Anime Pumpkin Spice?

The wind has turned chilly. The hazy Summer sky has finally clear away to reveal a endless sapphire blue expanse over head of fathomless depths. Wide, fan-like leaves have been enriched from the lush green of Summer to the gilded gold and orangey copper of Autumn. The morning frost glistens on the tips of every blade of grass as if dusted with diamonds and silver. This this the season of jewel tones. As if the whole world were a great vault heaped with treasures for all to see. And the greatest treasure of all in this rich season, is Pumpkin Spice of course!

What could fill hearts with such wholesome cheer than the sent of cinnamon in the air and the sight of heaps of chubby pumpkins guarding every storefront? Pumpkin Spice season is the comfiest, warmest, most soft and squishy season of them all! It’s the season of fluffy sweaters and spiced lattes, of pie slices and farm visits, of long walks and taking life a little slower. Of course, what every Pumpkin Spice loving otaku is wondering is, what’s the most Pumpkin Spiciest of anime?

Hmm, to determine the Pumpkin Spice quotient of an anime, we will have to evaluate the anime series on three important factors: 1. Comfiness, 2. Sweetness, and 3. Spiciness. For example, the anime My Roommate Is A Cat has plenty of comfiness and sweetness, but because it lacks spiciness, it could not be considered a Pumpkin Spice anime.

Flying Witch

Witches by their very nature have a hint of spice. What is a bit more rare is the sweet comfy feeling that the slice of life anime Flying Witch manages to conjure up with every episode. Whether it’s a misadventure with farming or a spell misfiring, the befuddled witch in training Makoto always stumbles through the story with a kind of charming innocence. Her temporary home in the countryside with her cousins is as scenic as it is welcoming. And the cousins understanding of the natural world around them and their easy going attitudes of taking everything in stride, gives the whole anime a relaxed comfort that is just so Pumpkin Spice!

Aharen san wa Hakarenai

The anime Aharen san wa Hakarenai (Aharen is Indecipherable) is about the wacky adventures of two classmates sitting next to each other and neither of them being so great at communicating. And it’s this hilarious miscommunication between the two that makes this series so endearing. That and Raido’s outrageous imagination. Whether it’s competing in a rap battle or being force fed meatballs during lunch, these two are an adorable mismatch that is heart warming enough to be comfy, silly enough to be sweet, and romantic enough to be spicy! Which makes for one lovely Pumpkin Spice anime!

Banished from the Hero’s Party

Banished from the Hero’s Party is and anime about the older brother of the greatest hero of the world. There’s just one little problem, the hero of the world is so fantastic that (according to her second in command) she doesn’t need her big brother’s help anymore and he’s just dead weight. And just like that Red (Gideon Ragnason) gets thrown out of his little sister’s party of heroic evil slayers. Though he’s not a hero anymore, Red is a resourceful guy and tries to do the best he can with what he has, and starts life over again in a remote backwater.

It should be no surprise that this anime would find it’s way on to my last Valentine’s Day blog post, but it’s because of these same romantic characteristics that also make this anime quite Pumpkin Spicy. Rit and Red are one of the sweetest couples in anime. But it’s not just their charming romance that is built on respect and understanding that this anime has going for it. There’s also the comfy homey feel of Rit and Red running a potions shop together in the countryside and living a comfy life away from the heroing world. And with just enough action packed monster and bad guy fighting to add a little spice into their quiet lives, this is most definitely an excellent Pumpkin Spice anime!