We are now officially into the second half of the year as far as anime seasons are concerned
and we are starting to get a better picture on exactly which shows we might start talking
about to be best of year.
While the last two seasons have given us several good contenders – some expected and some
from out of nowhere (unless you read the manga) – summer is traditionally when things get
kicked into high gear.
This upcoming season is no exception.
So today we are going to be looking at 5 anime that, based off of the information we have
now, have a good chance to be contenders for best of season or even best of year.
Though admittedly, I have limited the list to shows that are currently confirmed to be
available on legal streaming services, both so that I don’t ramble on about a multitude
of shows when you could potentially not have the time to watch anyway, becides like a few of them.
and also because I could literally just spend the entire length of the video gushing over “Maidens of the
Savage Season” because it’s an adaptation of Mari Okada’s writing, but I’ll spare
you that fanboying... until its own separate video.
Also, I’m not going to be talking about the Danmachi sequel because I’ve not been
the biggest fan of that series, so of course I won’t consider it in the running for best
of season.
Fight me.
So now that we are all settled and hopefully prepared for the summer heat, we should get
started.
BUT FIRST, A QUICK WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR!
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Visit the link in the description for a free 14-day trial of their premium service so that
you can keep up-to-date on many of the anime we will be talking about in the video today!
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For those who support Glass Reflection in this manner, thank you.
Now, when we talk about summer, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?
For me, it’s HEAT.
So let’s start with that.
One year ago, David Production made an anime about what happens to the cells in our body
through everyday life.
Now they are adapting a manga about bodies that spontaneously combust and
how society deals with this when it occurs on a massive worldwide scale.
In Fire Force, most of the world has been engulfed in flames.
An unknown phenomenon has started to turn people into infernal beings of pure fire that
leave destruction in their wake.
Eventually however, humanity decides to fight fire with fire.
Newer generations of humans find themselves able to control or emit fire while not being
consumed by it, thereby maintaining human form.
So many of them have been placed into special companies with uniforms not unlike traditional
fire fighters to combat the infernals and save society from burning to the ground.
The story seems to be focusing on a young recruit named Shinra, who joined the Special
Fire Force Company 8 to team up with other flame users to fight various threats.
Considering this comes from the same mangaka as Soul Eater, a variety of things native
to action shounen should be expected, lovingly animated by the team over at David Production
for all to see.
We don’t know yet exactly how long this series is going to air, but it is possible
that this will end up being a multi-cour production.
There’s definitely enough material for it, as the manga is pushing 16 volumes at present
and Soul Eater went for a whole 52 episodes when it only had 14 volumes out by the time
the anime wrapped up.
Although manga readers were quite disappointed in Soul Eater’s ending, so perhaps it’s
best not to hope for too much there.
Personally, I’m looking forward to more details on the setting.
So instead of the world being covered in fire and burning people alive, in Dr. Stone we
instead get a flash of light of unknown origin that petrifies all of humanity for several
thousand years.
Everyone on the entire planet is turned to stone, but not necessarily dead.
After millennia have passed, two high school students are able to break free of the stone
through sheer force of will.
They decide to rebuild society with the power of SCIENCE!
But of course, their goals are not accepted by everyone who ends up breaking out of the
stone with them.
Dr. Stone is mostly on my radar because people I follow in the manga community have been
talking my ear off about it nonstop since 2017, but for a long time I never bothered
to look into the series itself.
Heh, I still haven’t beyond a cursory glance at promotional material for this video.
But this is also a very good example of why you probably shouldn’t do as I do and base
initial impressions off of promotional art alone.
Looking at the anime poster, if someone told me that this anime called Dr. Stone has a
guy holding what could potentially be a bong, I’d believe them and then come away with
a very different idea on what the show is about.
But it’s not a bong!
It’s a beaker!
Because SCIENCE!
While I admit I’m not necessarily sold on the narrative of the show yet, it’s the
production behind it that has my interest peaked.
There’s stellar music in the trailers and the character designs look awesome.
This might be a series I watch for its production, only to fall in love with the narrative later.
But time will tell.
Every season, I like to dig around and find a wild-card type of show that I don’t necessarily
see people talking about, but that has enough style or flare to it that I could possibly
see it becoming a surprise hit.
This season, my wildcard is an anime called “To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts”.
It’s a dark fantasy anime from studio MAPPA following the history of a fantasy continent
called Patria. It contains two warring countries to the north and south.
The war eventually ends when one side chooses to use a forbidden technology on its soldiers,
turning them into god-like beasts called Incarnates.
