I’ve been seriously slacking in the blogging department, especially when it comes to bringing the wonders of anime to everyone who happens by. It’s time to remedy that! The summer 2014 anime season is in full swing, and I’ve watched enough (3 to 4 episodes each) to have a list of recommendations.
Looking for a good laugh? Try:
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun: High schooler Chiyo Sakura tries to confess her feelings to Umetaro Nozaki, but he mistakes her for a fan of his work instead. For sheer amount of laughs, this anime has to top my summer 2014 list. The Crunchyroll synopsis calls the cast “very individualistic characters,” and I totally agree with that. This anime has fun playing with character archetypes–sometimes outright breaking them. Add in great dialogue and and hilarious plots, and I’m left a giggling puddle of happy on the floor after watching it every week. I see some hints of actual *feels* which might leave me a bit teary, but we’ll see.
Barakamon: Master calligrapher Seishu moves to a small island town in order to find a better path for himself, but the quiet life he envisioned is constantly being disrupted by the island’s inquisitive but well-meaning children. Funimation’s site layout feels more like a labyrinthine game in which I must battle poor planning and design to reach my queue list, but I’m so glad I tracked this show down. For those of you who love realistic–and humorous–portrayals of kids, this is the show for you (no lolis or shotas here). Seishu is a bit of an idiot (in the sweetest sense of the word), but luckily the island residents are welcoming and seem to have a lot to teach him. Lots of great laughs and also quite a few touching moments so far.
Magimoji Rurumo: Kota Shibaki accidentally summons a witch trainee during a school club activity, introducing him to the world of witches and magic. If you’re looking for substance with your comedy, this isn’t the place for it. Lots of fluffy fun and some “aww” moments, though. I’m always smiling after every episode.
Samurai Jam-Bakumatsu Rock: Speaking of fluffy fun, SJBR is definitely in that category too. Oh, and don’t be fooled by “rock” in the title. We’re not talking rock-n-roll here. We’re talking boy band pop set in the Bakumatsu Era, though with convenient things like electric guitars and stage lights. Oh, and the Shinsengumi are government pop idols. Seriously, I’m not making this shit up. Add in clothes that blow off the protagonists when they really get rockin’ and you have a recipe for a lot of silly with a side of sweet and hilarious.
Looking for a good drama (tears optional)? Try:
Terror in Resonance: I have to take my anime drama in small doses, heavily cut with comedy. Thus, I don’t have a lot of dramatic titles for you. However, Terror in Resonance is turning out to have everything I look for: circumstances that shape complex, damaged characters and lead to impossible choices. I have no idea if any light of hope can shine in this story. All I know is that I’m bringing the tissues along for the journey.
RE: Hamatora (second season): Hamatora is a unique mix of X-men (with cooler powers, in my opinion) and Sherlock (young, brilliant mystery solvers) with a good dose of humor to balance out the darker moments. Hamatora not only gives a very interesting world but also a cast of unique characters, both good guys and bad guys (though this is the type of anime where it’s not always clear where the line between the two is drawn). Lead protagonist “Nice” (yes, that’s his name) lives by his own code, and a lot of my fascination with the series is seeing the world through his eyes. Supporting cast is also well-developed with their own stories, which are slowly revealed. Season one ends on a huge cliff-hanger, but fortunately four episodes of RE: Hamatora are already out for your viewing pleasure.
Looking for some creepy horror? Try:
Tokyo Ghoul: People-eating ghouls terrorize Tokyo. As soon as I saw the promotional video for this one, I knew I’d have to watch it. The animation and character designs are awesome and gruesome and fascinating, and the plot is heavy with questions about what makes us human and how human morality could relate to a species that feeds off of humans. Also, people-eating ghouls in Tokyo. Come on, you know you wanna see that!
Want some boys in your love stories? Try:
Free! Iwatobi Swim Club Eternal Summer (second season): Okay, so technically, Free! is not a boys love anime, but other than actual lip-locking, you pretty much have all the bishie-boy relationship drama of one, plus some cool as hell swimming and great characters. This one is high on my humor list, and has also brought me to tears a few times. Season two is not just resting on its fan-servicing laurels either. We have *gasp* actual character growth after the events of the first season, new plots, and tantalizing new characters.
Love Stage!!: Best anime this season for me, bar none. If you ever wanted to try a shounen-ai/boys love title, I recommend starting with this one. My very hetero husband enjoys it for the humor factor alone. Anime style is fresh and fun, and the two protagonists are totally clueless and freaking adorable. I can’t wait to see how things unfold past episode three (which I’ve watched three times already).
DRAMAtical Murder: If not for Love Stage!!, I’d probably be a lot more excited about DRAMAtical Murder than I am. It’s a cute story so far with a whole cast of hotties for fangirls to fantasize about (doing it with each other, that is). The soft sci-fi setting and bright palette are really eye-catching, and I’d probably watch the show for that alone. Plus, personal assistant animal computer companions. What can beat that?? Oh, I should mention that I know nothing about the game/visual novel it is based on, so my impressions are of the anime alone.
If you want to see the promotional videos for these (and other) summer 2014 anime titles, you can check out this youtube list here.
Those are all of my recommendations for now. This is by no means a complete list of anime titles this season, just the ones that stood out to me (my watchlist is muuuch larger). Also, if you’re new to anime and have no idea where to start, drop me a note in the comments and tell me what kinds of stories/genres you like. I’ll let you know what I thought was awesome and tell you where to find it legally online.
Line x Letter 