My Summer 2016 Anime Must-Watch List

I just hope that I’m not too late with posting my version of Summer 2016 Anime Must-Watch List on my blog. I know that some of them may have posted their list when the first episode of the anime was already on air.

But I prefer to post my list slightly later, though. One of the reasons is because I may ditch the anime if I find the anime boring. Or just plain stupid in some cases.

Luckily, everything that I plan to watch made it into the list. In fact, there’s one anime that I didn’t add into my initial list. But I’m glad that I’ve made the right decision to watch it. It’s not even the kind of anime I will watch either.

Wondering what anime is that? Take a look at my Summer 2016 Anime Must-Watch List to find out more.

My Summer 2016 Anime Must-Watch List

As usual, I have an extensive list of Summer 2016 Anime Must-Watch. I think it shouldn’t be something surprising since I’m the kind of person who is always indulging in any anime that I find interesting regardless of the genre.

So, here it is.

P.S The anime listed here is according to the alphabetical order. So, it has nothing to do whether it’s my must-watch anime or not. My anime must-watch for this season turns out to be something I least expect.

91 Days

I remember that there was one person in Horrible Subs comment section comparing 91 Days with Joker Game. Okay, don’t bother with finding the comment. You would never find it no thanks to long strings of useless comments there.

For me, comparing 91 Days with Joker Game is like comparing an apple with orange. 91 Days is about seeking revenge which involves a mafia group.

On the other hand, Joker Game is about spies before the World War I begins. So, comparing both of them is ridiculous to me.

Putting that silly comparison aside, I will watch any anime that involves killing. And this anime is one of them.

Now, it makes sense why this anime is on the list. But it’s still not something that I will recommend everyone to watch. That is unless you love thriller anime.

Arslan Senki S2

I watch this anime because I’ve watched the previous season. It’s also another anime where there are many killings involved. But you can’t expect war anime to have no killings at all. That’s just plain silly.

I hope that the anime will wrap up in a good way, though. Having eight episodes for the second season doesn’t look like it will do this anime justice. I don’t know what they have in mind when they’re announcing this news.

Battery

In case you’re not familiar with the baseball, battery refers collectively to the pitcher and the catcher. Thus, the anime promo showing a pitcher (on the right) and the catcher (on the left).

I’m happy that there’s another baseball anime just like Ace of Diamond. Somehow, this anime doesn’t even come close.

From what I know, Battery is adapted from a novel. If you’ve ever read a sports novel, the pacing is slow. And it doesn’t focus much on the adrenaline rush you’ve seen in any sports anime.

So, the anime isn’t going to be that different since it’s focusing a lot more on the character development than the typical adrenaline rush. It’s normal in the sports novel, apparently.

I thought that my sports novel, Twisted Destiny has a slow pace. It seems like Battery has a slower pace than Twisted Destiny. At least Twisted Destiny has the usual adrenaline rush similar to Slam Dunk and Kuroko no Basket.

Not to toot my own horn, but if you prefer to read a sports novel just like you read sports manga minus the illustration, then you should give Twisted Destiny a try.

Going back to Battery, is it worth watching? Well, it is. But don’t expect it’s going to be like Ace of Diamond.

Danganronpa 3

If you have watched the first season of Danganronpa, then you can expect that Danganronpa 3 isn’t going to be that different. But this time, it will be divided into two different arcs – the despair arc and the future arc.

The future arc will take place after the event in the first season. And the despair arc takes place before the event in the first season.

For the apparent reason, you have to watch both story arcs because they’re overlapping with each other. Some of the characters in the future arc are also in the despair arc as well. If you watch both arcs, then it will be much easier to understand the whole plot.

This anime is another anime I’m looking forward to. But just like 91 Days, I only recommend it to people who love thriller anime. I’m so not kidding when I admit that this anime is depressing to watch.

Watch the first season, and then you’ll understand what I mean here.

DAYS

Another sports anime I’m watching this season. I’m not a football fan (that is soccer in the US). But I still watch it because of my penchant with sports anime.

Despite not a football fan, this anime is surprisingly entertaining too. Give this anime a try even if you’re not a football fan or a sports fan.

Fukigen na Mononokean

It’s a supernatural anime just like Natsume Yuujinchou. And some of the episodes can be as heartwarming just like the one we had in Natsume Yuujinchou.

Of course, Fukigen na Mononokean and Natsume Yuujinchou are different. But if you need another heartwarming supernatural anime, you can’t go wrong with this anime.

