Summer 2019’s anime season is around the corner, ready to unleash a fresh batch of shows on eager viewers. However, before that occurs, there’s plenty of preseason speculation and conversation. Anticipatory talks of what will ultimately be worthwhile and what’s better of leaving on the shelf are definitely being had, and now is the best time to take advantage of that discourse.
With that said, I’ve spent the last week digging into it all, scouring threads, videos, blogs and of course charts to get a feel for how Summer is shaping up. Below are ten of the bigger takeaways from that experience:
1. This Summer season on a whole is very flexible. Usually, anime seasons have 4-5 works that are distinctly a cut above the rest on paper – flashing the structural traits and raw potential to typically be thought of as “the ones to watch”. This upcoming season, our pack of anime is much less distinguishable in quality on average, with fewer titles immediately jumping off the charts at first glance. Thus, viewers are more encouraged to do something that’s sadly not done enough when approaching a new anime season – actually explore. Summer’s lack of an immediate rigid set of stars has already translated on a bunch of anticipation/watchlists. I’m seeing a lot more variety in what viewers are looking forward to, and even better, in what they plan on giving a shot than any other season this year so far.
2. Despite the uptick in watchlist variance, a lot of critics and viewers are overlooking Machikado Mazoku (Street Corner Demon), making it one of Summer’s deeper sleeper picks. To be fair, it’s pretty easy to overlook: Machikado Mazoku tends to hang out at the bottom of most seasonal charts, usually drifting around the top 10 least popular anime and sometimes flirting with the top 5 (fun fact, at the time of writing it’s actually the 4th least popular on MAL). Be that as it may, Machikado Mazoku actually has a solid chunk of hope under the hood for a 4-koma comedy. Hiroaki Sakurai (Cromartie High School, Maid Sama!, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.) is no slouch, especially when it comes to landing gags and Keiichirō Ōchi, Hinamatsuri & Oregairu 2) is overlooking the series’ scripts. There’s reasonable concern with J.C. Staff involved given their upcoming workload and previous track record, however, its personnel combined with its ”demon living in the normal world needing to make rent” premise gives enough confidence and “The Devil is A Part-Timer” vibes to be a decent bet. Wouldn’t be surprised if this show didn’t stay at the very bottom of seasonal charts for long once it gets moving.
3. Enen no Shouboutai (Fire Force) is growing more concerning by the day as I dig deeper and deeper into it and its surrounding buzz. Yes, it’s a top 5 anime in terms of popularity most places you look for this upcoming season. Yes, it’s the latest action Shounen that features a steady fanbase to vouch for / hype it. Yes, David Productions is in control with a staff unit toting slick talent, already flexing plenty of craft proficiency from the teasers. So why the concern? Well, for as much praise and excitement it’s generating from its production, there’s significantly less positivity around any of its written components. From everything I gathered, Fire Force’s scripting and characterization float extremely close to the standard threshold of its genre space rather than not – dipping into a lot of cliches and narrative trappings as it paints its core cast and attempts to storytell. For that, its situation ultimately feels very reminiscent to Spring’s Kimestsu no Yaiba: Both bigger Shounens with a very promising visual craft that makes up the vast majority of its limelight, yet suspiciously weak textually. Of course in Fire Force’s case, the latter isn’t concrete. It has a chance to prove itself in that regard still even if the signs aren’t looking too bright at the moment.
4. Not a single one of the 4 upcoming Isekai titles are worth investing in unless you’re an absolute sucker for the genre. I spoke with multiple source readers and, while they all said nice things about the most anticipated among the bunch, Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (particularly referring to its opening material), it apparently doesn’t take long for it to slide downhill into the stagnant pool of middling at best writing that tends to be the norm for these kinds of works. The rest of the Isekai titles in question didn’t even get a partial compliment and often drew a ton more criticism. Lots of comparisons to Kenja no Mago, Death March and In Another World With My Smartphone in terms of relative quality both conceptually and in their application. Pick them up at your own risk and expect these shows to be more or less fodder for funny screenshots early on.
