Summer 2018 Season Preview

Historically speaking, summer has been one of the weakest anime seasons. Over the last 4-5 years, however, that’s started to change – my year-end Top 10 and Top 20 lists have had quite a few summer series on-board more often than not. I don’t know if there was any special reason for that apart from pure chance, but it marked an interesting development.

Well, by that measure Summer 2018 is kicking it old school.

Previews are just that – previews – so there’s really no way to know how good a season is going to be until it actually happens. That said, after doing this long enough one can guess pretty darn accurately most of the time, and this summer looks seriously weak. This spring has been a good season – more in terms of depth than greatness at the top, but good nonetheless. Spring has an inherent advantage in that it’s almost always the biggest schedule, meaning the law of averages is its best friend in terms of producing a number of good series. Summer (and winter, too) can be rough if there’s not much special out there – these are the smaller seasons, and can almost seem to disappear altogether if the stars aren’t aligned. I still remember Winter 2013, when I only finished watching one non-sequel, Kotoura-san – and that was a show that started off great and pretty much jumped the shark.

All in all, this is going to be one of the shortest previews I’ve done in terms of numbers, which is never a good sign. That said, there are a couple of standout prospects that put a stamp of intrigue on summer despite all the reasons for pessimism. One of my favorite manga is finally seeing the screen after a long and frustrating odyssey that’s almost too bizarre to be believed, and one of the greatest living mangaka is finally crossing over into anime – though it’s with an original series, oddly enough. As is usually the case in situations like this, an awful lot is riding on a very small number of series and if any of them crash and burn, the whole season takes a major hit. But at least those series give us reason for hope.

As usual, the poll is in the sidebar – please go vote!  Let’s once again do this in tiers:

 

Highest Expectations:

Planet With – J.C. Staff: (PV) What’s with an original series that’s almost a complete enigma leading off the list – especially given what’s just below it? Such is the enormous respect I have for Mizukami Satoshi. While most readers would have a Mizukami series somewhere on their list of best manga never adapted (my choice would be Spirit Circle), I think almost everyone who knows his work would agree that Mizukami-sensei is among the greatest mangaka whose work has never seen an anime of any kind whatsoever.

Just why that may be is a mystery, and I’d certainly have rather seen one of those richly deserving manga adapted than get an original series. But Planet With is Mizukami-written anime at long last, and that makes it historic. We don’t know that much except that it’s sci-fi (a manga serialization began in May, but I’m saving myself for the anime at this point). But Mizukami has been planning this for a while, is storyboarding the anime himself, and has already done over a thousand storyboards. Am I hyped? Damn straight – that’s how superlative a mangaka Mizukami-sensei is.

Hi Score Girl – J.C. Staff: (PV) It certainly makes me a bit nervous having the two series which are head and shoulders above the rest for me this season both produced by J.C. Staff. They’re as close to neutral as any studio – they can do great work or terrible, beautiful or visibly cheap. And the fact that they have a very busy season doesn’t do anything to reassure.

What a long, frustrating journey it’s been seeing Oshikiri Rensuke’s modern masterpiece of a manga Hi Score Girl (and yes, this is the correct Romanization) make it to the screen. An adaptation was already long overdue when it was announced – in 2014. SNK Playmore sued Square Enix for not getting their permission to use copyrighted material from their games, and not only was the anime put into limbo but even the manga was suspended for a while. Four years later, the moment has finally come – and it’s going to be a full CGI one, apparently. I have so much scar tissue over this title at this point that even that news didn’t dampen my relief that much – this is truly a great school romcom, full of humor and pathos and featuring a fascinating love triangle. I’m not expecting lavish visuals and if indeed this is one cour, that’s not nearly enough to do the (ongoing) story justice. But at this point I’ll take whatever I can get.

Banana Fish – MAPPA: (PV) I confess I haven’t read a single panel of the source manga. But by reputation it’s quite good and agreeably dark, so I’m hopeful. NoitaminA is in the midst of a modest renaissance, and while a perusal of the staff list reveals nothing exceptional, MAPPA is certainly now established as one of the better anime studios in the TV game.

