Hello, everybody! I’m writing this from the ever hot and humid Arkansas, where summer is just around the corner! I’m already sweating through my shirt just thinking about it! What better way to while away the summer (and escape its oppressive heat) than by never leaving the comfort of my home and powering through this season’s anime? At least, that’s what I would do, if I didn’t have bills to pay! Anyway, you know how this goes by now: I pour through all of the PVs, reviews, and source material that I can get my hands on, so you don’t have to. Based on this “research” I compile a list of all of the shows that I think are worth watching. Click the “Continue Reading” button to see this list for yourself!
Continuing from Spring 2019
This Seems Strangely Familiar…
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Even though Boruto’s wormed its way into the “Continuing from Spring 2019” section of “Ty’s Top Picks for Summer 2019”, it’s really anybody’s guess as to how much longer I’ll actually be watching this show! My biggest complaint about it is that it’s just so… unambitious… It’s basically just a dollar store version of its predecessor, Naruto. It’s similar in a lot of respects and treads much of the same ground, e.g. we’ve already seen a rehashing of the Chuunin Exam and Sasuke Retrieval arcs and, recently, it even teased the revival of one of Naruto’s best villains (though it, sadly, failed to deliver on that promise), but everything it does has already been done before, only so much better…
Demon Slayer
I recently wrote a list of reasons to watch Demon Slayer. You can find this here. Since then, my appreciation for the show has only grown, following the introduction of its main villain, Muzan Kibutsuji. He’s sinister, mysterious, and commands an overwhelming presence. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more of him in action! And even though Nezuko and Tanjiro are more than capable of carrying the entire show, it will still be nice to see their little group expand to include both Inosuke and Zenitsu.
Fruits Basket (2019)
What can I say about Fruits Basket (2019) that I haven’t already said in one of my many essays on it? If you are following my weekly posts on this show, it won’t surprise you to hear that I’m absolutely loving it! This may be a controversial statement, but it’s definitely up there with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Hunter x Hunter (2011) in terms of quality reboots! I’m practically foaming at the mouth over the thought that, should the anime adapt the manga in its entirety and at the same pace that it has been, we’re due for nearly 90 more episodes of this beauty!
Standalones
Astra Lost in Space
Who among you has ever heard of Infinite Ryvius? Nobody? Well, I’d wager that the creator of Astra Lost in Space has (since its premise is near identical)! Ah, well! I’ve always loved Ryvius, so I’m willing to give this spiritual successor a go! One of the main reasons why I loved Ryvius was that it did a great job of tapping into my intense fear of space (namely, of being lost in its crushing, never-ending, and overwhelming darkness). Most space anime go the opposite route, painting a picture of space that is positively dripping in awe and childlike wonder. These shows are fun, but I loved Ryvius’ much darker tone. I’m pretty psyched, then, that Astra’s premise isn’t the only thing that it’s borrowing from Ryvius! Its unnerving trailer made my palms sweat just to watch!
Cop Craft
I reckon I would have passed up Cop Craft, were it not for the fact that there wasn’t much this upcoming season that caught my eye… It just doesn’t seem like my kind of show. But, after some consideration, I decided that a buddy cop anime with a fantasy flair might be kinda fun… Unfortunately, I couldn’t dig up a lot on the light novel that it’s being adapted from (since it’s not been officially translated into English), save for the fact that it was written by the same author who wrote Fullmetal Panic and Hyouka (the latter of which I just loved), but I’m kind of hoping for gruff, jaded PI meets fussy, fantasy loli. That dynamic would be pretty freaking funny to watch play out on screen!
Dr. Stone
Of the entire summer lineup, Dr. Stone is the show to have generated the most buzz so far. This isn’t particularly surprising, given that it is a Shounen Jump adaptation (and these have experienced an uptick in quality and popularity in recent years). Whilst I don’t think that it’ll wind up being Anime of the Year and Senkuu is the kind of OP protagonist that I tend not to like, there are still a few things about it that interest me: 1. its post-apocalyptic setting. I definitely wanna see how two dudes go about rebuilding civilisation from scratch. 2. its art. Given that it’s from the mangaka behind Eyeshield 21, I was expecting the manga to have a more cartoonish appearance, but it’s opted for a slightly more modern and realistic art style that actually looks really good! 3. its themes. I really want to see it unpack the dilemma of whether it’s best to revive the plague that is humanity or to just let nature take its course.
Given
Given is being marketed as noitamina’s “first-ever BL offering”. That’s cool and all, but are they forgetting last year’s Banana Fish or 2011’s No.6? Or maybe they just want to erase all traces of No.6’s existence after its clusterfuck of a finale? The BDs and DVDs are out of print now… Anyway, despite its blatantly false advertising, I’m still pretty excited about this show! I couldn’t dig up much (or anything, really) about it, despite my best efforts, so my excitement is based purely on its two genres: shounen ai and music, but still… I haven’t watched a good music anime as it aired since Kids on the Slope back in 2012 (I’m still waiting for Carole and Tuesday to emerge from Netflix hell)!
Fire Force
From the mangaka who brought us Soul Eater and produced by the studio that animated JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure? Fire Force has some promising credentials! Not to mention that it taps into every little boy’s (and some strange little girls, like me) dream of becoming a firefighter! Sadly, this show’s art style has far less *ahem* soul than Soul Eater’s and, after carrying out my “research”, it seems as if its hero, Shinra, is your bog-standard shounen protag who, not only dreams of becoming “X”, but likes to remind you of the fact every other episode! That being said, it looks pretty enough and if, like me, you’ll gobble up anything with the “shounen” tag, you’ll probably still wind up liking it!
How Many Kilograms are the Dumbbells You Lift?
The one trailer in existence for this show doesn’t tell you a lot about it, but that’s probably because, according to what I managed to dig up, it doesn’t really have a story. One reviewer even described its source material (web manga) as “a training manual that looks like a manga”. A lack of story isn’t necessarily a bad thing, so long as its characters are endearing and entertaining, I could sit through an anime about watching paint dry! I’m not expecting anything revolutionary, but the fact that it’s a female-led sports anime about attaining fitness in a healthy way (to say that there’s a shortage of that in anime is an understatement) is enough to convince me to watch it! And, Lord knows, I could do with some tips on how to shift my chunk!
Maidens of the Savage Season
If anime is to be believed, Japan is, paradoxically, sexless and sex-mad. Is it too much to ask for a show that treats sex, well, normally? As something that’s a big part of people’s lives, but not the be all and end all? Maidens of the Savage Season, in which a group of young high schoolers explore their burgeoning sexualities, might be one such show… From what I’ve read, these girls are neither nuns nor nymphos. Sure, they approach the topic of sex with some embarrassment, but they still manage to be open and honest about their feelings, while seriously contemplating what the act means to them. If you’re looking for a show where the topic of sex is explored sensitively and with the respect that it’s due, this might be the show for you… If, however, you’re looking for a show where hot, young anime babes get it ooon, then I’d give this one a miss! Maidens of the Savage Season, which is more talk than action (which is fine by me), will just wind up blue-balling you!
Overall Impression
During a time when isekai anime still dominate the lineup each and every season (when will this madness end!?), it’s always a little difficult for me to find something that appeals to me… Summer 2019’s lineup was no exception. At first… I had to do a bit of digging, but there are a few shows that, despite their underwhelming (or straight up baffling) marketing, seem like they could end up being good, maybe even great, like Astra, Cop Craft, and Given. Whatever the case, it was always going to be difficult competing with Fall’s amazing lineup. I simply cannot wait for more Food Wars, Psycho Pass, Chihayafuru, and Hero Academia!
Watashi Wa Bucho!! 