deluge — five titles from a season packed with possibilities.

“FX Fighter Kurumi-chan” (Oct. 1)

Director: Yuki Ogawa

Studio: Passione

Plot: Proving there’s a manga about absolutely everything, “FX Fighter Kurumi-chan” is about a pink-haired college freshman whose life revolves around foreign exchange margin trading. Hey, with all the fluctuations in the yen these days, who hasn’t been interested in trying their hand at FX? But as Kurumi soon finds out, the market isn’t for the faint of heart. Though there are dozens of new series this season, I can say with some confidence this is the only one whose backstory involves Lehman Brothers.

Recommended for: Day traders, macroeconomics buffs, Kazuo Ueda.

“Pan Dorobo” (Oct. 2)

Director: Takahiro Kyogoku

Studio: Shin-Ei Animation

Plot: Keiko Shibata’s picture book series “Pan Dorobo,” about a mouse who disguises itself as a piece of bread in order to sneak into bakeries and steal their goods, has sold over 6 million copies since 2020. Now it’s an anime that looks both silly and charming. The creative team behind the project are no slouches — director Takahiro Kyogoku is known for helming series such as “Love Live!” and “Gate,” and Shin-Ei is one of Japan’s oldest and most revered studios. The ending theme by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is pretty catchy, too.

Recommended for: Anyone who enjoyed the books or likes bread.

“Welsh & Shedar” (Oct. 2)

Director: Naoki Horiuchi

Studio: Studio Massket

Plot: One of the few series this season not based on a manga or light novels, “Welsh & Shedar” is an original fantasy series about two young men from different backgrounds — one a prince, the other an aspiring cook — who work together to stop a despot from taking over the world. Based on the trailer, it has an earnest, high fantasy vibe that feels more “Lord of the Rings” than “Game of Thrones.”

The series is a co-production between Japan’s Studio Massket and French production group Ankama, and was conceived by French screenwriter and comic creator Anthony Roux, also known as “Tot,” who is known for “Wakfu: The Animated Series.”

Recommended for: Fans of high fantasy, “Wakfu” or international co-productions.

“Magic Knight Rayearth” (Oct. 7)

Director: Yui Miura

Studio: E&H Production

Plot: Old-school fans should recognize the name, as “Magic Knight Rayearth” is a new adaptation of a classic manga from the 1990s by the collective Clamp, one that was first turned into an anime in 1994. “Rayearth” is about three eighth-graders sent to another world, where they become part magical girls and part mecha pilots trying to rescue a princess. It’s cool. The new version brings the visuals in line with modern anime aesthetics while still retaining that Clamp-y feel.

E&H Production was founded by “Jujutsu Kaisen” director Sunghoo Park in 2021; this is its third television series.

Recommended for: Fans of other Clamp titles such as “Cardcaptor Sakura,” “Kobato” or “xxxHolic,” the pulled-into-another world isekai genre, or those curious about how this new adaptation will compare to its ’90s predecessor.

“Fool Night” (Nov. 26)

Director: Jin Tanaka

Studio: Shaft

Plot: Based on a manga by Kasumi Yasuda, this Netflix eco-horror series is set in a future in which a thick layer of clouds has prevented sunlight from reaching Earth’s surface for a century. To help create enough oxygen, some humans undergo “transfloration,” a process by which they’re transformed into plants. The series follows a desperate young man whose budding transfloration process gives him the ability to communicate between plants and humans. Shaft is also known for “Monogatari” and “Puella Magi Madoka Magica.”

Recommended for: Fans of plant-based post-apocalyptic horror.