Heavenly Delusion, Skip and Loafer, and Vinland Saga Season 2 are among the most-praised shows of the season. While they’re not at all related to each other story-wise, these big Spring 23 anime are all from a lesser-known manga magazine called Monthly Afternoon.
When it comes to manga magazines, most anime fans will likely mention Weekly Shonen Jump or Weekly Shonen Magazine.
But the under-the-radar magazine Monthly Afternoon is a surprising source of many popular shows, including some of this season’s best.
Three of the Best Spring 23 Anime Are From Monthly Afternoon
Monthly Afternoon isn’t exactly a well-known magazine outside Japan, nor is it one of the biggest even in its home country.
That’s because it’s a monthly magazine with seinen titles, meaning it is aimed at an older audience.
Seinen works are always going to be less popular than shounen titles, though the older audience of seinen manga means they can be more experimental or explore deeper themes.
Such is the case with the Monthly Afternoon anime of this season which have been praised for their more mature handling of characters.
For instance, Skip and Loafer has gained praise for its realistic depiction of high school characters which is in contrast with other school anime.
Meanwhile, Vinland Saga Season 2 has gained renown for its themes and Thorfinn’s evolution.
As for Heavenly Delusion, it is quietly one of the stand-outs of the season for its unique world and mysteries that are anchored by its compelling characters.
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Monthly Afternoon’s Other Big Hits
Aside from these three big shows of Spring 23, Monthly Afternoon has also been the source of popular anime in previous years.
For instance, shows like Mushishi and Parasyte: The Maxim are based on Monthly Afternoon manga.
Makoto Shinkai’s movies have also gotten manga adaptations that were serialized in the magazine following their cinema releases.
Plus, there are also more recent shows like Land of the Lustrous and Blue Period, both of which are based on manga that are serialized in Monthly Afternoon.
Sadly, Monthly Afternoon titles don’t get simulpub releases internationally unlike magazines such as Shonen Jump.
Though there is some hope soon as the magazine is owned by Kodansha, the publishing giant that will soon launch the K Manga platform in the US.
With this, popular serials like Vinland Saga and Heavenly Delusion may get released officially in English.
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