FLCL Progressive
Best Anime of June 2018 You Need to Watch
FLCL Alternative is the long, long-awaited follow-up to the 2003 cult classic anime, FLCL. The original anime was beloved for its phenomenal sense of humor, unique animation style, and memorable cast of characters. The show centered around Naota Nadaba, a 12-year-old boy who one day is run over by a girl named Haruko Haruhara on her yellow Vespa. Haruhara gives the boy CPR, then hits him on the head with an electric guitar, opening up a portal that summons giant robots.
Two new FLCL series are coming this year, and they both use the same ludicrous kind of setup to their stories. FLCL Progressive, the first of the two, follows the 14-year-old Hidomi and her friend Ide who encounter extraterrestrial beings that want to “unlock” their hidden potential. The second, FLCL Alternative, follows the 17-year-old Kana whose boring life is interrupted by a giant mecha abruptly falling from the sky. Just like the original, both Progressive and Alternative will be six episodes long, sticking to the breakneck pacing of the original, with each episode feeling like a big event. At the moment, the show is only airing on Adult Swim, but you can stream it via their website as well. The first episode of Progressive, also known as Season 2, sticks to the tone of the original, and while it doesn’t do anything revolutionary, it’s a good start. You can catch the second episode of FLCL Progressive on June 10 at 1:00am, and subsequent episodes at the same time on Sundays, or online. FLCL Alternative, or FLCL Season 3, will premiere sometime this fall on Adult Swim.
To Be Heroine
Best Anime of June 2018 You Need to Watch
To Be Heroine is actually the second season of the comedy-action anime To Be Hero, but it features an entirely new storyline and cast of characters. Futaba is a typical high school girl, struggling with the realities of having to become an adult and everyone’s expectations. One day, she wanders into a mysterious world, where the light has vanished and darkness reigns. As it turns out, in this world, articles of clothing turn into great warriors, and Futaba finds this out by losing a shoe.
This bizarre setup seeps into the rest of the anime, and it can certainly lean into strange, and often immature, humor. Still, the show does have a serious side, and Futaba’s plight of struggling with growing up is relatable. On top of that, To Be Heroine has some fantastic animation that really conveys a sense of speed and motion. You may need to suspend your disbelief for this one, but it’s a decent action anime with a sense of humor if you’re looking for one. You can catch To Be Heroine on Crunchyroll, and it simulcasts on Saturdays.
Hinamatsuri
Best Anime of June 2018 You Need to Watch
Every season has a few breakout shows that come from nowhere to really be something special. While Megalo Box is that for action anime, Hinamatsuri is definitely the breakout comedy anime of the season. Hinamatsuri has a great concept that it delivers on, focusing on a young, intellectual member of the yakuza named Nitta Yoshifumi. One day, out of the blue, a girl named Hina appears in a strange spherical object and uses her telekinetic powers to force Nitta to allow her to live with him.
The differences between Nitta and Hina’s personalities are vast, and it’s the contrast between the two characters that drives much of the comedy forward. The show does deal with organized crime, however, and it’s not afraid to delve into dark and serious subject matter, eliciting emotion on more than one occasion. It’s an anime that, somehow, finds a way to blend two disparate tones together, creating a unique, memorable experience in the process. If you’re trying to catch up on the best anime of Spring 2018, now’s the time to do it. You can catch Hinamatsuri on Crunchyroll or Funimation Now, and it simulcasts on Fridays.
Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These
Best Anime of June 2018 You Need to Watch
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a classic, long-running series, with the novel series first debuting all the way back in 1982, and the manga in 1984. The beloved anime adaptation had a lengthy run, weaving politics and drama in with military strategy, all within a futuristic sci-fi setting. Die Neue These is an adaption of the original novel series, and also functions as a reboot of the original anime.
The show takes place thousands of years into the future, after humanity has traveled to space and separated into two mega-countries, the autocracy of the Galactic Empire and the democracy of The Free Planets Alliance. The two countries have been locked in a brutal war when two great heroes emerge on either side, the genius Reinhard von Lohengramm with the Empire, and the unbeatable magician Yang wen-Li with the Alliance. Die Neue These tells the story of how these two men change the course of the war forever, and the power struggle between the two of them and their countries.
The great thing about Die Neue These is that you don’t need to have any prior knowledge of the series to jump in. Fans of the old anime or manga can enjoy a new imaging, while newcomers will get everything they need from the show. While the new anime is only eight episodes in, it stays faithful to its predecessors, mixed with plenty of intrigue, tactical combat, and drama. It’s quickly becoming a standout anime, but before you go in, make sure you know it’s a complex show that isn’t afraid to build things up slowly.
You can catch Legend of the Galactic Heroes on Crunchyroll or Funimation Now, and it simulcasts on Tuesdays and simuldubs on Mondays.
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