Wooper: The temperature is currently in the mid 90s where I live (that’s 34 degrees for all you Celsius enjoyers) and shows no signs of coming down, so I’ve vowed to leave my house as little as possible until this heat wave breaks. I might have gone nuts without a few dozen new anime to preoccupy me, but as luck would have it, the summer season is nearly here. While it’s more sequel-heavy than last spring, a good amount of variety still awaits us this July, including a smattering of adventure shows, several promising comedies, and a pair of daring sci-fi adaptations at the top of the heap. Lenlo has joined me to preview his two most anticipated shows, as well, so read on at your leisure, and let us know what you’re most excited for via the poll at the end of the post!
Middling Expectations
Bullet/Bullet
Studios: E&H Production, Gaga
Director: Seong-Hu Park
Series composition: Aki Kindaichi
Source: Original
The Premise: A teenager, a robot, and a polar bear are drawn into a resistance movement amidst a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
To tell the truth, my expectations for Seong-Hu Park’s new work can’t even be described as “middling.” A more appropriate adjective might be “meager,” or perhaps “microscopic.” Ninja Kamui, his new studio’s debut series, was reduced to a punchline after a poorly-received change of direction, and his recent adaptation of the Eiichiro Oda one-shot “Monsters” was so dull that I couldn’t make it through the full half hour. Now he and E&H Production are back with a post-apocalyptic resistance tale, the plot for which reportedly took Park a decade to finalize – though given his previous stuff’s lack of emphasis on narrative, that may not be as impressive as it sounds. Based on the PV, the story will likely evolve from its GetBackers-inspired beginnings into a race across the show’s wasteland setting, as “Bullet” seems to be the name given by the protagonist to his hot rod. Personally, I’m less curious about him and his car, and more interested in his robot companion with four personalities (each of which will be voiced by a different actor), plus the talking polar bear who will complete their trio. If those two (or five) can lend a bit of color to this grayish-brown world, Bullet/Bullet’s opening episodes may hold some appeal. For the series as a whole, though, I’m less than optimistic.
Call of the Night S2
Studio: Liden Films
Director: Tomoyuki Itamura
Series composition: Michiko Yokote
Source: Manga
The Premise: Protagonist Kou Yamori is met with more adversaries, both human and inhuman, in his quest to become a vampire.
There are a good handful of sequels airing this summer, including Dandadan, Grand Blue, Kaiju No.8, and Bisque Doll, just to name a few. Even among those big names, Call of the Night is probably my second most anticipated second season – behind only Panty & Stocking, which will appear later in this post. That’s not due to some great fondness for its original run, but rather my memory of its attention-grabbing storyboarding, especially in its early outings. The first season’s chief director, who also storyboarded four of its episodes, seems to have departed the project, but I’m hoping that with series director Tomoyuki Itamura still on board, Call of the Night will retain much of its unique visual flavor. As before, Itamura brings with him experience from Vanitas no Karte and the Monogatari Series, which should serve him well in this more mythos-driven sequel. Based on the press materials I’ve read, the story is set to probe deuteragonist Nazuna’s pre-vampire origins and explore how they might be used against her in the present day. That sounds good to me, though it might be tricky for the show to balance its increased focus on lore with the nocturnal exploration scenes that became its trademark in season one.
Gachiakuta
Studio: Bones
Director: Fumihiko Suganuma
Series composition: Hiroshi Seko
Source: Manga
The Premise: A teenage boy seeks revenge after being falsely accused of murder and exiled to a trash-strewn hellscape.
I’ve watched this PV several times in an effort to overcome my initial reaction to its aesthetic, but to no avail. Gachiakuta looks like a total edgefest to me: the protagonist’s permanent scowl, the dampened color palette, the overdesigned costumes, the metalcore OP, and the list goes on. Of course, I haven’t read the manga, so my judgment is shallower than the heaps of trash that stretch across the series’ setting. Still, I can’t imagine this one will appeal to me on any level – except for the animation, courtesy of studio Bones. They’ve got five separate production lines, so their company name itself isn’t a guarantee of excellence, but seeing as they’ve adapted both mainstream shounen manga and those with trickier art styles, I’m guessing Gachiakuta fans will be in safe hands here. The manga’s themes of revenge and discrimination don’t really excite me, but the animism underpinning its combat system (from what I understand, the fighters wield living weapons) sounds cool. If the first episode moves quickly enough to get into that aspect of the story, perhaps I’ll stick around for more than just the premiere.
Introduction to Mineralogy
Studio: Bind
Director: Shingo Fujii
Series composition: Michiko Yokote
Source: Manga
The Premise: A jewelry-loving high school girl learns about mineralogy after meeting a graduate student in the same field.