Banana Fish ended 25 years ago, but we’ve been seeing more and more of that sort of thing in adaptation choices in recent years so I guess it’s not that shocking. Story-wise we’re looking at a young man who was adopted and raised by a crime kingpin and developed into a cold-blooded killer, and the man who apparently falls in love with him. It’s not CGDCT or isekai anyway, so that’s a good start.

 

Mid-table:

Tenrou: Sirius the Jaeger – P.A. Works: (PV) There’s not too much detail about this original series beyond “vampires”, “Tokyo” and “1930”.  Crucially, that includes info on who wrote it, always critical with an original (it’s credited to a pseudonym “Project SIRIUS”).  But we do know than Andou Masahiro is directing, and that alone makes Sirius the Jaeger a fairly interesting prospect on an extremely shallow schedule.

Kyoto Teramachi Sanjou no Holmes – Seven: (PV) This series is based on a series of novels (not “light” as far as I know) and is set in the Teramachi shopping district of Kyoto.  The plot finds the son of an antique shop owner and the shop’s part-timer solving various mysteries, which sounds kind of promising.  It’s a seinen as well, which doesn’t hurt.  There’s not much else to go on, but it’s possible this could be a sleeper.

Muhyo to Rouji no Mahouritsu Soudan Jimusho – Deen: (PV) Muhyo and Rouji is based on a WSJ title that ran from 2004-2008 (18 volumes).  I read a bit of it when it was licensed and quite liked it, so I have fairly high hopes for this adaptation, which seems like a good fit for Deen.  The story concerns a young “magical law executor” and his assistant who catch ghosts and decide whether the spirits should be sent to Heaven or Hell.  The staff is pretty solid and so is the manga – which oddly enough puts me in mind of something Ashirogi Muto might have written.  A solid pick to click for sure.

Tsukumogami Kashimasu – Telecom Animation Film: (PV) Unsurprisingly summer is as thin for sleepers as it is generally, but Tsukumogami Kashimasu legitimately seems to be one.  Another novel adaptation, this one is the story of a sister and brother who run a rental shop for everyday items in old Edo, where folks don’t like to buy stuff because of the frequency of fires.  The hook is that a lot of their stuff is tsukumogami, and the siblings have the ability to see and speak with them.  Director Murata Masahiko (Baby Steps, Ghost in the Shell: Arise) is a sure hand, and original character designs are from Lily Hoshino.

Grand Blue – Zero-G: (PV) Noted comedy director Takamatsu Shinji gets the helm (he’s writing as well) for this adaptation of Inoue Kenji’s (Baka-Test) manga about a college student who moves into his uncle’s diving shop in Izu and hooks up with a bunch of diving enthusiast sempai.  College setting and Takamatsu is a good start (from what I hear there’s a lot of drinking in this one – not before diving, I hope), and the manga has a very good reputation for the most part.  Takamatsu-sensei has a better grasp than most on the psyche of young men and how to mine comedy from it, so there’s every reason to be hopeful about Grand Blue.

Sunoharasou no Kanrinin-san – Silver Link: (PV) Girlish-looking boy decides to move to Tokyo for middle school to get a fresh start, and ends up at a boarding house with a busty and kindly caretaker and three girls from the student council.  Sunoharasou is adapted from a 4-koma manga, and Oonuma Shin is involved in the Shinbou-esque “Chief Director” role.  It’s a long-shot, but very mild sleeper vibes here.

 

Modestly Interested:

Phantom in the Twilight – LIDEN FILMS: (PV) An original directed by old Sunrise/Bones hand Mori Kunihiro.  Despite the premise (girl arrives in London and ends up interacting with a bunch of bishounen at a “mysterious cafe”) sounding disturbingly like an otome game, in a season like this Phantom in the Twilight at least gets a look.  It’s set in London, which is unusual for anime if nothing else.

Satsuriku no Tenshi – J.C. Staff: (PV) This game adaptation is a total shot in the dark, really.  Amnesiac 13 year-old girl and serial killer trapped in a building together?  OK, I’ll bite – for an episode.

