Initial Thoughts on Ten New Anime Series of the 2018 Summer Season

It’s once again anime summer season, and on top of already ongoing anime (Boruto, Steins;Gate 0, and My Hero Academia season three) and returning anime (Attack on Titan season three and Overlord season three), I’ve also picked up ten debuting anime series – double the amount I had last year.  There’s no guarantee I will continue on all of them, but so far, I’ve seen all of their respective recent episodes.  Below are my current thoughts on them, which are arranged from what I like the most to the least.

Cells at Work

In a nut shell: Anthropomorphic blood cells going on with their jobs in the human body, which is depicted as a huge city.

Episodes as of writing: 3

My initial thoughts: Though its unusual concept isn’t really original, as it had been done before in movies like Osmosis Jones and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask), it nonetheless succeeds in being an excellent standout.  It’s funny, adorable, smart, and action-packed.  I’m especially amused of how it depicts white blood cells as fierce, knife-wielding grunts that would ruthlessly slaughter invading pathogens.  Also, I think this is the first time I learned (if I had come across this information before, then I had forgotten about it) that there are actually different types of white blood cells – e.g. Neutrophil, Macrophage, Killer T cell, B cell.  So, not only is this show extremely entertaining, but it’s also informative.

Hanebado! a.k.a. The Badminton Play of Ayano Hanesaki!

In a nut shell: Ayano Hanesaki is a brilliant badminton player.  However, a heartbreaking happening in her life has made her want to quit the sport.  But as she begins her high school life, she encounters the strong-willed captain of the badminton club Nagisa Aragaki and new coach Tachibana Kentarou, who may provide the spark that she needs to recover her passion.

Episodes as of writing: 4

My initial thoughts: As far as animation is concerned, this has the best one among the bunch.  Well, it’s imperative for a sport anime to viscerally engage its audience with the action of the game – something that can only be achieved if the animation projects it in a dazzling manner.  This anime accomplishes this.  With its opening scene, the pilot presented an exciting, exquisitely-animated badminton match.  And thus, my interest was immediately won.  Furthermore, it’s looking to be offering more than just thrilling sports action, but is also going to have a good dose of compelling character drama.  Lastly, I really like how the main character is set up in the pilot.  She was shown right off the bat in that aforementioned badminton match.  But when she appeared again later on, you wouldn’t really notice that she was the same character as the one in the opening scene.  My jaw dropped once her identity is established, in a scene where she was forced to jumped into action and display her prowess.

Tenrou: Sirius the Jaeger

In a nut shell: A group of foreigners who call themselves “Jaegers” arrive in Tokyo to hunt vampires.  One of them is a werewolf named Yuliy, who has a vendetta against vampires after they destroyed his home village.

Episodes as of writing: 2

My initial thoughts: Very promising.  It’s a striking mix of grittiness and grace.  It boasts gorgeous animation, an appealing early 20^th century setting, kickass fights scenes, graphic violence, and potentially exciting mythology.   It can end up being an outstanding anime if it maintains its current momentum.

Grand Blue

In a nut shell: Iori Kitahara is a college freshman eager to begin his new life in the seaside town of Izu.  Just as he moves into his uncle’s scuba shop, a group of rowdy upperclassmen begins forcing their love for drinking and diving on him.  Hilarity ensues.

Episodes as of writing: 2

My initial thoughts:  This show constantly has me in stitches.  Its comedic timing is impeccable, almost similar to how Gintama executes its humor.  However, it also becomes surprisingly reflective.  But sometimes, during these pensive moods, a joke can come out of nowhere, and by being caught off guard by it, a guffaw is always drawn from me.  The lush undersea visuals is also a big plus.

High Score Girl

In a nut shell: It’s set in the 90’s and focuses on Haruo Yaguchi, a boy performing poorly in his academics but is an excellent gamer.   He’s earned for himself the nickname “Beastly Fingers Haruo” due to his domination of arcade games.  However, one day, he finds himself getting beaten in Street Fighter II.  And to his astonishment, the one who beat him is his rich, popular girl classmate, Akira Oono, whom he realizes is a much more talented gamer than him.  A rivalry/friendship is born.

Episodes as of writing: 2

My initial thoughts: I find this anime immensely heartwarming.  The adorable, unlikely friendship that develops between Haruo and Akira is as delightful as the nostalgic rush brought by its utilization of accurately-portrayed, old-school video games and hardware.

Angels of Death

In a nut shell: Based on the video game of the same name, it centers on a 13-year-old girl named Rachel Gardner who wakes trapped in a sinister building in which each floor is occupied by a serial killer.  She strikes a bizarre deal with one of the killers – the scythe-wielding, bandaged Zack Foster – and together, they work their way through the floors to find a way out.

Episodes as of writing: 3

My initial thoughts: It’s not really making a strong impression on me.  But I like the fact that this is a psychological horror anime, and the sense of mystery is keeping me sufficiently intrigued so far.  I guess how I will ultimately feel for this series depends on whether its revelations will prove to be worth it in the end or not.

Chio’s School Road

In a nut shell: The series revolves around Chio Miyamo, a high school girl who loves video games, and chronicles the misadventures she finds herself in as she walks from her house to her school.

Episodes as of writing: 3

My initial thoughts: It’s not as consistently hilarious and engaging as Grand Blue, but it does have some gags that made me genuinely laugh aloud.  Unfortunately, there’s this persistent feeling that this could end up being a bust.  Hopefully, it gets better.

Holmes of Kyoto a.k.a. Kyoto Teramachi Sanjou no Holmes

In a nut shell: If Sherlock Holmes is an appraiser of an antique shop in Kyoto's Teramachi Sanjou shopping district, he would be Yagashira Kiyotaka.  With the assistance of Mashiro Aoi, a high school girl working part-time in the shop, he takes up and solves odd cases brought by various clients.

Episodes as of writing: 3

My initial thoughts: I’m just a sucker for Sherlock Holmes-related stuff.

Harukana Receive

In a nut shell: Set in Okinawa, it’s about a beach volleyball neophyte named Haruka who begins to love the sport through her cousin Kanata, who is a veteran player.  Meanwhile, Kanata has decided to give up on the sport, partly due to feeling insecure of her short height.  But because of Haruka’s encouragement, Kanata becomes determined to compete again.

Episodes as of writing: 3

My initial thoughts: I’ve always been wishing for an anime featuring a high school girls’ volleyball team – or, in other words, a gender-swapped version of the awesome volleyball anime Haikyuu!.  Harukana Receive is NOT the fulfillment of that wish.  However, I never expected it to be in the first place.  It’s not great.  But the beach volleyball action can get fun at times.

Muhyo and Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation

In a nut shell: A duo of magic law experts tracks ghosts, which they sentence to either heaven or hell.

Episodes as of writing: None

My initial thoughts:  The only reason this is at the last place is because an episode has yet to air (I think it’s scheduled for August).  But with such an intriguing, promising premise, there’s a good possibility it could become one of 2018’s most important anime.