The 10 Most Anticipated Anime to Get You Through This Summer Season
So far, every week of 2024 has been defined by Dungeon Meshi Thursdays. But that’s the beauty and curse of seasonal anime—they’re wonderful while they’re here, but they can’t last forever. Now that I’m in a puddle knowing I’ll not get a new Senshi panty shot for a hot second, what do I do with my life?
Fortunately, some serious bangers are coming to our screens this July and August for the summer 2024 anime season. They include two adaptations of Hollywood franchises, a season of a romance classic thirteen years in the making, high school actors who are dramatic in more than one way, and an unhinged deer lady. Hopefully, at least one of them can fill the Dungeon Meshi-shaped hole in my heart.
Here are the 10 most anticipated and exciting anime offerings being released this summer.
Senpai is an Otokonoko (This Is Him)
Every anime season has its dark horse which comes up from behind and hits everyone in the gut with feels. I’ve got a feeling that this season’s will be Senpai is an Otokonoko.
The series centers around a young girl who confesses her love to her female-presenting classmate, who then confesses in turn that she was born male. From that log line alone, there are multiple levels of LGBTQ+ identity on display and a lot of potential joys and hardships to explore therein. The general consensus from those who have read P0m’s webtoon is that these issues are handled well. Here’s hoping.
T・P Bon season 2
Largely speaking, Netflix has been doing a much better job marketing their anime recently than they have in the past. Hell, we’re all obsessed with Dungeon Meshi after all. But they made one pretty baffling mistake this year: an entire season of T・P Bon, AKA Time Patrol Bon, dropped in May, and no one knows about it. Even with season two coming in July.
But you should know about it, for several reasons. One is that the original manga is by Fujiko Fujio, the same authorial team behind the immortal Doraemon. But this is their edgy manga. And, this new adaptation comes to us from Bones, one of the best anime studios in the biz—they’re behind Mob Psycho 100, My Hero Academia, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, and more. Watch T・P Bon.
NieR Automata Ver 1.1a Part 2
Square Enix’s 2017 action RPG NieR:Automata is already considered a modern classic. The game’s method of storytelling is bold and unique, and the perspectives that begin to unravel are unforgettable. In early 2023, A-1 Studio bravely attempted to translate that experience into an anime adaptation. And you know? They did a pretty damn good job. Hopes are high that they can keep it up for round two.
Terminator: Zero
We’ve watched long enough as incredible anime films and series are squeezed through the Hollywood grinder and come out, at best, as deeply mediocre adaptations. (One Piece mostly excepted, thank god.) It’s time for revenge. It’s time for the IP recycling machine to turn in the other direction. In short, it’s time for the era of Hollywood films and series getting anime adaptations.
Enter the boldly named Terminator: Zero. Please, please be good.
Tower of God season 2
In Solo Leveling, 2024 has already had one massive hit based on a South Korean manhwa. But why stop at one? Tower of God‘s first season had a bit of a mixed reception upon its initial 2020 release. Four years later, it’s back with the new perspective of a new studio. Hopefully, SIU’s beloved manhwa gets the adaptation it deserves.
Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest
Fairy Tale was one of the tentpole shounen series of the 2010s. Six years after its Final Series, it’s back, baby! 100 Years Quest is a sequel to the Fairy Tail we all know and love. They’ve recruited the same composer (Yasuharu Takahashi) and everything. Unlike the old Fairy Tail anime, which aired perpetually and therefore included a lot of filler, 100 Years Quest will air in cours and stick closer to the (still ongoing) manga.
Suicide Squad Isekai
It seems Marvel and DC are everywhere, including anime. Suicide Squad Isekai isn’t DC’s first foray into anime (look up Batman Ninja, a real, actual film). But the fact that it’s a collaboration with WIT Studio (Spy x Family, the first seasons of Attack on Titan) is intriguing. And there’s just something about an anime Harley Quinn that feels right.
WIT’s also behind the unhinged series My Deer Friend Nokotan listed below, so talk about range!
My Deer Friend Nokotan (Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan)
A couple of weeks ago, I did now know about the existence of My Deer Friend Nokotan, AKA Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan. My life was objectively worse off for it. If you’re looking for the summer season’s source of absolute mayhem, this is it. The trailer begins with the age-old question, “Why aren’t people deer?” and eventually continues to include a deer horn creating a massive explosion and a high school anime girl givin’ it to a live-action deer from behind. Plus, the theme song is already a bonafide earworm. It’s going to be unhinged. I can’t wait.
Kimi Ni Todoke season 3
The highly anticipated third season of Kimi Ni Todoke will premiere on Netflix in August—a bit later than most of this bunch. However, it’s well worth the wait. Despite being widely lauded as one of the best romance anime ever made (rated an impressive 8.22 on My Anime List), there’s a whopping thirteen-year gap between Kimi Ni Todoke‘s second season and the upcoming third season. Having more of a modern classic feels like a dream come true.
Oshi No Ko season 2
Earlier this year, I finally watched Oshi No Ko‘s first season. The film-length first episode alone gave me plot whiplash several times over. It’s exquisite. The less you know about Oshi No Ko going in, the better. You’re in for one hell of a roller coaster. Trust me on this one.
If you’ve watched season 1, you don’t need to be convinced to get excited for season 2. Unlike the first season, which featured several smaller arcs, season two will just focus on the 3-D stage play. Let the highly dramatic teenage showbiz sparks spy.
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