In the same way that I recoiled at the vibe brought by Gachiakuta’s PV, I imagine there are a lot of people who’ll be turned off by Intro to Mineralogy (Ruri no Houseki), with its cutesy voice acting and fanservice-minded character designs. I like CGWIH (Cute Girls With Interesting Hobbies) anime, though, so I’m willing to give it a shot. That’s underselling my enthusiasm, actually – based on the trailer, I’m expecting this to be one of the best-looking shows of the summer. There’s a lot of detail even in its more innocuous cuts, like the heft of a cross pein hammer as its wielder prepares for a strike, or the carried movement of a character’s foot as it slips from its purchase on a mossy rock. The backgrounds are pleasing, too, but that’s to be expected with a veteran art director like Shinichiro Yoshihara on staff (JoJo, Dr. Stone, Wit’s Attack on Titan). I don’t expect the show to be as well-written as 2022’s Do It Yourself, but I’m hoping for that level of attention to the mechanics of its hobby, on both page and screen. Authenticity in that department may help to carry to the show in case its character relationships don’t score highly on the Mohs scale.
Leviathan
Studio: Orange
Director: Christophe Ferreira
Series composition: Yuuichirou Kido
Source: Novel
The Premise: A fugitive prince and a cross-dressing commoner navigate the start of an alternate World War I aboard a living airship.
None of Orange’s full length series have really grabbed me, but that’s no reason to leave their newest project off the season preview, especially since I hold the minority opinion where the CG studio’s output is concerned. Besides, Leviathan is an entirely different beast than their previous manga adaptations, based on a historical fantasy novel with human characters. Not personified gemstones, animals, or “Plants” (shoutout Vash the Stampede) – bona fide homo sapiens. Humans aren’t the only living creatures to play a key role in Leviathan’s story, though; in its biopunk version of World War I, Britain uses genetically engineered animals, including the series’ iconic whale airship, in combat. On the dieselpunk side of things, the Central Powers use the sort of mechs that might be more familiar to anime fans, though they’re certainly more practical-looking than anything you’d see in a Gundam show. A large-scale clash between these two strategies definitely sparks the imagination, and head writer Yuuichirou Kido’s time working on Dr. Stone has made him adept at depicting war between rival factions with evolving technology. I probably ought to read the Leviathan trilogy rather than glimpsing it through a screen darkly, but I do want to give this studio a chance to finally convert me.
Karaoke Iko! / Muchuu sa, Kimi ni
Studio: Doga Kobo
Director: Asami Nakatani
Series composition: Yoshimi Narita
Source: Manga
The Premise: Yakuza strongarms teenager into training him for a singing competition. / Gloomy high school boy repels all his classmates except one.
This double show combo is my biggest question mark of the season. According to ANN, both series will occupy the same time slot; Karaoke Iko will debut in late July and run for four episodes, then be succeeded by Muchuu sa, Kimi ni (Captivated By You), which will presumably have a short run as well. This unusual arrangement makes me think that some producer out there really loves mangaka Yama Wayama’s character driven brand of BL-tinged fiction, and did whatever they could to get it on the air. These two works were nominated for the Manga Taisho Award in back to back years, which is both a major feat and the primary reason for my interest in their adaptations, which share identical staff lists. Director Asami Nakatani was one of the primary contributors to Oshi no Ko’s movie-length premiere, so it seems the Doga Kobo brass view this project as more than a simple experiment. Even if neither of these shows will have that one’s visual firepower, I’m expecting the production will be stable enough to give them a shot at cult status. My only hangup is the animation design for Muchuu sa’s protagonist – his flat bangs and sickened expression are no match for Wayama’s original character. But hey, if the storytelling is good (which is what I’m banking on), that complaint will quickly fall by the wayside.
The Water Magician
Studio: Typhoon Graphics, WonderLand
Director: Hideyuki Satake
Series composition: Jun Kumagai
Source: Light novel
The Premise: An ordinary man dies and is reincarnated in another world as an eternally youthful mage.
I’m frequently dismissive of isekai anime (they’re just so damn dismissible), but I thought I’d give the subgenre a try this summer. The main reason this one caught my interest is a single cut of the protagonist manipulating water, which is a notoriously difficult subject to draw. One nice bit of aquatic animation does not a great show make, but I figure that the prominence of that shot in the PV could point to the element’s significance within the story. The central character doesn’t age, after all, so if his journey is metaphorically linked to the water cycle, this show could achieve something more than the usual resurrection fantasy fare. It’ll have to do it without a strong visual backbone, though, as neither of its two studios have produced a single memorable series, and the art director has done mostly mid-table work throughout her career. The only way The Water Magician will make a splash is with a heroic effort from Hideyuki Satake, who wore half a dozen creative hats while serving as assistant director on last year’s Dungeon Meshi. I doubt he’ll be able to pull a lot of staff from a Trigger show to one by Typhoon Graphics, but perhaps he has friends in other places who could help make this series a success.