Angolmois: Genkou Kassenki – NAZ: (PV) Manga adaptation set during the failed Mongol invasion of Japan in the 13th Century.  I don’t know anything about the source material, but that’s a premise I don’t remember seeing in anime so Angolmois is worth a look.

Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro – Diomedea: (PV) The whole story, apparently, is what happens to the titular girl on her way to school.  It’s so absurd as a premise that I’m mildly curious, and the source manga is actually fairly well-regarded.

Island – feel.: (PV) VN adaptation about an island of feuding families who’ve cut off all ties with the mainland and degenerated into social chaos.  Not much here on the surface, but feel. has had a very nice run and that alone is enough to get me to take a look.  Also, director Kawaguchi Keiichirou has done some solid work, including several Minami-ke projects and Hunter X Hunter: The Last Mission.

Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san – Xebec: (PV) Adapted from a modestly popular manga about a boy with the ability to see spirits who ends up living in a boarding house haunted by a girl who was murdered there.  I’m not expecting much to be honest, but that’s what “Modestly Interested” is for…

Hataraku Saibou – David Production: (PV) Anthropomorphized  human cells are the hook with this manga adaptation.  This is hardly an original idea at this point but the staff is decent, so it’s worth a trial run.

Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3 – Wit: (PV) Honestly, I’ve kind of lost interest.  Between Isayama’s chubby for fascism, the general silliness of the developing plot, and the 2-D characters it’s gotten harder and harder to focus on the good things about Shingeki no Kyoujin.  Or, indeed, to remember what they are…

 

Will Definitely Blog: Planet With, Hi Score Girl, Banana Fish

Sleepers: Kyoto Teramachi Sanjou no Holmes, Tsukumogami Kashimasu, Sunoharasou no Kanrinin-san

 

OVA:

Kekkai Sensen & Beyond (OVA) – 7/4/18: Another OVA for the popular Bones adaptation of Nightow’s manga, which survived a high-profile directorial change largely unscathed.

Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san (OVA) – 7/12/18: (PV) A special episode bundled with Volume 9 of the manga.  I have a suspicion we’re going to see a second season of this show at some point – the first sold decently on disc, and the manga has become a cottage industry of spinoffs and side stories.  There’s money to be made, and manga to be adapted.

Golden Kamuy (OVA) – 9/19/18: Another special episode manga bundle, this time with Volume 19.  I have less confidence we’ll see a second season of this series, but it’s possible – a lot is going to come down to how much the one month delay in releasing the disc volumes will hurt sales (which Stalker was predicting – somewhat surprisingly – would be halfway decent).

 

Theatrical:

Mirai no Mirai – 7/20/18: (PV) Any Hosoda Mamoru release is an event, and Mirai no Mirai is already generating a lot of positive buzz after a well-received premiere at Annency and Cannes.  Hosoda-sensei began writing his own films with Bakemono no Ko, and one could argue that while it was very good, there were some growing pains with the transition.  Hopefully the strong reviews indicate he’s grown more comfortable with his dual role.  Family remains very much the core of Hosoda’s works, and Mirai no Mirai appears set to continue that tradition.

Boku no Hero Academia The Movie: Futari no Hero – 8/3/18: (PV) A full theatrical original film is the next stage in Boku no Hero Academia’s development into one of the most powerful franchises in manga and anime.  This one is original, with a concept by Horikoshi Kouhei and a big chunk of Bones’ best animators working on it.  Obviously a BnHA movie is a big deal, though it would be an upset if “Futari no Hero” rises to the same narrative standard as the original series.

Penguin Highway – 8/7/18: (PV) The main source of intrigue with Penguin Highway is that it’s based on a novel of Morimi Tomihiko of Uchouten Kazoku and Tatami Galaxy fame.  The story involves a 4th-grade boy investigating the mysterious appearance of penguins in his hometown, which seems connected to a local woman who works at a dentist’s office.  The director is a young one (he turns 30 next month), Ishida Hiroyasu.

Kimi no Suizou o Tabetai – 9/1/18: (PV) This looks quite an odd one.  It’s the story of a boy who finds the diary of a female classmate suffering from a terminal illness.  Director Ushijima Shin’ichirou is a bit of a Madhouse bigwig, though Studio VOLN is officially in charge.

