My summer anime watchlist includes catching up on seasons of series I missed these past few years, continuing with new seasons of ongoing series, plus a surprise.
I recently watched the second seasons of Attack on Titan and Free—two very different kinds of shows. ;-)
I saw that Attack on Titan’s third season was about to start and wanted to get current on it.
Attack on Titan’s second season felt as fresh and exciting to me as the first season. The shock of seeing the titans in all their grotesqueness has worn off a bit, but the reveal that several characters we trusted were actually titans kept the story taut and tense. There was quite a long layoff between the first and second seasons, but you wouldn’t know it from the second season’s production quality. It’s like no time at all elapsed between the two seasons.
It’s great to experience Attack on Titan and its dizzyingly fast action scenes, its epic feel again. For sheer intensity, it’s a must see.
Free is one of those series that falls into the “like” category for me, rather than anything stronger. It’s slice of life and I seldom get excited by that kind of anime. The characters are pleasant enough, the story—what there’s been of it—is fine.
Each of the first two seasons focused on one central issue. In the first season, it was whether Haru and his former friend Rin would reconcile their friendship. The second season was a little more involved, as third-years Haru, Makoto and Rin were set to graduate from high school and their close-knit swim teams prepared to face the future without them.
The second season finally did something with the show’s protagonist, Haru.
Free’s blank slate of a main character never interested me much. I always thought it odd that Haru, who speaks and expresses himself the least of all the characters, was the focal point of the show.
In season two, Haru experiences trouble competing at swim meets. When questioned as to his plans after high school, he responds badly to being pressured.
Since Haru doesn’t talk a lot, we don’t know what’s driving his behavior until Rin takes him to Australia where Rin attended school. When Haru sees where Rin used to compete, including an Olympics-worthy pool and stadium, he suddenly wants to compete again. Being shown a larger world makes Haru realize he can live a bigger life, and he snaps out of his funk.
Free’s second season didn’t turn me into a rapt fan, but it was definitely more interesting than the first season. And apparently the third season—now airing—finally introduces a real antagonist. So I’ll be getting caught up on season three soon.
I’m also working my way through the second season of Kekkai Sensen (Blood Blockade Battlefront).
As with Free, Kekkai Sensen is on my like list. The story is set in an alternate-future New York City in which paranormal beings and events are commonplace. It’s one of those series that is strange enough and has sufficient action scenes that it intrigues and entertains, even if lots of things are left unexplained.
Yamishibai is now in its sixth season.
I find series like Yamishibai irresistible. Yamishibai gives you horror stories, each four to five minutes long, usually with a twist at the end, and narrated by a sinister figure with a smiling mask. They’re short slivers of stories, some terrifying and some sad. Most leave you concluding that “hell is other people” as Sartre said, so if you’re looking to be uplifted, I suggest you find some other anime to watch for that. ;-)
My two favorite series this season are Boruto and Gintama.
Boruto, the sequel series to Naruto/Naruto Shippuuden, is about Naruto and Hinata’s son and his teammates Sarada, daughter of Sasuke and Sakura, and Mitsuki, Orochimaru’s created son.
Naruto, as we remember, was the orphan hated and shunned by his fellow Konoha villagers. Young Boruto has the exact opposite problem. As the privileged son of the greatest hero in the ninja world, how does he distinguish himself from his old man and forge his own path?
The best moments in Boruto for me are when we get to see the characters from Naruto, now grown-up Konoha citizens and parents to ninja students of their own. Kishimoto’s story universe has been a part of my life since I became an anime fan. Boruto is a good series, but I suspect even if it weren’t I would watch it anyway, because it feels like coming home to a place I know, with characters I love.
After 12 years, Gintama is in its final story arc.
And it’s a pretty grim arc. Many characters I didn’t expect to die have died already in the battle for planet Earth, with the last boss still undefeated.
There’s nothing else in the anime/mangaverse like Gintama, with its mix of alternate history, zany comedy and dead-serious drama. This sixth season took an unexpected hiatus in spring, splitting the season into two cours. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing happened soon and the conclusion was left to a third cour later this fall. But for now, Gintama is live and careening toward a bloody and fantastic finale.
Finally, something that is both old and new for me.
When I discovered anime and manga, I used to walk the manga aisle at a Japanese bookstore near my home. I’d pick up manga volumes and stare at the covers, flip through the pages and, not able to read a single Japanese kanji or kana at the time, mainly look at character designs.
I remember one character design in particular.
I fell in love with Toru Muhyo. His chibi size, turnip-shaped head and little cape were so cute. I had no idea what the story was about, though I could tell it had fantasy and paranormal elements.
And now, more than ten years later, Muhyo and Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation is an anime, Crunchyroll is airing it, and I’m going to watch it. It’s a late-summer surprise, an unexpected gift bestowed by the anime gods. It’s good to be an anime fan. =D
