Listed below are the five new anime
series that I’ve decided to follow this summer season (as far as the TV season
is concerned; technically, it’s no longer summer where I am) on top of My Hero Academia season 2 and Re:Creators – spring anime that are still
ongoing. Of course, this doesn’t mean that these will be the only anime series that I will be watching for the rest of the year. Dropping any of them from my
viewing list is always a possibility, as well as picking up another anime down the line. Anyway, I want to give some of my initial thoughts on these five after watching each one’s first two episodes. Arranged in descending order of how much I
enjoy them…
WELCOME TO THE BALLROOM
Tatara Fujita is a middle school student that hasn’t figure out what he likes to do with his life. But after a chance encounter, he becomes
fascinated with the glorious world of ballroom dancing.
My initial thoughts:
I love sports anime. But I never imagine that the next one I’ll be
watching is about dancesport. It’s quite
an amusing development. Anyway, it’s easily my favorite of the five so far, and it could also end up being my most favorite
anime series of the year. It has great
promise and tons of charm. It’s also appealingly similar to how Hajime No
Ippo started out (seriously, it’s about ballroom dancing but the first
thing that reminded me of it is an anime about boxing). In addition, it has the best animation of the
five.
KAKEGURUI: COMPULSIVE GAMBLER
What it is about:
The students of Hyakkaou Private
Academy are the children of the country’s wealthiest, most privileged, and most
powerful. As a result, their school culture is not much concerned with sports or academics.
Rather, they celebrate cunning, risk-taking, and perfecting the art of
the deal. This leads into the creation of a school hierarchy determined by the students’ respective reputations and performances as
gamblers. But one day, the status quo is
disrupted by a newly transferred student – an enigmatic, intelligent, audacious girl who gambles recklessly for the sheer
thrill of it.
My initial thoughts:
The premise is original and exciting,
and the main character is very fascinating.
It maintains a sense of intrigue all throughout while masterfully
peeling off the layers of this strange school and its new student in each
episode.
SAIYUKI RELOAD BLAST
What it is about:
It’s the latest installment of Saiyuki, continuing the story of Sanzo’s Party’s journey to the West.
My initial thoughts:
This is a delightful surprise for
me, as I’m a huge Gensomaden Saiyuki fan and I didn’t know there’s a new series this year. This anime’s protagonists are the best fictional foursome in my book, and I’m thrilled to see them once again bantering with
each other, annihilating demons, and consistently ooze with swaggy, nonchalant
badassery. Per what the pilot
thematically sets up, it looks like this new series is simply going to offer the same, old things that the anime has been known for. And that’s totally
fine with me.
RESTAURANT TO ANOTHER WORLD
What it is about:
Western Restaurant Nekoya is a small
Tokyo restaurant that serves Western cuisine. It’s open during weekdays and closed during
weekends and holidays. However, it’s
secretly open during Saturdays and welcomes various customers from a fantasy world who are able to gain access to it through different magical doors.
My initial thoughts:
So far, it has no overarching
storyline or real action. The episodes
mainly depict various customers – both new ones and patrons – getting
overwhelmed by how delicious their meals are.
Yet it’s extremely engrossing and delightful that way already. Even if the anime’s simply like this for the
rest of the way, I would already be satisfied.
NTR: NETSUZOU TRAP
What it is about:
Yuna and Hotaru are two
bestfriends that have begun a yuri affair behind their boyfriends’ backs.
My initial thoughts:
It’s weird that I decided to check
it out. It’s probably due to some
residue of the curiosity I had for Scum’s Wish. Anyway, two episodes in and it didn’t
really do anything for me. It didn’t
have the initial thoughtfulness that Scum’s
Wish at least had. Unless something
emphatic happens with its storytelling, I would drop this after a few more
episodes.
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