Natsume Yuujinchou Movie: Utsusemi ni Musubu – 9/29/18: (PV) For the first time, the manga and anime powerhouse Natsume Yuujinchou franchise hits the big screen.  Frankly I’m surprised it took as long as it did, though this project is timed to celebrate the anime’s 10th anniversary.  Storyline is original, but based on the preview will at least in part focus on Natsume’s childhood.

Wakaokami wa Shougakusei! Movie – 9/2018: – (PV) Madhouse’s excellent (and unstreamed) kids’ TV series also sees the big screen in September.  Based on a series of novels by Riejou Hiroko, this is a throughly charming and delightful series deserving of much more attention in the West.

 

 

 

 

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30 comments

  1. M

    Eh what Phantom of the Twilight is an original work? I seriously thought it’s another otome game adaptation just like you.

    Hope you still blog about Shingeki no Kyojin – I love reading your review for it as usually I have the same thoughts. I’m just watching it just to know the answers now because I refused to read the manga yet.

    Besides the originals I might watch that revival Bakabon anime, if anyone even subbed it in the first place.

  2. Yeah, I’ll take a look at Bakobon if somebody subs it too.

    Shingeki… The pleasure quotient in blogging it really declined for me with the second season, and the more I learn about Isayama the more grossed out I get. I’ll do a first impressions at least and on some level I do want to blog it, as I know it’s an important series in terms of cultural impact. But no promises.

  3. M

    ah Spirit Circle. that part with the knight and witch, that one was what hooked me. still one of the best redemption story i’ve ever read.

    there is a possibility 20 years from now Spirit Circle will get the same treatment as Kiseiiju/Parasyte and Muhyo to Rouji. a finished manga that got screened not to sell ongoing manga. at least a man can wait..

  4. Spirit Circle is, for me, as close to perfect as a traditional plot-character narrative manga has been. Not a panel is wasted – it’s elegant, concise, and everything matters. It has humor and pathos and philosophy and sadness and beauty, and not a trace of pomposity to it.

  5. T

    Man, I’m actually more hyped for the upcoming OVA’s and movies than the anime series coming up in the Summer.

    I’ve loved every single Hosoda original film thus far, hopefully this new one can keep that trend going.

  6. S

    Welp there isn’t anything for me.

    I do read Hi Score Girl manga but I don’t think it’s anywhere near a masterpiece; it’s not enough for me to spend time (hours) on watching. It was pretty good for a while but it got a bit old for me, plot-wise, and the good old – and consistent – “violence against MC male from females for laugh” trope didn’t help, either. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.
    Its use of deep cultural references intertwined with the plot is one of kind though, especially I am in age group to recognize most of them without being a gamer necessarily.

    Grand Blue has indeed somewhat good reputation among readers but I never got that myself. The particular crass humor in this instance worked for me. IMO it is in the similar vein as stuff like Golden Boy or something like that, at least on surface to me. Never found these type funny. Oh well.

  7. S

    The particular crass humor in this instance “didn’t” work for me. Oops. 🙂

  8. Oh, it’s this time already? Thanks for the quick post, Enzo.

    So yeah, I agree that it’s quite a barren schedule. However, the movie/OVA seems to be very strong, and the series also have a few standouts personally:

    – Planet With (Definitely will watch this one. Btw, I actually kind of not satisfied with the last arc and ending of Spirit Circle, but some arcs alone are great enough to carry it to be one of the top list)
    – Grand Blue (Humor is subjective, but if you dig this kind of crass humor it’s basically a treasure trove of laugh. College setting definitely open the floodgate of humor that was not possible in school setting — now I only hope that the anime execution delivers)
    – I will check Chio-chan, Hi Score Girl, and whatever that seems to come out as sleeper, but I think I will ended up only watching two or three.

    You don’t want to check the new FLCL (anymore), Enzo?

  9. When it’s subbed.

  10. B

    Grand Blue is not only absolutely hysterical, but also has a solid emotional core and underneath all of the antics a remarkably likable MC. That being said our tastes often diverge, so I only see 40% odds of you enjoying it.

