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There are anime throughout the spring 2023 anime season that have captivated audiences and set social media ablaze, like Demon Slayer's third season or Oshi no KO. With so much anime to choose from across different genres, fans can be forgiven for letting a few shows slip through the cracks.
For example, Mobile Suit Gundam: Witch from Mercury is on its second cour as of April 9 and has so far been better than season 1. Yuri is My Job! is another anime that might've fallen off some people's radars. Whatever the case, this article will showcase 10 spring 2023 anime that cannot be missed despite not having a large mainstream presence.
Disclaimer: All of these entries for the spring 2023 anime season will contain some spoilers. Any and all opinions are exclusive to the author.
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10 hidden or underrated gems of the Spring 2023 anime season
1) Mobile Suit Gundam: Witch From Mercury season 2
Whether it's considered a second season or cour, Witch from Mercury's second half has taken audiences by storm. The shocking ending of the terrorist attack on Plant Quetta already made people pay attention, especially with Suletta smashing a terrorist into a bloody paste with Aerial's open palm to save Miorine.
The second half hasn't stopped with moments like that: a terrorist attack on the friendly duel Rumbling Ring at Articassia Academy, a full-scale war between Earth and Spacians, the reveal of Suletta and Eri's full relation to each other, Quiet Zero revealed, and more. After all, it's Gundam, and it was going to escalate eventually.
2) Yuri is My Job!
Hime Shiraki has a dream to become a billionaire's trophy wife. After an accident in which a cafe runner is injured, Hime gets roped in to work at said cafe. The cafe happens to be one where employees play students at an all-girls boarding school. Naturally, hilarity and hijinks ensue.
Yuri is My Job! is a dramedy about the masks people put on and who they are underneath. For example, Hime herself puts on a mask of being a cute girl but is really a habitual liar. This spring 2023 anime is about broken friendships, the struggles of relationships and workplace romances, and how façades are harmful.
3) Magical Destroyers
It wouldn't be part of the spring 2023 anime season without at least one surreal entry, and Magical Destroyers is it. Japan has banned all things Otaku-related since 2008, and the SCC corporation has outlawed Otaku things. One brave Otaku hero and his magical girl allies must resist and save the culture.
As one can imagine, this is an insane premise with an equally insane execution, akin to Shimoneta or one of Studio Trigger's anime. It's recommended if one wants a short, at around 12 episodes, but the utterly crazy ride of magical girls vs. big corporations more than makes up for it.
4) The Legendary Hero is Dead!
As fantasy anime is still a thing without the constant barrage of isekais everywhere, the Spring 2023 anime season brings us to The Legendary Hero is Dead! To summarize, a legendary hero is dead, and a necromancer, farmer, and childhood friend must team up to fight demons in his stead.
The humor factor comes in when audiences realize the legendary hero Sion Balden was killed by pit traps dug by hapless farmer Touka Scott. Now Scott has to pose as the hero, with his soul in the hero's body. Scott is joined by his childhood friend Yuna Eunice, who is a strong warrior, and Anri Haynesworth, who is Sion's trusted necromancer.
5) Skip and Loafer
If anyone wants a sweet series to balance out all the crazy, Skip and Loafer is the spring 2023 anime for them. This series follows the fish-out-of water story of a young country girl named Mitsumi Iwakura, who moved to Tokyo to attend a prestigious high school. Naturally, things do not go as planned, and she needs to adjust quickly.
Thankfully, her first friend is a handsome male classmate named Shima, and the two quickly bond over how hard life is to adjust to. The series is very low-key and is considered a lot more than most high school anime. It is just about the characters involved and is a lot slower. There is nothing supernatural to see.
6) Blue Orchestra
Music anime has already made a comeback with Bocchi the Rock! but what if it was an entire orchestra? Blue Orchestra is more than just the pressure of having to make a band or the pressure to succeed; it's about rediscovering a passion and dealing with past traumas.
Hajime Anono loved to play the violin, since his father was a professional player. After a messy divorce shatters the pedestal his father was put on, Aono swears off the violin. His life turns around when he meets aspiring violinist Ritsko Akine, who shares his dream of playing professionally. The anime is about the journey the two undertake to join the orchestra club at a prestigious high school.
7) My Clueless First Friend
Sometimes people get tired of following around teens with magical powers or trauma, so they need something to heal their souls and be a simpler story. Some in the Spring 2023 anime season fit the bill, like My Clueless First Friend. Sometimes all that's needed is for one person to talk to another to forge a friendship.
This anime stars Akane Nishimura, a quiet and nearly goth-like girl that everyone dubs "the Grim Reaper" and generally avoids due to her appearance. A new student named Taiyō Takada, oblivious to her reputation, decides to befriend her. This 13-episode anime is a comedic series about friendships between an extrovert and an introvert.
8) Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Punch
It wouldn't be an anime season without an isekai, wouldn't it? This time around, it's Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Punch, the second season of the already underrated Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, which premiered in 2020. An isekai with a female protagonist, no less, and also without trying to become the strongest.
Yuna was a 15-year-old girl who was also financially wealthy but also a NEET. She was transported into her favorite online game in a bear suit. She decided to enjoy her new life, as her old like was rather empty. Her adventures are more slice of life, helping people wherever she can.
9) The Marginal Service
Back to the sci-fi genre with The Marginal Service, a detective story and alien invasion story wrapped up in one. When Brian Nightraider's detective status is revoked owing to a suspect seemingly killing himself in front of him, Nightraider finds himself flung into a supernatural drug industry.
A secret UN research group is formed to monitor "Borderlanders", alien monsters secretly living among humanity. Nightraider finds out that "The Marginal Service" is akin to Men in Black. They aid the peaceful Earth-native cryptids or aliens that want to integrate and destroy those that are only there to invade.
10) Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story Season 2
One of the more underrated anime from the spring 2022 season returns for another round in the spring 2023 anime season. Who knew a sports anime about golf, of all things, would actually captivate audiences? It's probably the combination of sports and insane mafia storylines that intertwine with it.
Birdie Wing season 2 picks up with Eve and Aoi in a doubles match, with Eve's true parentage being revealed and more underground golf matches. Aoi, meanwhile, struggles on Japan's Women's Pro Tour to become a pro golfer. All the while, money changes hands, and various mafias bet on the two.
With that, the list of 10 spring 2023 anime that are underrated comes to a close. From straightforward sci-fi action like Witch From Mercury's second season and The Marginal Service to sweet affairs like My Clueless First Friend, the spring 2023 anime season has something for everyone to enjoy.
There were many anime in the spring 2023 anime season that weren't mentioned here, either because they were too popular or far too obscure. If any readers have any underrated favorites from the spring 2023 anime season that weren't mentioned here, they are free to say as much in the comments.
