Otaku Digest: The Best Of The Summer Season
Welcome anime fans near and far to another instalment of Otaku Digest. We are coming up on a year’s worth of Otaku Digest in its current format, taking the anime of each season and ripping through the new arrivals to see what is worth keeping with for an entire season and what is not.
I would like to take the time to thank everyone who reads and supports Otaku Digest and for the continued support from my fellow writers here on The Arcade. Moving swiftly on to what everyone is here for, the titles gives nothing away but I have not exactly been kind to this year’s summer seasons releases.
I make no secret that lasts week’s anime Gangsta was the best anime of the season and maybe even the year, and it has set the bar very high. Thankfully, there were a few other anime that are worth a watch but were simply overshadowed again by the massive amounts of trash that was released this summer.
The usual disclaimer: these are series I feel are worth watching. This is not a review or even a ranked list but more an honourable mention to some anime that were actually even sort of good, so if you disagree, please let me know in the comments!
Charlotte
This was one of the first anime that we looked at way back at the beginning of the summer season and in all honesty I had sort of forgotten about it; not because it was not good but more because it was a long time ago and, realistically, the bad anime of the summer season had overshadowed any good anime that I had watched. Looking back, Charlotte was the supernatural anime that focused on a small percentage of young boys and girls who, while going through puberty (as if that wasn’t enough of a hassle), actually develop special powers in that time. Most of them manage to live completely ordinary lives like our main protagonist Yuu Otosaka, who goes about his days pretty normally until he meets Nao Tomori. She approaches him thus exposing the true fate of those who carry these special abilities.
Realistically, it was a simple enough anime, albeit slightly generic in its premise. Young people + powers = instant hit, but I actually enjoyed the puberty twist because it grounds the powers in reality. They already have to deal with puberty so why not throw powers on them too; it’s an odd thing to relate to but everyone hits puberty and this is getting hit by puberty tenfold.
This anime had such a good premise but it did fall off a few episodes in and became very filler-enriched and slightly rushed towards the end. I never took the anime too seriously but it did become irritating when it felt as if the story was going nowhere. Compared to other series which, although comedic and light hearted, were kept on the straight and narrow, Charlotte falls off the spectrum for me slightly. However, it was not a bad anime in any way, and I could think of worse easily. It was worth watching but did not hold up as it went on, in my opinion. If you are looking for a filler anime to pass some time then this is for you.
Rokka No Yuusha
There was a definite battle in my mind for the top place spot between this and Gangsta but Gangsta took first place mainly because it was the superior anime. I also feel it was a far more suspense-driven anime so it pulled out on top. In a way, I am sort of getting sick of the adventure fantasy genre of anime since it is becoming a trope now.
This is why I liked this anime so much, though, because it was genuinely refreshing from even the base concept, which is that the evil Majin is awoken from the inner most darkness and, in order to defeat the Majin, six heroes are chosen by the goddess of fate. These heroes are bestowed with the powers they need to go against the Majin and defeat it, thus saving the world. The six chosen travel to the meeting place including the chosen Adlet, who marks himself as the strongest on Earth. However, although only six were chosen, seven gather at the meeting place, so could the enemy be among them?
I gave this anime a hard time before but I had to admit defeat on it; the first episode hooked me and the series was enjoyable throughout. It does seem cliché while watching, with the generic ‘enemy among us’ storyline but it is done exceptionally well. What really makes this anime is the individual characters; each has their own personality, identity and powers and learning about these individual characters is what made this anime for me.
It is all about who the enemy is so character development is key and it is so evident throughout that each character has changed from their first appearance. Where these anime usually fall short is when they feel completely repetitive and full of filler content, but this anime completely broke that trope by each episode having its own individual content and enough suspense for you to want the next episode right away. It’s a well-engineered anime and, at only twelve episodes long, you long for more. If you want an enjoyable and character driven anime then this is for you.
Honorable Mentions
Two other anime worth mentioning here are Overlord and Ushio to Tora. Ushio to Tora is one of the few anime which will run for 26 episodes rather than the usual 12 to 13 this season, and if you have not already checked it out I highly recommend it. It has an excellent blend of comedy relief and high energy antics, with beautifully animated action sequences and a brilliant narrative to boot. The characters are also engaging and genuinely likeable if you’re looking for a great action comedy anime then this really is for you.
Where Overlord was an enjoyable anime, it is one that I found I could have on in the background and not fully pay attention to but still know what the narrative was throughout. Saying that, the anime is very entertaining with some very memorable characters and a protagonist that is truly kick ass. It is one of those anime that you either like or dislike, and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but if you’re out for an easy going, entertaining otaku-enriched virtual reality adventure then check out Overlord.
What did you stick to this summer season? Did I overlook any stand-out anime? Let me know in the comments!
