Hanebado!
Top 6 Summer Anime
This entry is for sports fans. Well, it’s at least for fans of anime characters playing sports. On almost every “highly anticipated” anime list, Hanebado! is one of those break-out, fast-paced, and beautifully animated sports anime titles that fans simply cannot miss. Following the lead of most sports anime, this female-led show follows first-year Ayano Hanesaki, a natural prodigy at the incredibly niche sport of badminton, yet she refuses to play until meeting her talented but lacking rival, Nagisa Aragaki. Spurred by the rivalry they both share, Ayano and Nagisa are determined to outdo one another on the court while simultaneously bettering each other as they go against increasingly difficult opponents. Akin to fantastic anime such as the beautifully detailed Haikyu!! and the extraordinarily unique Koroko’s Basketball, viewers will learn the rules of badminton one huge opponent at a time, while slowly falling in love with the characters and their dedication to this extremely fascinating sport. Hnebado! is available on Funimation and Crunchyroll.
Cells at Work!
Top 6 Summer Anime
Nothing quite hits the spot like a good comedic workplace anime. Luckily for fans of this genre, Cells at Work! is a great workplace anime with such a strange premise that its unlikely you’ve ever heard of it. Picture the 2001 cartoon comedy Osmosis Jones meets The Devil is a Part-Timer. Cells at Work! follows a cast of anthropomorphic blood cells that thrive in a city setting in order to maintain the human body that they inhabit. Much like The Devil is a Part-Timer, there are moments of pseudo-serious scenes as the main characters, a red blood cell and a white blood, are charged to protect the body from invading diseases with their fellow army of protecting cells. As one may guess, this outlandish premise produces ample moments of biology-based hilarity, especially considering white blood cell is a cold-blooded killer with a gentle heart of gold. Cells at Work! is sure to be an anime that fans will be able to easily binge over and over again while laughing at the same clever spurts of comedy. It’s now streaming on Crunchyroll.
FLCL Progressive
Top 6 Summer Anime
The anime that made very little sense, even after multiple viewings, finally got its highly anticipated second season, and there’s still a third coming later this year. Short and sweet, this six-episode follow up to the original 2013 hit FLCL, or Fooly Cooly, picks up years after the adventures of the guitar-swinging investigator and the boy that literally attracts trouble. FLCL Progressive follows Hidomi Hibaijiri, the latest FLCL protagonist that can’t realize her full potential until the mysterious, kick-butt Haruko stumbles into her life as a new teacher at Hidomi’s school. It’s not long until the war between Medical Mechanica and Fraternity crash-lands onto Earth, sparking Hidomi’s hidden abilities and kick-starting yet another heart-pounding adventure that may make a bit more sense than its original. No-one can really go wrong with FLCL as it contains enough comedy in six episodes to fill an entire 13-episode run, and enough wacky, robot-bashing action that won’t allow you to tire of the series for even a minute. The show initially ran earlier in the summer, but re-runs are still being shown on Toonami with a theatrical release coming soon.
My Hero Academia (Season Three & 2nd Cour)
Top 6 Summer Anime
What’s there to say about this insta-classic that hasn’t already been said? If you don’t know about My Hero Academia and its multi-faceted legacy, then you’re missing an incredibly iconic anime series that’s managed to reach its way into the mainstream pop-culture sphere. If you’re a lover of any kind of superpower anime or any superhero media, this is the perfect match for you.
My Hero Academia follows Deku and the rest of U.A.’s class 1-A as they utilize their quirks to face the dicey League of Villains, while also attempting to become professional heroes. With each new arc, this series somehow manages to surpass any sort of bar that was initially set, and season three was no exception. The current season sees Deku and company taking on their next greatest challenge: training camp. However, when the camp is interrupted by unexpected visitors, the class 1-A must fight for their lives while separated from their fellow classmates. The third season’s second cour is only a few episodes in, and its sure to be another explosive arc as they kids begin to develop their quirks so that they can take on the Provisional Hero License Exam. There’s never been a more perfect time to binge an incredibly unique superhero anime. This series is currently being streaming on both Funimation and Crunchyroll.
Attack on Titan (Season Three)
Top 6 Summer Anime
The first anime in years to break the mold and impact even those who didn’t know what anime was, Attack on Titan continues to be a gigantic seller and one of the most influential modern series in production. Airing since 2013, fans of this anime are no stranger to extended pauses between seasons, and though season three is set to air on July 22, it’s almost guaranteed to be a smash-hit and at the top of every “top summer anime” list.
Initially set in a city surrounded by a great wall to keep out giant, carnivorous beings called titans, Attack on Titan follows Eren Yaeger as he joins the ranks of the titan-fighting army in hopes of one day being free from the cage that civilization has locked itself in. Akin to more Western shows such as The Walking Dead, seasons one and two of Attack on Titan explore the mystery behind what the titans actually are and the hidden capabilities of certain humans, revealing conspiracies and secret experimentation. Season three seems as though it will delve far deeper into the more sinister “human vs. human” conflicts featured in the post-apocalyptic, survival genre. Political turmoil will make living within the walls just as dangerous as trying to survive with the titans, and of course Eren and co. just may be at the tipping point of the turmoil. Attack on Titan Season three will be streamed by Funimation, and will run beside the theatrical release of the season two recap movie.
Banana Fish
Top 6 Summer Anime
Rounding out the list is one of the more gritty series of the summer that seemingly came out of nowhere. Based on the manga of the same name from 1984, Banana Fish is one of those rare gems that not a lot of anime fans may have ever heard of before its animated debut. Based in a reality much like our own, Banana Fish tells the story of Ash Lynx, runaway and ruthless murderer brought up by his mobster family. Of course, this wouldn’t be a great crime-drama without a same-sex romance that’s constantly on the verge of shattering because of Ash’s mob ties threatening to tear them apart at the seems. Akin to the mature thriller Monster, Banana Fish is the perfect watch for those wishing to experience heart-wrenching character growth through the many tragedies and sacrifices Ash must suffer so that he can be free of the mobster lifestyle. Banana Fish has been licensed by Amazon Video and may see an official release through its streaming service.
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