Now with the war at its end, one of these soldiers is on a mission to find fellow Incarnates
–those who chose to forgo their human forms – and hunt them down.
Now really, this series has a few things going against it.
Firstly, it’s an action series trying to fight alongside not only those airing at the
same time, but following some stellar ones from seasons past.
Its staff, barring the studio itself, is mostly unknown and the roles we do know give me pause,
like the director who is far more familiar with romance anime than dark fantasy.
But that’s why I have it as a wild-card.
I’m totally down for people to surprise me with things unpredictably and studio MAPPA
has rarely let me down before.
But you know, even if I’m wrong and it disappoints me, I have other fantasy shows on my watch list
Such as….
WAVER’S BACK, BABY!
While many different anime entries of Type-Moon’s Fate Universe either exist in alternate realities
or are so far off the beaten track they could never be anything even possibly considered
“canon”.
The Case Files of Lord El-Meloi II is a mystery anime that takes place 10 years after the
events of Fate/Zero, following the story of the formerly young and inexperienced master
of Rider Alexander.
Now currently instructor at the Mage Association’s London Clock Tower, he has taken over the
role left by Kayneth El-Meloi, master of Lancer.
Episode 0 of the anime became available last December as a brief preview of what is to
come – especially since, as with far too much of the Fate franchise, the original novels
have never received an official English translation.
But for fans of Waver’s character from Zero, if you want to check out how this guy has
evolved, how he came to have a young apprentice who looks like the franchise favourite Saber,
or if you might instead enjoy watching him get stepped on by a girl many years his junior
before attempting to solve magical mysteries in the Fate universe, then this series is
for you, as much as it is for me.
To be clear, I’m watching this for Grey.
The whole getting stepped on isn’t really my thing….
Last up, we look at a series for people who
have previously thought to themselves, “Man, Attack on Titan is still freaking amazing.
I hope Wit Studio keeps that up for other projects that they work on.”
Vinland Saga is a historical action series that has been in print since the manga was
first released back in 2005.
It is written by the same mangaka who penned the fantastic science fiction series Planetes,
which conveniently is also one of my favourite sci-fi anime ever.
Can you tell I’m biased?
This story is a somewhat fantastical account of events taking place in 1030 AD, using many
plot points and characters from the events of the time in England and the titular Vinland.
Vinland was the name given to a specific part of North America by the then Vikings several
hundred years before Christopher Columbus would come along and claim he was the first.
While the actual modern-day location of Vinland is a topic of much discussion and controversy
among scholars, it is generally believed to be what is now known as Atlantic Canada, with
several accounts describing locations native to the Isle of Newfoundland, conveniently
where my family is from!
Can you tell I’m biased?
None of that really has much to do with the actual narrative though.
The manga itself, though evoking the names of the two great sagas detailing the Norse
exploration of North America, actually starts in England at the start of the 11th century.
The story follows the young Thorfinn who is raised by the very Vikings who killed his
family.
He has a desire to one day grow strong enough to kill the Viking Band’s leader, but he
also dreams of a place from the stories of Leif Ericson, a place called Vinland.
So, this anime has a narrative by a writer I trust, is produced by a studio that has
consistently proven they know what they are doing, and contains subject matter somewhat
close to my family’s home.
Damn right I’m excited for Vinland Saga!
And I realise that this summer season is like the season of action titles.
Perhaps that’s a bit too much of one kind of anime, but really every show I’ve focused
on today has the potential to be worth your time and to succeed at being one of the best
of the year.
Not all of them will achieve this, obviously, but I look forward to watching them all regardless,
as the summer heat slowly melts me into nothing.
So there it is, my brief take on the highlights of the upcoming season and what I personally
will be watching…at least until any of them prove that I had a bit too much faith in my
potential enjoyment of them.
Were there any shows that I missed?
Shows I’m unfairly skipping over?
Hi, Danmachi fans!
Let me know down in the comments.
As stated before, most of the anime listed today is available from this video’s sponsor
Crunchyroll, with Vinland Saga being the only exception.
As that one is going to be available over on Amazon.
But for the Crunchyroll shows, feel free to click on the link in the description for a
14-day trial of Crunchyroll’s premium service if you find yourself in need of it.
Lastly, I would like to give a very special thank you to my patrons, who never cease to
humble me with their continued support.
I love and appreciate you all.
And an even bigger thank you to patrons Rune Jachobson, Joshua Garcia, Calhoonboy , Matthew
Robertson, Hector Montemayor, Siri Yamiko, Ryefan Boneapart and Richard Emil Bradley
for being extremely awesome.
Until next time, ladies, gentlemen, and others, watch more anime, and Stay Frosty.