Summer 2021 – A Brief Top Five

Earlier this week my partner and I sat down to watch the Anime News Network’s Summer anime trailer watch party, which is something they’ve put together just prior to the past few anime seasons. I’ve gotten to the point in my life where I’m just not keen on doing the extreme amount of research needed for a real seasonal preview (you can read more about that here). Despite that, I decided it wouldn’t be too much trouble to write about the trailers that impressed me, as long as I kept selections to a reasonable number (and comments to a reasonable length). Luckily Summer season seems to be way less loaded than Spring has been (thank goodness, I really need to catch up), so it wasn’t difficult me to trim down my list. Below the cut are my “top five” for this upcoming season; I’ve elected to leave out sequels and continuations, as has been my practice lately.

Sonny Boy

Streaming: Funimation

Sorry, I know this is kind of cheating, since I’ve already seen (and reviewed!) the first episode. But trust me, I was looking forward to this series prior to any gesture by Funimation meant to get the hype train going early.

This story follows a class of teenagers as their high school drifts from dimension to dimension. I already get the impression that the sci-fi elements of the story are in service to its social and emotional aspects, which is the type of storytelling I personally really enjoy.

I think the biggest thing factoring into my interest is the involvement of Shingo Natsume as writer and director. He also directed the first (“good”) season of One-Punch Man, as well as the political drama ACCA-13, both of which I really enjoyed. He’s one of those animator/directors who seems to be able to attract interesting talent to the productions he oversees, and I’m interested to see what sort of story he tells.

Kageki Shoujo!!

Streaming: TBA

I’ve had multiple people recommend this manga series to me specifically, and all I can really say is “yeah, they know me.”

This story follows a Takarazuka-style all-girls performing arts school, and the main characters are a former idol named Ai who plays the more feminine roles and a very tall drink of water named Sarasa who plays the masculine roles. The first volume of the manga has Sarasa on the cover, dressed as Oscar Francois de Jarjeyes from The Rose of Versailles, so obviously I am destined to love this.

Takarazuka theater has been an interest of mine for a long time; it’s hard not to be enthralled by something that was created to enforce traditional values and gender roles but has since come to represent (at least in some interpretations) something more subversive to its mostly female audience. While I loved Revue Starlight for its criticism of these systems and it re-writing of unjust rules, I think I’m going to enjoy this story played a bit more straight(?), too.

The Aquatope on White Sand

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Sakura Quest, Hanasaku Iroha, Tari Tari… I’m kind of a sucker for the “P.A. Works original slice-of-life series” genre of anime. Yes, I know that this isn’t an actual genre; all of these stories are written and directed by different people. But as much as I think most studios don’t really have a particular collective “vision” of anime – they’re mainly contracted by outside parties to animate what a committee has decided on, after all – I can’t help but feel as though there’s some thematic and tonal continuity between these various works.

Aquatope seems cut from similar cloth. Following a group of characters working at an aquarium on Okinawa and trying to stop its eventual closure, the pretty imagery, ensemble cast, and simple, real-world stakes are right up my alley.

I will admit it, I’m a just a sucker for low-stakes anime that’s got touches of drama and comedy without going too far overboard (lol, ocean pun) in either direction. Also there is a cute penguin. Never underestimate the power of cute animals when it comes to my ability to be attracted to something.

Fena: Pirate Princess

Streaming: Crunchyroll

It’s difficult to beat a really solid, straightforward adventure story; unfortunately they seem to be a rare commodity in anime these days. I think that’s what attracted me to Fena, a collaboration(?) between Crunchyroll and Adult Swim, animated by Production I.G.

The protagonist, Fena, is an orphan with an intriguing past that seems to involve piracy (naturally). She escapes being married off by running away with some folks who appear to be some comrades from her previous life. The trailer features the requisite pirate swashbuckling stuff, this time with Japanese-style swordplay. Fun!

I’m all for stories of girls going on adventures, and this series seems to involve some Southeast Asian style piracy too which I’m really interested in. That said, the one thing that gives me some misgivings about the series is the language used by Crunchyroll to describe Fena as “chattel” and “breaking the chains of her oppressors” which is sort of loaded language, especially for a character who seems to be visually-coded as of white European descent.

RE-MAIN

Streaming: Funimation

You knew I couldn’t go without highlighting a sports anime, right? I’m of the belief that any hobby or sport can be turned into a compelling narrative, because the process of learning something, improving, and then performing it at the highest level you’re able to almost always proves itself out as a good story arc.

There is really nothing unique about the basic story here – a water polo player stops playing after something traumatic happens in middle school, but he returns to the sport in high school only to find that the team needs some help to git gud.

As usual, I’m sure much of the drama will revolve around the quest to put together a workable team, as well as the chemistry of the different players. This is par for the course (lol sports pun, I’m so sorry) for sports anime, but that’s kind of why I’ve come around to the genre so much in recent years. I think human beings are great when they’re pushing themselves to do their best and working together to accomplish things, so it’s difficult to resist the charm of the genre no matter what the specific sport might be central at that moment.

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There are a few other series that have caught my eye, although they are in my mind less than surefire hits (although, who says my selections above may turn out to be anything more substantial?).

Uramichi-Oniisan looks to be a fairly comical look at the inner emotional lives of the adults who perform entertainment for children. While this is an amusing premise, I wonder if it might end up being too cynical for my own tastes.

The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace seems like it could be a fun and visually-stylish action series, about a group of gods who haven’t had to do much demon-fighting lately and have some practicing to do. That said, this is being animated by Studio Mappa, and while there are many fans who will be excited to know that, I can only think of how overworked their animators must be. It’s tough when you learn how the sausage is made.

And The Case Study of Vanitas really hits that pretty vampire button for me. I mean, ultimately I’m a simple soul whose head will turn at the prospect of steampunk bishounen vampires with mysterious grimoires and fantastic costumes, animated by Studio Bones. That said, I mostly just suspect sexy action-oriented fluff rather than anything more substantial than that. But I suppose that’s okay, right?

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Are you looking forward to any particular Summer Series? Let me know in the comments!