There are lots of exciting things slated for 2020 release: the new Wonder Woman movie; the next Ghostbusters film; the long-awaited Black Widow stand-alone; the debut of new series Locke and Key… lots of major premieres and new seasons of returning favorites. But may we also suggest for you some other goodies that might be flying under your radar? Here are some of what the Speculative Chic gang are looking forward in the new year!
Kristina Elyse Butke: In Japan, Studio Trigger released an anime film called Promare. The blurb:
Promare is an explosive showdown between Burning Rescue and the destructive Mad Burnish in an electrifying, explosively colorful action-adventure. Thirty years has passed since the appearance of Burnish, a race of flame-wielding mutant beings, who destroyed half of the world with fire. When a new group of aggressive mutants calling themselves “Mad Burnish” appears, the epic battle between Galo Thymos, a new member of the anti-Burnish rescue team “Burning Rescue,” and Lio Fotia, the leader of “Mad Burnish” begins.
I’ve known about this since March 2019 because of the large booths for it at Anime Japan in Tokyo (they had life-size statues of the lead characters!). It came out in Japan in May and I didn’t go see it…because even though I’ve lived here more than three years, I just cannot wrap my head around the language. Usually if I want to see an anime in English I have to wait for the dub to release on home video, or if I’m lucky, on streaming (but there are region blocks, so no Crunchyroll or Funimation. Unless it’s something like a Netflix Original, I’m out of luck).
Kristina’s shot of the Promare booth at Anime Japan 2019 in Tokyo.
Imagine my surprise when they just recently announced that Promare’s English dub will be coming to Japan! I’ve heard through word-of-mouth and Twitter that the dub is exceptionally high quality, and it must be, because to have Japanese animation released in English here is like…not a thing. Not that I know of, anyway!
The Promare dub has already started premiering in very limited theaters in Japan, and they’ll continue releasing it into January in additional locations. I live in Kyushu (Kumamoto prefecture!), and there are no releases scheduled yet, but I know they’ll start adding them into the new year. I’m guessing it will play in Fukuoka, the largest city in Kyushu, which is just over an hour from me. If they don’t bring it to my island, guess what my biggest disappointment of 2020 will be? 😂
Lane Robins: So I have three things I’m really looking forward to and since the title of this post is anticipations plural, I’m taking it as writ that I can talk about more than one.
It seems like every year I’m eagerly anticipating a Robert Jackson Bennett book. I flat-out adored 2018’s Foundryside (though for various reasons, I didn’t read it until 2019). The first book in The Founders series, it’s full of delicious story elements I love: a clever, competent heroine in over their head, grudging alliances, awesome magical systems, nifty action sequences, and lots and lots of painful personal revelations. Both Sancia and Captain Dandolo carry secrets that they don’t even understand, and that’s like catnip to me. Add in Bennett’s fabulous writing and I’m eager for book 2. Shorefall, is coming out April 2020, and I know I’ll snap it up immediately. Bennett’s one of my favorite authors writing today.
Speaking of favorite authors: Martha Wells’ Murderbot is scheduled to be back May 2020 in Network Effect. If you haven’t read the first four novellas in the Murderbot Diaries, you 
might be missing out. A wry, rogue SecUnit who just wants to binge-watch futuristic soap operas and be left alone is constantly being forced to help out squishy, flailing human types.
Moving toward movies! I can’t wait to see The Black Widow. I’ve wanted a Natasha Romanov movie from the moment she got a real personality in Captain America: Winter Soldier. And we’re finally, finally, finally, finally getting one! I’m personally hoping it does so well that they retcon her death in Endgame and bring her back for more. I love that the trailer brings her “sister” into the picture. More Marvel heroines, please!
I lied.
There are four things I’m madly anticipating. I only had three but I was writing this up when the trailer for Wonder Woman 84 dropped and it rocketed straight to the top of my list. I’ve already watched the trailer repeatedly. Wonder Woman was my childhood hero and this incarnation of her is so … wonderful. I love that the writers and director don’t seem to be afraid to make her a genuine force of nature. The trailer shows her swinging off of lightning bolts! Flat-out ridiculous, and yet, I say hell, yeah, why not, can I buy a ticket yet?
Nicole Taft: Instead of jumping on the expected hype (Wonder Woman, Ghostbusters, etc.) my excitements are smaller. Sure, I’m excited for those other things, but so is everyone else. Instead, when it comes to movies, I’m very interested in seeing how the Sonic the Hedgehog movie turns out. Especially after the massive animation revamping that had to be done.
In case you missed out on the crazy uproar months ago, the first Sonic trailer revealed, well, Sonic the Hedgehog, and he looked atrocious. Frightening, even. Social media exploded and everyone, myself included, made it clear that this was NOT okay. The demand was to redo Sonic, go ahead and push back the movie, and to make sure they paid the animators properly while doing so.
They did, and now Sonic looks like Sonic. He’s adorable rather than horrifying, and while most of us fans are still pretty sure the storyline will be extraordinarily stupid, at least now we’re excited to see a normal-looking Sonic in the movie. I’m looking forward to seeing what they cooked up and, bare minimum, will see the movie in order to support the animators that worked so hard on making him look the way he should have from day one.
In book news, the final book in the Ash Princess trilogy by Laura Sebastian will be released in February: Ember Queen. It’s been a good YA fantasy series so far, and with so much left to do, I’m very curious as to how it all shakes out — especially given what the heroine of the series, Theodosia, did at the very end of the second book.
February is also when book four in the fantasy romance series The Embraced will be released. How to Love Your Elf by Kerrelyn Sparks is finally coming out after her original publisher dropped her mid-series and Kensington picked it up (thanks, Kensington!). Though I’ve never been a fan of the titles (they all play off romantic comedy movies which….is weird), the stories are enjoyable and I’m looking forward to seeing how they eventually end. And this February, I’ll be one step closer.
Shara White: Sometimes I feel so out of touch that I just have absolutely no idea what’s happening when, so coming up with something to look forward to feels like an exercise in futility, because obviously, I’m stoked about Wonder Woman 1984 and Black Widow (and who knows? Maybe I’ll wear my Black Widow cosplay to the theater to watch!). But it finally hit me on Christmas Day: Season 3 of Westworld is coming out on HBO in 2020, and it promises to challenge my perceptions of what this show is and can be. The first two seasons have been absolutely amazingly mind-boggling, and I’m certain season 3 won’t disappoint.
As it is with every Roundtable, the conversation’s not complete without you! Let us know what you’re excited for in 2020! Is it something worthy of all the hype? A genuine treat that might be overlooked? Enlighten us in the comments below!
I can’t tell if I am genuinely excited for Wonder Woman 1984 or if I am just nostalgic for the 1980s. I love the trailer, though. I also want to know what Rumpelstilskin mythical creature can cut me a deal to look like Gal Gadot.