  11. Well, Baka-test isn’t much help because that show was one of my all-time shark jumps. I almost loved the first season and flat-out loathed the second.

  12. R

    Enzo, are you affected by the earthquake? Hope that you’re safe.

    Yes, Winter 2013 was almost the worst for me, too. You’re patient enough to finish Kotoura-san…I dropped it midway. The upcoming Summer is sure slim pickings. Based on the premise, I’m curious about Angolmois. The OVA/movie list seems strong, and I will be waiting for anything from Hosoda-san (still love his Wolf Children).

    Take care, Enzo

  13. Yes I was, but thanks for asking. Apartment is about 25 miles from the epicenter. Because it was a shallow quake (13 km) even though it was a 5.9 on the Richter Scale, it was a 6 on the 7-point Japanese intensity scale in parts of Osaka (where a few folks tragically died).

    For me, my train stopped (they all do, during quakes) partway to work (which is about thirty miles from home, in the other direction). Stuck on the train maybe two hours, then we got off and walked to the closest station. No trains, no buses going either to home or work. Eventually got a bus (slooow) to another station from where a local line had partially re-started. Took that as far as it went, then switched to another line that had partially restarted. Got as close as I could on that one, then hoofed it. Took about 4 hours in transit time in total. Stopped at the little Jinja next to my place, dropped my coin in and said a little thanks that it wasn’t worse, and for the ones who really got it bad.

    Of course, I had no idea what I would find when I got into my apartment (especially where my whiskey and wine was concerned). A lot of stuff had been knocked over, but nothing broke. All in all, very lucky but a long, tiring day.

    And I love Ookami Kodomo too – that would be about tied with Summer Wars for me as far as best Hosoda films go.

  14. R

    I’m so glad to hear that you’re safe (and that your whiskey and wine bottles are “safe”). Thanks for sharing how your day went…it really put things in perspective, especially for those who have never experienced something this dramatic. Must be exhausting (and very scary in a way, despite how orderly and advanced Japan is). Sending our prayers from Canada to you and the people in the affected area.

    On very important note…thank you so much for the posts while being affected by the earthquake. I was more worried about your safety, but you continued sharing the reviews as if nothing happened. I’m touched by this extreme dedication. Thank you, Enzo!

  15. Hey, I’m no hero, believe me. All in all I was barely affected, apart from being stranded in the boonies for a day.

    These quakes are always a bit jarring but they’re so common in Japan that one does tend to get used to them. I went through two 7+ quakes when I lived in Tokyo, though they were centered far enough north that there wasn’t a lot of damage there. I honestly got to the point where I didn’t even wake up for anything under a 5.

  16. R

    That’s a very different perspective, and you’re truly a Japanese now, lol!

  17. J

    The Planet With anime is kind of a watershed moment for me – I’ve been waiting for a Mizukami anime for about a decade or so by now, give or take (I initially stumbled across translations of the first few Samidare chapters in late ’08), so seeing this finally come true, even if it’s an original work, brought me to tears a little when I saw it being announced. Since then I’ve taken a peek at the first two translated chapters, and while I won’t spoil anything, I’ll just say this – it’s very Mizukami, for the lack of a better word, and I’m not worried about the story at all. It feels closer to his one-shots or maybe even Psycho Staff than it does to his three big series (or four, if you count Sanjin Sadou as well because it had more than one volume), but I consider that to be a good thing too. Actually makes me wish that some of his one-shots, especially Walking the Void, would be adapted as OVAs at some point. In any case though, I’m sincerely hoping that this’ll open the door to more Mizukami adaptions in the future, as I’d love to see pretty much anything by him animated. It’s going to be fun to read your weekly thoughts on this, and perhaps I’ll even try to actively comment for this one for a change.

    (Also, Mizukami is a rare case of a favorite mangaka where even if they announced that his original anime would be only one cour, I wouldn’t be worried at all – he’s got planning his works down to an art, and can make memorable characters with even a very limited screentime, as Yoshiteru Ashikaga from Sengoku Youko, Hangetsu from Samidare or pretty much any of the Fuuta/Koko incarnations from Spirit Circle proved.)