Handa-kun

If you love Barakamon, then you should watch this anime too. This anime was about Handa when he was in the high school. You can say that this anime is another side of him that you don’t see in Barakamon.

It’s too bad that the seiyuu for Handa in Handa-kun is different than the one in Barakamon. But I’m perfectly okay with that.

New Game!

Behind-the-scene anime like Shirobako and Sore ga Seiyuu! are also the kind of anime that I like to watch. So, it’s not surprising that New Game! will also make it to the list.

Unlike Shirobako, New Game! is only focusing on the character design aspect of the game. So, you don’t see much what other departments will do in the game production.

I don’t know if the anime will show us more behind the scenes in the game production. But if this anime doesn’t, then I can only hope that there will be another Shirobako version of the video game industry.

So, is it worth watching? For me, it is even though it only covers a tiny portion of the video game production.

Orange

Okay, I’m not going to lie that this anime has a heavy theme – saving someone by preventing him from committing suicide.

I’m not sure if I can do something like this. It sounds hard because someone who has a suicidal thought is like walking on thin ice.

They may look happy on the surface. But deep down, all they could think of is committing suicide.

Despite the heavy theme and my frustration with Naho doubting her action, I somehow love this anime. I even look forward to watching this anime every week.

I’m not a fan of shoujo anime. But if you want something different, then this anime is a must-watch.

There you go. My first Summer 2016 anime must-watch.

ReLIFE

I’ve never imagined that watching an anime about a 27-year old guy who was given a second chance to redo his life can be this amusing. I mean, the main character, Kaizaki Arata has to go back to the high school if he wants his life to change for better.

Despite his reaction as an old man is hilarious, this anime is also focusing on the dark side of the Japanese society, particularly in the working environment.

Well, Kaizaki only worked for three months in that company because of a nasty incident happened in that company. You can’t blame him anyway if he’s no longer able to work there normally like everyone else. Even I would do the same if I were him.

The anime has a lot of life lessons we can learn from. So, if you want something entertaining and realistic, then this anime is must-watch for you.

It’s another Summer 2016 anime must-watch. Having 13 episodes available can also give you a reason to binge watching. And that’s not good if you have many things to do.

Watch this anime when you truly have the free time. You can easily binge-watch this anime if you’re not careful. I’ve learned my lesson the hard way. And you shouldn’t take this warning seriously.

Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan

Comedy anime is one of the genres that I usually steer clear. It’s not that I hate the genre. It’s just that I don’t get the joke most of the time. That’s the reason why I don’t find the jokes funny.

Okay, not all comedy anime are horrible. In fact, I have a few of my favorites. But I never thought that one of them is Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan. This is the anime that I least expect will make it into my list.

In this anime, people think that having a psychic power is the best thing to have. But Saiki proved otherwise. He can’t lead a normal life thanks to his power. And it’s even more difficult that he can’t let anyone knows about it.

I only begin to consider watching this anime after listening to Hiroshi Kamiya’s (the seiyuu for Saiki) comment about Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan.

That sounds like I’m watching this anime for the wrong reason. But hey, at least this anime is entertaining to watch.

Servamp

I’ve wanted to watch this anime ever since I’ve read the announcement about it on ANN. It’s somewhat like Kuroshitsuji. But at least it doesn’t involve a rich elementary school kid who controls non-human being.

The storyline is a bit confusing since so many new characters just appear without any explanation what this whole shenanigan is all about.

Can’t be helped. That’s how the storyline in manga progresses too.

Shokugeki no Soma S2

I’ve watched the first season of this anime. So, it makes sense that I’m going to watch the second season as well.

Tales of Zestria the X

The reason why I’m watching this anime is that it’s another video game adaptation. Surprisingly, the adaptation is good too.

The plot seems like it’s jumping from one scene to another scene. So, it can be hard to follow sometimes. I’m not sure whether the game is just like that. But I guess the reason for that is just to connect with the other scene to the current scene.

This anime reminds me of Fate Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works. Maybe it’s because this anime is produced by the same studio?

My overall thought about Summer 2016 anime

Personally, I don’t feel that much different about this season’s anime lineup. Sure, there are a few anime that ends up becoming my favorites. But overall, the lineup isn’t that strong unlike the last time.

Still, it doesn’t mean that there’s nothing interesting out there for me and you to watch. If there’s nothing interesting to watch, I’m pretty sure that my list will be much shorter.

It doesn’t look that way in every season, though.