With You and the Rain
Studio: Lesprit
Director: Tomohiro Tsukimisato
Series composition: Touko Machida
Source: Manga
The Premise: A young woman begins living together with a tanuki after rescuing it from the rain.
Although With You and the Rain (Ame to Kimi to) moved to a manga magazine in mid-2020, it was first published on its author’s Twitter account, so I’m expecting something suitably light from its TV adaptation – reminiscent of 2019’s My Roommate Is a Cat, perhaps, rather than ambitious tanuki-centric tales like The Eccentric Family or Pom Poko. Judging from the PV, it doesn’t seem as though the creature’s shapeshifting abilities will play a major role in the story, which is kind of disappointing, but sometimes all you need from an animal is companionship. I’m sure that’ll be the major theme here, as the somber human protagonist (who I’ll bet anything is an office lady) looks as though she could use it. She and her pet raccoon dog will be brought to life by a rather ordinary creative team, which may be appropriate given the series’ subdued vibe, but I do have some expectation that the music will set it apart. The most recent trailer features both a clarinet-driven classical track and a chill bossa nova piece, both of which you don’t hear that often in anime – hopefully their noteworthiness is the rule where With You and the Rain’s soundtrack is concerned, rather than the exception.
Shows We’re Anticipating
City the Animation
Studio: Kyoto Animation
Director: Taichi Ishidate
Series composition: TBA
Source: Manga
The Premise: Three college girls get into absurd misadventures in their colorful university town.
There was much rejoicing when this adaptation of Keiichi Arawi’s manga City was announced. Even now, his signature work Nichijou remains the premier comedy anime in many people’s minds, so to see its follow-up happening at the same studio must be a dream come true for those fans. Director and KyoAni loyalist Taichi Ishidate even served as AD on Nichijou, so even though the two shows have very different staff lists, their madcap personalities will likely be similar. Personally, that frantic energy is likely to wear on me as City’s run stretches on, but my opinion hardly matters given the excitement around this thing. I’d say the hype is deserved, too, with the promo material leaning hard into Arawi’s style: thick linework, isometric angles, and striking color design. That last ingredient looks to be City’s biggest departure from the look of the Nichijou adaptation – even the grass and the skies in this new work are depicted with solid, ungraded colors. That’s a bold choice in this era of aggressive compositing, but I have no doubt it’ll go over well when paired with the show’s eye-popping animation.
The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity
Studio: CloverWorks
Director: Miyuki Kuroki
Series composition: Rino Yamazaki
Source: Manga
The Premise: A boy from an infamously poor public school and a girl from a renowned private academy form an unexpected friendship.
The localized title for “Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku” feels a bit overwrought, but its floral fragrance does reflect a direct translation of the Japanese, so I’m counting on this show to display a level of sensitivity befitting its name. Its male-dominated yet delicately assembled PV makes me think it might be up to the task, falling into neither the shounen nor shoujo camp at first glance. Of course, the manga runs in a magazine aimed at the former demographic, but the female protagonist’s cutesy appearance and the angst that will stem from the story’s class divide are signs of versatility, if not originality. Aside from being an adaptation of a widely-loved romance manga, one of the main reasons I’m interested in Fragrant Flower is its headlining staff members, who previously worked on Akebi-chan no Sailor-fuku. Despite that show’s occasionally leering perspective, its writer-director duo demonstrated a thorough understanding of how to introduce a school setting and build relationships within it. Now both women have reunited for this new work, so while it doesn’t look likely that Akebi’s animation producer will return for Fragrant Flower, I expect the storytelling to be well above average for the genre.
My Melody & Kuromi
Studio: Wit
Director: Tomoki Misato
Series composition: Shuuko Nemoto
Source: Other
The Premise: Two Sanrio mascots operate rival sweets shops across the river from one another.
This is a purely personal pick, as I’m fond of both kid’s shows and stop motion anime, and now Wit Studio are putting the two together. I remember the high level of publicity that surrounded the stop motion department they formed a few years ago, but we didn’t hear much else about it until now – turns out the branch is called Toruku, and this is its first project, headed up by the director of 2021’s Pui Pui Molcar. That’s enough reason for me to be excited, even if I don’t know the first thing about Sanrio characters or their overarching brand. From what I can gather, My Melody and Kuromi have always been marketed as rivals, which means that dynamic should be baked into the series from the jump. The PV indicates that their cake shop and candy store, respectively, will be in competition at first, but that they’ll team up to save their town as the story progresses. The vehicle animation looks great (particularly the shots of various aircraft flying through woolly skies), the pink and green color design is both pleasant and daring, and the voice acting is pitch perfect. As you can surely tell, I’m biased toward this show already, but given its apparent polish, My Melody & Kuromi will almost certainly be a smash hit.