    Besides Planet With, I’ll probably check out Hi Score Girl, Banana Fish (so the top group kind of matches) alongside Hanebado (probably, I simply need my fill of sports anime and this seems to be the safer bet compared to Harukana Receive) and Sunoharasou no Kanrinin-san. Maybe Shingeki no Kyojin S3 or the Kaiji spin-off for the sake of completionism, though I’m actually well beyond the point of being fed-up from the SNK manga and know that the anime definitely covers the parts I liked least.

  18. Yep, hard to overstate how big a deal this is to a Mizukami fan. Quite emotional, really.

    I would also be unworried about a one-cour anime if it’s an original. If Mizukami knows how much time he has, he’s an artist when it comes to pacing.

  19. R

    Sengoku Youko is still my favorite Mizukami series (but I freely admit I have slightly weird taste) followed by Samidare. I don’t think I ever finished Spirit Circle, which now that I think about it I really should. But I still hold Sengoku Youko as one of the greatest examples of a successful mid series decoy protagonist where both were equally compelling in some way, like I’ve seen people attempt and crash and burn spectacular trying to pull of that particular trope.

    Honestly my anime watching schedule has been getting smaller and smaller over the years, so in some ways the smaller pool of interesting series is a blessing in disguise (though of course for the industry at large I would love for there to be a resurgence of strong, original shows or manga adaptations, but that’s a different topic altogether)

  20. S

    Enzo, the “LIA Amazon Store” link at the top of the site is broken, and yields only this message: https://imgur.com/a/EkOjS8h
    Are you still an affiliate?

  21. Hmm, I am – thanks for pointing that out, I will check on it.

    Edit: That was weird, sidebar link worked but top link didn’t. Seems to be fixed now.

  22. S
  23. With Grand Blue, Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro, and Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san, it could end up being a very funny summer season. It could also end up being very disappointing if they don’t get these shows right tonally.

    Kimi no Suizou o Tabetai is a good love story, and the novel it is based on will be translated into English and released in the US in November of this year. There’s already been a manga adaptation and a very successful live action film adaptation. I’m not sure what an animated adaptation will add, but I guess we will find out.

  24. d

    I’m surprised Hanebado is not on your list. I thought you liked sports anime.

  25. e

    Apparently there are also a beach volleyball anime and a badminton anime airing this season? But as I can’t see them listed here now I wonder if either the info wasn’t available when you posted or you found nothing promising about them :,)
    Anyway while I’m in a wait and see mode about all the titles you listed the mongols-themed series and maaaaaaaybe the Jaeger one sort of stand out to me thanks to their setting. Banana Fish would be the one series I was comparatively more interested since its announcement actually ( I had read other titles by the same mangaka and those were pretty solid) but apparently they have changed main timeframe period in the anime for updating purposes and who knows how that is going to work… Updating while saving the spirit of an oldish source is a tricky balance when the ‘dated’ elements are either integral to the meaning and/or the charm of the work itself after all.

  26. Neither of them look that interesting to me. I’ll check out the premiere and we’ll see, but I inevitably pass on more sports anime than I watch. I love the genre but it’s only as good as any given show.

  27. Guess I am not the only one who have lost interest in Shingeki no Kyojin. The first chapter of it’s manga hooked me, and made me wait for each chapter with anticipation. Then the anime released, and unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. It has serious pacing problem. But I still like the manga.

    But then, everything slowly and steadily went down the drain. The actions are forgotten, characters are stupid, deaths are laughable and not impactful at all, and then author threw away the sci-fi horror and focused on politics and stupid convoluted plot too much. By this time, I dropped the manga, and not bother with anime season II either, even though it haven’t reach the bad part.

    Seeing the manga’s popularity score on various manga reader sites, many people seemed to feel the same. What a shame, Isayama Hajime.

  28. Yep, on top of everything else Isayama’s pro=fascist rantings have gotten ever more tiresome as he’s become bolder in inserting them.

  29. G

    I found the 1st episode of Asobi Asobase to be pretty funny. Quite a few LOL moments.

  30. Maybe I’ll check it out, thanks.

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