Can anyone even think of another spring season in recent memory as strong as this one? Spring 2018 will likely be a season to remember for years to come as providing a strong line-up of originals and continuations, and that’s even after a winter season almost as golden in content.
Today, we start with three endearing anime with a knack for combining comedy and drama. Buckle up—this is only the beginning of a long run of reviews!
“Take a look around, and you’ll spot a bunch of autumn wonders!” -Pikari, “The Story of Autumn and a Tender Happiness”
Mangaka Kozue Amano has this wonderful ability to capture the concentrated essence of each season in her works. We see this in works like Aria, and in the currently airing Amanchu! Advance. In episode four of Advance, “The Story of Autumn and a Tender Happiness,” we step away from the usual group dynamic and follow Futaba “Teko” Ooki and Hikari “Pikari” Kohinata separately on a cool autumn day. They show us their different approaches to appreciating the fall season, as well as pull us into their dreams—Teko with a lucid dream and Pikari in her consistently upward view.
The Spring 2018 season is here with a smash, thanks to a slew of heavy hitters straight from the first week. Some of them are new and exciting in their craft, while others are reliable continuations. I’ve organized my watch list by priority, but you can use the below alphabetical list to skip to the shows that interest you the most. I will of course appreciate it if you take the time to check out everything on my set menu this season.
Ready? Start!
“An unfamiliar path may fill you with anxiety, shock, or many other feelings, but there’s no need to rush. You need to take it easy. If you have fun on the way, you win” (Kohinata Kino, “The Story of the Promised Summer”).
A little over a year ago, we were gifted the anime experience of Kozue Amano’s Amanchu!, a story about growing up, scuba diving, and so much more. Amano’s gentleness appears in every smile, and her love for the ocean moves over and around us in almost every frame. Now we have episode thirteen, “The Story of the Promised Summer and New Memories,” bringing us back to Shizuoka along with two of Teko’s old friends. While this may be a story in a familiar place, experiencing it through Chizuru and Akane’s eyes allows us to see anew our main characters and the sea they love so much.
Somehow I made it through this busy summer with more shows than I expected, though I did drop a handful that I had originally intended to keep, like Kyoukai no Rinne and Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu LOVE! LOVE! When I found myself repeatedly choosing other series over these to view each week, then faced the large number of un-watched episodes near the end of the summer season, I realized that I had zero interest in either. I already had my hands full with so many other series! Here is the first part of my summer season review, with more to follow.
Better late than never, right? This is less of a start-of-the-season round-up of my choices, and more of a progress report now that we’re a little more than quarter of the way through the summer. My list is woefully long despite my crazy summer schedule that includes a ton of family and friend events in the weeks and days leading up to my wedding. I’ve only been able to keep up thanks to my daily commute which takes up almost two hours of my time every work day. There are plenty of gems this season across multiple genres to pick from, and below are my choices in alphabetical order:
Anime B&B 