Anime is, without a doubt, one of those things that people seem to be a bit apprehensive about watching. A lot of us didn’t have any issues watching Dragon Ball Z or Sailor Moon during our school years. In fact, you probably remember those shows and they bring back fond memories.
However, the older we get, the more likely we are to shunt anime off to the side or label it as a no-go. So! In an effort to bring back your love for anime, I’ve compiled a list of 5 great anime shows to binge watch this Summer:
1. 7 Seeds
The series was nominated in the Comic category for the 49th Seiun Awards this past April. The manga also ranked on the top 20 list of manga for female readers in the 2018 edition of Takarajimasha’s Kono Manga ga Sugoi!
The story begins with young Natsu waking up along with a handful of other people on a mysterious island. With admittedly rushed characterisation, they soon learn of a meteorite that hit Earth and caused the world to launch their fail-safe project; the 7Seeds program. With murderous giant insects having evolved thanks to the changed climate, the series sees the group adjust to their new surroundings whilst trying to work out exactly what’s happened to the world since they left it.
2. Neon Genesis Evangelion
If you were seriously into anime sometime between 1995 and 2008, you’ve seen Neon Genesis Evangelion. It’s a landmark of a medium, still loved, loathed, discussed and debated long after its future was supposed to happen.
The Evangelion series revolves around the organization NERV, using large mechas called Evangelions to combat monstrous beings called Angels.
Evangelion is widely considered one of the most influential anime created in the 1990’s, if not of all time. It is extremely well known for it’s brave attempts to turn the mecha genre on its head, it’s deep character development, and it’s unorthodox storyline.
3. Revisions
The series wastes no time dropping you and the characters into the action, plucking them from their comfortable lives in 2017 and dropping them headfirst into the veritable wasteland that is 2388. You know just as much as the characters in the early episodes, learning things in bits and pieces alongside Daisuke and the rest of revisions’s cast and that’s what keeps you coming back for more.
The truth is kept just out of reach, tantalizingly so, but, by keeping its cards closely guarded, every reveal is made that much more satisfying (and infuriating). I realized each of the series’s ‘big reveals’ about the same time as Daisuke and the rest of the Shabuyans, and it made for a much more organic and emotional story. You feel for these characters, not because you’re supposed to, but because you feel their anxiety and confusion… you take pride in their victories, because you experience everything with them.
4. Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac
This will be a remake of the original Knights of the Zodiac and it will be released on July 19th. I have to be honest with you, I’m not too thrilled about this remake and the way it looks, but I will still watch it to give it a chance because of how much I loved the original anime show.
The story follows five mystical warriors called the “Saints”, Seinto, or “Knights” in some adaptations who fight wearing sacred sets of armor named “Cloths”. The designs of which derive from various constellation the characters have adopted as their destined guardian symbols, and empowered by a mystical energy called “Cosmo”. The Saints have sworn to defend the reincarnation of the Greek goddess Athena in her battle against other Olympian gods who want to dominate Earth.
5. Carole and Tuesday
Carole & Tuesday is set on Mars, 50 years after humans began migrating there. Carole, a young girl barely getting by as a part-time musician, encounters by chance Tuesday, a rich girl who dreams of being a musician.
The two come together to sing and make music in a world where culture is predominantly created by AIs.
Carole & Tuesday is the newest show from acclaimed director Shinichro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo), who is clearly leaning into his love of music, but not just in the story.