5. Granblem is the original work that you want to roll the dice on. Originals can be difficult to gauge heading into a season with their obvious lack of source and corresponding fanbase. However, we still have trailers, premises, and staff to go on to make an educated guess if it’s worth the early addition to the watchlist. Granblem’s premise doesn’t give us too much insight to work with, but having Jukki Hanada (Sound! Euphonium, A Place Further Than the Universe, Bloom Into You) on scripts is pretty reassuring out of the gate and Re:Zero’s director is further flavoring the pot and steering the ship – offering a brand of flexible vision that shows up immediately in the previews. The show certainly looks the part and boasts enough positive flags to at least be given a shot. Worth the bet.
6. Thankfully, there doesn’t appear to be a large “controversial” anime coming out this season, so we should be safe from the sea of overwrought drama and general toxicity that comes with that territory. Dating back since last Fall with Goblin Slayer, seasonal watchers have experienced at least one divisive big title each season, with Spring recently getting thrown into the ring as it wanes due to claims surrounding One Punch Man and Attack on Titan. It should go without saying, but Seasonal Prattle doesn’t hold all the cards, so there is a chance that a particular show might have some form of content down its stretch that sparks a widespread uproar. With that noted, both “If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord” and “Maidens of the Savage Season” are possible candidates – just on a smaller scale luckily so there shouldn’t be too loud of rifts. Regardless, don’t be shocked if you see people eventually having issues with those titles nonetheless.
7. Speaking of If it’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord, the show is currently a bit of an underrated slice of life pick as it’s usually stuck in the middle of charts. From what I’ve gathered, this one plays along similar lines to works like Sweetness and Lightning and Usagi Drop – leveraging a palpable level of wholesome warmth and charm each step of the way through its family driven narrative. The source appears to have a healthy amount of positivity, with plenty of talk swooning over how adorable its content is, and the previews back that up for the most part. There is the age-gap aspect here that will likely challenge certain viewers (As alluded to in the previous takeaway), but beyond that, I don’t see much contention. Fine pickup if this is your genre with the potential for some added upside.
8. The optimism surrounding Vinland Saga being a top-notch prospect this Summer is very valid. This one should need no introduction or much elaboration as it’s very much “the show” to buy in on this season – flashing the freaky promise of high textually aptitude mixed with solid visual acuity. There’s so much to love about Vinland Saga’s storytelling mechanics and grace that the only thing that can possibly slip it up is outright botched handling from WIT – which is rather unlikely. A very safe pickup that you shouldn’t think twice about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpRk3m3Y-Zg
9. If I had to place a bet now, it’s that Kanata no Astra will be on the rise. Critics are already noting how sturdy its material is, and that in combination with an experienced Lerche crew should pay dividends quite handsomely. Space / Sci-fi are tags that unfortunately lack magnetism to the average anime viewer nowadays, Kanata no Astra can very well live up to its taut scripting and other intangibles that are being anticipated, but that may not translate into the show’s social momentum with a limited viewer base. So If this show does start turning heads, expect it to be over time. However, don’t let that be an excuse for you not to invest in it from day one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbfd6SuSjLs
10. Last thing: Many are assuming that Maidens of the Savage Season is a solid, trustworthy pickup primarily due to Mari Okada being both the creator and at the helm – but that kind of thinking is exactly why you should be worried. Mari Okada works are hardly a sure bet and that certainly doesn’t look to be changing this Summer. Okada as a writer is a coin flip at best, greatly fluctuating in finesse over the years when she attempts to flesh out a series’ soft tissue touchstones. Her last five works (Gourmet Girl Graffiti, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, Kiznaiver, The Lost Village, Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan) reflect this, giving her a track record over the last four years that does anything but scream consistent quality. Don’t get fooled by the big name and adjust your expectations appropriately.