The Summer of Love
I believe the summer of love was the summer of 69. I’m not sure what year that happened. (The adults know what I did here… Lewd…) What does the summer of love have to do with anything? Nothing, really, I was just at a loss for a title for this post. But the post is about the summer, more specifically, the summer 2017 release of anime!
Anime comes and goes in seasons, generally. Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring. Some anime is ongoing and goes through multiple seasons, some are simply 12-13 episodes and last a single season. Regardless, each season there is a ton of new stuff that comes out, and quite often new content for older titles.
I thought I would share with everyone some of the Summer 2017 anime I am watching, and why I think you should too! The anime is in no real order, so don’t take the list as a ranking.
AHO-GIRL
Some anime are not full episode length. Think of them in a similar way that you would Robot Chicken or Aqua Teen Hunger Force in so far as there’s not a ton of plot involved so they can be pretty well condensed into a shorter format. AHO-GIRL is certainly one of those. I am enjoying it quite a lot so far primarily because the main character, Yoshiko, is a massive moron and for some reason, the stupider the character, the stupider the anime, the happier I am.
There is the cliché childhood friend that she’s in love with (I assume), but he’s quite put off by her stupidity. There’s also the lewd tsundere disciplinary committee head who falls in love with him. If you’re looking for an anime free of clichés, keep moving. If you just want to have a good time without much commitment in the way of time or brainpower, this will be a great show for you!
You can catch it on Crunchyroll.
Netsuzou Trap -NTR-
This is another title that’s not full length, only about 9 minutes in total with a 1:30 OP and ED so you’re looking at about 6 minutes of actual content. It really doesn’t need that much. The ‘plot’ of the show is basically the protagonist, Yuma, has a new boyfriend and she’s happy! They double date with her friend Hotaru. Shenanigans occur and Hotaru kisses Yuma.
So it seems to me the whole story is that Hotaru is in love with Yuma, and while she ‘hides’ her advances as her wanting to help Yuma rehearse for fun sexy time with her boyfriend, we can all see right through that. If you’d like some fan service without much plot, Netsuzou Trap is for you. You can catch it on Crunchyroll. I will continue to watch it for research and journalistic purposes.
Fox Spirit Matchmaker
This is actually a Chinese title that was dubbed into Japanese and is being broadcast in Japan, and thanks to that it shows up on Crunchyroll! It’s gotten terrible reviews and while I will admit that I wasn’t THAT disappointed in it, I found it both cute and watchable (though I will acknowledge that I am only through the first episode at this point).
The gist of the show is that spirits and humans coexist; humans die and are reborn, but the memories of their past lives – as well as the memories of the love they shared with a spirit – are locked away. Certain Fox Spirits can release these memories. The show revolves around one of those spirits. There’s also a game show, maybe? As I said, it’s cute but it’s not necessarily a thinker. If you’re willing to try it out, it’s on Crunchyroll.
Fate/Apocrypha
One of the many different takes on the Fate visual novel, this one, so far, kicks major ass. Fate is one of my favorite anime series because it goes from dark as fuck to comedic as hell, with slice of life combined with really, really awesome action scenes. If you’re not familiar with the Fate series, you won’t lose much by watching this one. It’s got enough exposition in it to get you through the confusing parts.
There is yet another Holy Grail War, but this one is in Romania and there are not just the seven servant/master pairings, but 14 as getting the grail has essentially become a team sport. Red Saber vs Black Saber, Red Lancer vs Black Archer. There’s a 15th servant as a neutral observer. Also, Frankenstein’s Monster is kawaii as can be. The animation is awesome, especially in the battle scenes with quite frankly deafening audio to really get you in the mood.
If you only listen to one of my recommendations today, it needs to be this one. Watch Fate/Apocrypha. It’s on Netflix.
Why no link you may ask? Well because I do not currently have a Netflix account. How do I watch Fate and the next anime on the list despite not having a Gogoanime account then?
Koi to Uso
For some of us, having the government assign us wives would be really damned helpful. I can’t even rely on the ‘childhood friend’ trope given that all my childhood friends were male. Koi to Uso exists in a world where on your 16th birthday you get a letter from the man telling you who your spouse will be. In this case, however, the main character likes another girl. He confesses. SURPRISE MOTHER FUCKER. She likes him too.
But wouldn’t you know it, the government assigns him someone else. D’oh! But maybe this chick is so thrilled by the idea of true love, she’s going to help you get the other girl! I think. I’m only a couple of episodes in, but I think this is the gist of the story.
It’s a cute love story with a twist, and I am interested in seeing where it goes, as the main character did get a text message from someone claiming to be the government that paired him with the first girl. Regardless, I’m a sucker for a sweet story. Even if the anime gives these characters the weirdest fucking eyes I have ever seen in any anime (and I am counting the ones where the eyes are just ><). It’s on Gogoanime.
Pending
Here are some of the titles I’m planning on watching but haven’t gotten around to it yet (or they’ve not come out yet). Most of these can be found on Crunchyroll.
- 18if
- CHRONOS RULER
- Classroom of the Elite
- Gamers
- Hina Logic
- In Another World With My Smartphone
- My First Girlfriend is a Gal
- Nora, Princess, & A Stray Cat
- Action Heroine Cheer Fruits
- Battle Girl High School
- Fate/Grand Order
As well, a couple of continuing series that deserve mentioning (all of which are available on Crunchyroll):
- New Game
- The Ancient Magus’ Bride
- Sakura Quest