Summer 2018 Anime Season: Initial picks (Part 1)
The previous season was a really good one with a lot of long awaited sequels and hyped shows airing side by side leaving nothing much to be desired of, so following up after that great season is going to be a challenge.
We are currently in the midst of Summer 2018 and so far a lot of the titles have shown promise so this is shaping up to be a great season as well. But I think it goes without saying that we can't watch every show airing every season. So here I am with my own list of anime shows I am looking forward to every week that some of you might find useful (I have a questionable taste tho so just keep it in the back of your mind while reading this lol). With the long introduction over let's start this thing now!
1. Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro (Chio's School Road)
Genres: Comedy, Seinen
This is a unique one, most of us might be familiar already about anime that focuses on students and their life at school, but this may be the first time that we got ourselves a show about a student's daily commute to school. Some might be thinking that there's nothing much of significance that they can squeeze into that premise since it is just too plain, I mean who would want to sit and watch a girl going to school for 20+ mins every week. That is exactly how I initially thought when I first stumbled upon the show but I remembered that this is Japanese animation we're talking about, known for turning absurd ideas into something that normal human beings can't even begin to understand. And that quirkiness is on full display this season, this one is just the tip of the iceberg.
So how did this show managed to get on my list? If I were to put it into few words then I think it is because it is "oddly relatable". The main character is a socially awkward girl that loves playing games that always finds herself in absurd situations during her commute to school. There is an instance where she tried to act like an assassin in the game she played and proceeds to jump from roof to roof just to make it in school on time, which even though I haven't tried (and probably won't ever try), I can somehow relate to it because I have those little delusions when I was younger too, thinking how cool it would be to have superpowers and do things straight out of works of fiction.
We have abundance of comedy shows this season, good ones at that and I personally would put this somewhere around the top. I wouldn't say it is the best yet since some comedy shows tends to get stale near end and I hope this wouldn't happen on this one. Currently, with 2 episodes out it still delivering really well, especially the awkward moments that gets more awkward as they try to resolve the situation, another thing that most of us can relate to.
2. Hataraku Saibou (Cells at Work)
Genres: Comedy, Shounen
Now that you've made it past the hurdles of your way to school let's start the first period - Biology!
Just like I said earlier, anime's quirkiness is on full display this season and this is another addition to the growing bizarre anime titles. We have seen progressive development in the Japanizing beam, it started with animals then we got ourselves ship girls, then mythical creatures and finally our own planet (dayum!), but if you are thinking that we are going to see Universe-chan this time then I have a bad news for you, it seems like we are not yet ready for that so in lieu of that they decided to go back to basic and give us cells (Japanized beam version).
Just as the title suggests, this is the story of human's cells as they perform their daily functions. The red blood cells that carry oxygen, white blood cells that protect the body from invaders, the platelets that aid in closing wounds and many other types of cells that we house in our body.
This is a show that you shouldn't judge by its description alone because they combined shounen elements on this one so expect exciting fights. And who could have imagined that we'd live to see the day where we'd see blood cells getting splattered... with blood? This actually makes me think if the blood of these blood cells have a smaller version of themselves, some sort of inception thing but I guess I would lose my sanity first before I get my answer so might as well not pry too much on that one.
If you are still not convinced, then I would use my trump card and let's see if you can still resist from watching this.
3. Angolmois: Genkou Kassenki
Genres: Action, Drama, Historical, Military, Samurai
First period is now over and it is time to start the next class - History.
It is not like everyday we get to see a historical anime show so that alone is reason enough for me to give this one a shot, and as expected, the thrill of tactical wars involving swords, spears, arrows and proud warriors could never go wrong.
The story is off to a strong start too, it is about mongol invasion and our protagonist should hold off the enemy forces for at least 7 days, the time that reinforcements is expected to arrive. However, they are at a great disadvantage with sheer number and types of weaponry alone, so how things will play out is something that will keep its viewers at the edge of their seats.
The animation style is also a good fit to the serious and dark tone of the anime. The character designs and movements are pretty nice as well, and at last, we get to have a show dedicated to the unsung hero of Dragon Ball universe, the mighty Yamcha himslef is taking the lead this time! Hype!
Just kidding but the resemblance is there so why not?
4. Asobi Asobase
Genres: Comedy, Drama, School
School's finally over but before heading home let's drop by the Pass club!
Asobi Asobase is a show about the wonderful friendship of 3 school girls as they pass time in the pass club. Nah scratch that, don't let the opening theme deceive you because this is a slap stick comedy show with a lot of weird faces, ridiculous situations, weird faces, funny reactions and a whole lot more of weird faces that I lost count of how many different styles they have already tried with just 2 episodes in the series.
The different personalities of the three main characters and their interactions has been a good concoction so far that had me laughing hard for almost the entirety of the show. We have the intimidating Kasumi that is surprisingly clumsy and shy, Hanako is the doofus but extremely talented girl that wants to be famous and, Olivia, a foreigner girl with foreigner parents but was born and raised in Japan that is pretending to be from over seas.
I am strangely fascinated on how anime depicts English speakers, the sound they come up with is kind of weird but cute at the same time and that may be the reason why I like Olivia's character. Other recent examples would be El Condor Pasa from Uma Musume, Ellen Kohagura from Toji no Miko and Alexis Leskinen from Steins; Gate 0 ("Lintahlo").
This is another top contender for the best comedy show this season. The animation and voice acting are on point and some people are even comparing it to the best comedy anime shows like Nichijou, Plastic Neesan and Daily Lives of High School Boys so expectations for this one is quite high. So if you are bored then head over to the surreal school life of these three girls and let's pass some time!
This is the first of the three part list that I am making but do take note that these are on going shows so things might turn out for the better or for the worse as the season progress. However I am planning on making a final list by the end of the season so don't be too hard on me when some of the shows I listed here turned stale by the end of the season. Anyway let's just enjoy what we have and see you again on my next list!
Ciao~