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt S2
Studio: Trigger
Director: Hiroyuki Imaishi
Series composition: Hiroyuki Imaishi, Hiromi Wakabayashi
Source: Original
The Premise: In a city already half-way to hell, a pair of fallen angels are responsible for purging the spirits of the damned and protecting the Earth, in some of the most inappropriate ways possible.
Lenlo: I’m sure I don’t need to explain Panty and Stocking to everyone, it’s a renowned show, coming from the well known studio Trigger, directed by the legendary Hiroyuki Imaishi. Seeing it return after 15 years is as unexpected as it is welcome. I have one concern though, and it’s the reason this isn’t in the next tier up: I prefer the dub of Panty and Stocking, I think the jokes are better written and the delivery flows better in English, and I have no idea what the status of that dub will be. Will we get the same VAs after 15 years? Will it have the same localization team, the same effort? Can Imaishi capture the same magic he had back then? There’s just so many ifs, so much has changed in the last 15 years, that it’s hard for me to have confidence that it will be able to capture the same magic as back then. Either way though, I’m going to be watching it, and I’m sure most of you will be too.
Nyaight of the Living Cat
Studio: OLM
Directors: Takashi Miike, Tomohiro Kamitani
Series composition: Shingo Irie
Source: Manga
The Premise: Humanity fights for survival as a virus that transforms people into cats sweeps across the globe.
The only two directors I can think of who began their careers in live action and went on to dabble in anime are Shunji Iwai and Takashi Miike. (There are likely others, but my Google-Fu has weakened over the years; if you know of any, leave a comment!) Miike’s penchant for violence was previously unleashed in his animated adaptation of Onimusha two years back, and now he’s trying his hand at absurdist comedy with Nyaight of the Living Cat, a horror spoof wherein weak-willed humans who can’t resist cuddling with kitties become cats themselves. The PV features people doing parkour, wearing power suits, and riding motorcycles in an effort to survive the a-paw-calypse (original joke, do not steal). There are Mad Max and The Shining parodies, as well – just two of what will probably be many more cinematic references, if Miike has his way. What I saw of his take on Onimusha wasn’t bad, but its 3DCG animation definitely held it back, and while it looks like Nyaight will use some 3D for its hordes of world-dominating cats, there are traditional cuts for characters both human and feline in the trailer. That’s good news, since visuals are paramount to the success of a horror show (even if it’s a parody), but the page-to-screen effectiveness of the jokes will be important, too. For that, I’m hoping Golden Kamuy scriptwriter Shingo Irie can draw on that series’ blend of suspense and comedy to sell this new, outlandish story.
Highest Expectations
The Summer Hikaru Died
Studio: Cygames Pictures
Director: Ryouhei Takeshita
Series composition: Ryouhei Takeshita
Source: Manga
The Premise: Two friends have lived their entire lives together in rural Japan, until one day one of them travels up the mountain only to come down no longer himself. What happened on that mountain? And is it possible to get him back?
Lenlo: I am unreasonably excited for Hikaru. Not only is the premise interesting, a spiritual/alien mystery in urban Japan akin to Body Snatchers to make up for the disappointing Junji Ito Uzumaki adaptation last year, but we also get Cygames putting their talents to use on something I actually want to watch! No shade, Cygames produces some fantastic looking shows, you can’t look at Uma Musume and tell me it looks bad. But I don’t care about horse girls, so seeing them put that talent to work on something actually interesting is a nice surprise. Cap that off with the Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night director, a personal favorite of mine from last year, and you have one of the shows I’m looking forward to the most this season.
Takopi’s Original Sin
Studio: Enishiya
Director: Shinya Iino
Series composition: Shinya Iino
Source: Manga
The Premise: After crash-landing on Earth, an octopus-like alien resolves to brighten the life of a depressed grade school girl.
Given Takopi no Genzai’s similarity to Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, I’m virtually guaranteed to love it. I won’t spoil any of those similarities here, but it should be noted that the two series resemble each other not only in content, but in form. Like its older cousin, Takopi’s character designs are unorthodox (some would say ugly), and like its older cousin, its anime adaptation seems poised to lean into that unorthodoxy. In the PV, the characters’ faces have an off-putting angularity to them, and some (particularly the human protagonist Shizuka) are made deliberately unkempt to visually isolate them from the rest of the cast. I’m excited to see what kind of atmosphere writer-director Shinya Iino can create with these designs as a base, especially since he cut his teeth as an assistant director on Made in Abyss – another title that wasn’t afraid of a little despair here and there. Given his dual role, Iino bears a lot of responsibility for the final product, but he ought to be backed by a strong crew, as new studio Enishiya has previously overperformed on outsourced episodes for shows like Frieren and Dungeon Meshi. Takopi’s Original Sin will be just six episodes long (which seems like an appropriate length to adapt the manga’s 16 chapters), and I’m hoping for excellence from each of them.
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