Alongside blazing hot temperatures comes the 34 new anime of the summer season. With so many, you might be a bit unsure where to start. And while I can’t make any promises on final quality, here are the five I am most looking forward to personally.
Image source: TVアニメ「ありふれた職業で世界最強」 on Twitter
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest
Genre: Fantasy, Transported to Another World
Studio: Asread, White Fox
Premiere date: July 8, 2019
What it’s about: Thanks to his friendship with class-idol Kaoi, average teen Nagumo might be the most envied–and hated–boy in school. This doesn’t change even after his whole class is transported to a fantasy world and given special skills to help them save it.
It’s only a matter of days later that Nagumo finds himself bloody, broken, and abandoned in the depths of a dungeon–betrayed by a jealous classmate and left to die. But little does anyone suspect that this dungeon will be Nagumo’s crucible, forging him into an existence that may just save the world–or utterly destroy it.
Why I’m excited: Arifureta is neither a paint-by-numbers heroic tale nor a revenge fantasy. Instead, it is the story of a normal person who has his worldview broken–along with his body–and must build himself into something new in order to survive. Along the way, he is forced to decide what is really important–which philosophies and ideals he needs to keep and which he must discard.
Though with the focus on the internal, that doesn’t mean the story lacks for adventure. While it starts in the dungeon, Nagumo’s journey takes him all across the fantasy world. As he travels, he not only gains new companions, but slowly discovers that this world is far more complex than the simple good versus evil battle he had been told about. And to top it all off, the tale contains an excellent love story about two people who completely trust each other and value each other more than the fate of the world itself.
Watch it if you like: Raising of the Shield Hero, Goblin Slayer
Where to watch: Funimation, Aniplus (Asia)
Image source: TVアニメ「ダンベル何キロ持てる？」公式(7月3日放送開始) on Twitter
How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift?
Genre: Comedy, Fitness, Ecchi
Studio: Doga Kobo
Premiere date: July 13, 2019
What it’s about: Hibiki is your average high school girl. One day she discovers she is getting rather pudgy around the middle. After a week of futilely trying to lose weight on her own, she decides to try out going to a newly opened local gym. There she comes across Akemi–and is shocked to learn that the school’s resident “princess” and student council president actually has a serious muscle fetish. Thus begins the unlikely friendship between a girl who just wants to drop a few pounds and one looking to get swole.
Why I’m excited: On one hand, How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift? Is an enjoyable, light-hearted comedy. Like many who decide to try and lose weight, Hibiki is her own worst enemy–especially her tendency to eat calorie-heavy meals and snack constantly. Likewise, there is more than a bit of comedy to be gained by Akemi’s obsession with muscles and how it turns every workout of hers into an erotic experience. It only gets funnier once Hibiki’s best friend and her teacher are thrown into the mix.
As fun and silly as it is, How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift? is filled with great advice on working out. It constantly showcases exercises you can do at home and shows how to correctly do them. It also dispels various (potentially dangerous) myths about working out and gives some great tips about dieting as well. It’s honestly as educational as it is anything else.
Watch it if you like: Anitore! EX, Please Tell Me! Galko-chan
Where to watch: Funimation
Image source: 『ダンまち』シリーズ アニメ公式 on Twitter
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (Season 2)
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy
Studio: J.C. Staff
Premiere date: July 13, 2019
What it’s about: In a world where many of the gods have left heaven to live alongside (and empower) their chosen champions, young adventurer Bell is set to continue his adventures within the sprawling dungeon beneath the city of Orario.
After the events of the first season, Bell’s star is on the rise. But his sudden fame hasn’t gone unnoticed as gods scheme to use him for their own ends–threatening to destroy the familia he holds dear in the process. At the same time, his party member, Lily, faces her own problems as her own checkered past catches up with her.
Why I’m excited: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? is just good, solid, fantasy fun. The first season provided a solid, newbie-centric introduction to the world and its inhabitants. The spin-off, Sword Oratoria, re-examined those same events (as well as others) from the viewpoint of seasoned adventurers–better showing the stakes for what they really are. With all the major worldbuilding out of the way, this new season is set to kick the whole story into high gear by focusing on threats of a personal nature–rather than by simply having Bell go up against some random monster in the dungeon.
Watch it if you like: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Sword Oratoria: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side
Where to watch: Crunchyroll, HIDIVE, Aniplus (Asia)
Image source: ASCA on Twitter
Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note
Genre: Modern Fantasy, Mystery
Studio: TROYCA
Premiere date: July 7, 2019
What it’s about: Nearly a decade ago, a young mage named Waver Velvet fought alongside a hero from myth and legend to gain a wish from the holy grail. He failed.
In the years since, Waver has risen to become recognized as one of the 12 greatest mages of the Clocktower magic school–a man who, despite not having much in the way of magical talent, is seen as a formidable force due to his cunning mind. At his side is his apprentice Gray, a mysterious young woman with seemingly no ability in magecraft who hides her face at all times. Together, they solve magical mysteries by focusing on the motive rather than the means.
Why I’m excited: Waver is a complex character. In his own mind, he is a failure–unable to make up for the events of Fate/Zero. To Gray and his other students, he is a savior–a person who gave a group of oddballs a place where they could thrive. To the general magical community, he is nothing but an untalented hack–a puppet for the powerful El Melloi family. However, to those mages who get to know him, he is something far more dangerous. In a world where magecraft is literally powered by the mystery surrounding it, a mind able to peel away this mystery to see the truth behind it is an anathema: He might as well be the death of magic incarnate.
The other reason I’m excited for this anime is Gray herself. She is a walking mystery–and one with a worthwhile payoff. The revelation of her backstory and who she is has interesting implications that change and expand how you will perceive the world of Fate.
Watch it if you like: Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night, Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Extra: Last Encore
Where to watch: Crunchyroll, AnimeLab (AU/NZ)
Image source: TVアニメ「ヴィンランド・サガ」公式 on Twitter
Vinland Saga
Genre: Historical Fiction
Studio: Wit Studio
Premiere date: July 7, 2019
What it’s about: It’s the year 1013 and the Vikings have returned to England. But this time it’s not simply a series of raids made by random tribes or mercenary groups: it’s all out war between the English nobility and the forces of the Danish King.
It is in this sea of blood that we meet Thorfinn. A young-yet-highly-skilled warrior, Thorfinn dives again and again into the melee, aiming to take the heads of the enemy generals. However, it is not honor or glory Thorfinn seaks. Rather it is revenge against the man who killed his father: Askeladd, the leader of Thorfinn’s own mercenary group.
Why I’m excited: I’m a sucker for historical fiction–especially from eras that are often completely overlooked in school. Vinland Saga is the perfect example of this. Smack dab in the middle of the Middle Ages, knights and Vikings battle it out as the norsemen expand their empire further than ever before.
Best of all, Vinland Saga has no interest in sugarcoating the horrors of war. Thus, what you get is an ultra-violent romp through humanity’s history bolstered by a story of personal revenge that any of us can empathize with.
Watch it if you like: Berserk, The Heroic Legend of Arslan
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Top image source: TVアニメ『ロード・エルメロイⅡ世の事件簿 -魔眼蒐集列車 Grace note-』 on Twitter
“It constantly showcases exercises you can do at home and shows how to correctly do them. It also dispels various (potentially dangerous) myths about working out” – correct “gives some great tips about dieting as well. It’s honestly as educational as it is anything else.” – Incorrect, the “dieting tips” are largely bro-science nonsense