Best Anime of Summer 2026

[00:03] are [music] currently living through the single greatest year in anime history. After a truly legendary spring and winter, I was low-key hoping the industry would chill a little for summer, but instead they have tripled

[00:15] down with yet another lineup of almost wall-to-wall bangers, which I have once again watched all of to make sure you don't skip out on a single hidden gem. And that's not even getting into all the sequels, which I just dropped a whole

[00:28] separate video about over on Basement Life. So, please go check that out after this if you don't want to miss out on stuff like new Clevet Test, new Grand Blue Dreaming, new entire Sword Art Online movie that only exists as a bonus

[00:41] for a $100 video game for some reason, and more. There's like 30 things on there on top of the like 30 things on here. So, if any of you leave any comments on this video being like, "What about Mushoku Tensei?" or, "Bro, you

[00:55] forgot Tanya." I will still appreciate it. Every comment helps. Please hit the like button. These are the ones to watch for summer 2026, brought to you by the industry-leading language learning app Rosetta Stone Sapphire. For decades,

[01:10] Rosetta Stone's intuitive and immersive method, which mimics the way we pick up words as kids, has made it one of the most accessible ways to learn a new language. But with their new Sapphire subscription app, it's gotten even more

[01:23] convenient. Retooled with mobile users in mind, Sapphire combines even quicker and more digestible handcrafted lessons with handy new features like custom flashcard decks, automatically personalized lesson plans that focus on

[01:38] what you want to learn, and chat missions that let you practice conversing with a virtual agent while getting real-time support and tips. Cuz not everyone can just stroll over to the conveni to try out all the new words

[01:50] they just learned like I often do. Rosetta Stone Sapphire is now live in the US, and if you use my link in the doobly-doo, you can start learning for as little as 15 bucks. And that comes with all 25 languages. But if you're not

[02:04] in the US, worry not, because you can still use that same link to get a massive discount on a lifetime plan of Rosetta Stone Classic. So, don't delay, click away, and start your language learning journey today. Because I like

[02:18] to both save the best for last and start my list with a bang, this one will be taking a rare form I like to call the Science Saru sandwich. With our top slice being one of the single most hyped up anime of the year, Ghost in the

[02:32] Shell. In contrast to the more somber, pensive vibe of Mamoru Oshii's masterpiece movie adaptations and the equally masterful Stand Alone Complex, this new take on Shirow Masamune's transhumanist opus takes the franchise

[02:46] back to its foundations by mimicking the goofier look and more satirical tone of the original manga. A natural fit for Science Saru's bold, fluid style of digitally enhanced animation that pays immediate dividends in both the

[03:01] raucously chaotic fight that kicks off the pilot episode and the surreal visuals that accompany its first ghost dive sequence.

[03:21] ponder the implications of the setting's crumbling wall between mind and machine, Science Saru's impressionist animation makes us feel them with an immediacy every bit as immersive as the meticulous details seen in other versions. And

[03:36] while those adaptations certainly had their own kind of fun with it, I am beyond excited to finally see the original vision of the Major brought to life. A [music] brash, bisexual cyborg Jane Bond in the unhinged vein of Roger

[03:53] Moore, contrasting the more Daltony Craigish flavor that's dominated the Craigish flavor that's dominated the animated versions up to now.

[04:10] taking Gits a little more seriously. The classics are classics for a reason, but that different approach makes this the first iteration since the second gig of Sac with the potential to claim that same classic status. Already, I wouldn't

[04:24] side-eye anyone who calls this their favorite version of Section 9, and when all said and done, it might very well end up being mine. Science Saru ain't the only legendary studio making gorgeous retro-futurist sci-fi this

[04:38] season, though. Sparks of Tomorrow is a stunning piece of steampunk crafted by the artisans at Kyoto Animation that rivals Steamboy for sheer jaw-dropping spectacle. The city is a foggy maze of Meiji era urban sprawl and interweaving

[04:54] pipe work rendered with a hand-painted texture that blends seamlessly into the subtly detailed shading on the characters and the rough-hewn look of its effects animation. The show's impressive enough in its more limited

[05:07] moments, but certain sakuga cuts look like something you'd only see in an anime movie and not a cheap one. As for the substance underpinning all that style, the story certainly seems interesting so far. Set in an alternate

[05:21] history where the onset of the electric age has been delayed by a few untimely inventor deaths, the series follows a young amateur engineer named Kihachi who inherits a grand dream of a sparkling fogless future from his older brother

[05:37] Sadoku. But that brother went off to war with a notebook full of all their most promising ideas, never to return, leaving Kihachi to tinker with electric novelties as the world around him rolled over into another century of steam. That

[05:52] is until the notebook turns back up in the clumsy hands of a wealthy young woman named Ineko who brings it into his workshop along with a machine that needs workshop along with a machine that needs fixing and a whole mess of trouble.

[06:04] >> Meet Sakata Io. MY WIFE. >> [screaming] mighty Misawa Industrial Conglomerate, wants the book for his own no doubt

[06:17] nefarious purposes and is willing to do anything including coercing Ineko into marrying him to get his greedy mitts on it. So, the pressure is on both her and Kihachi to unlock the book's secrets before he can take it that they might

[06:31] charge into that bright inevitable future on their own terms. It, of course, has a long way to go if it wants to claim the title of KyoAni's best steampunk anime, but Sparks of Tomorrow is off to an incredible start. We're

[06:46] usually lucky to see one new show a season that's such a feast for the senses, let alone two, but this summer is a dang old buffet. The World is Dancing is a historical anime about the life of Zeami Motokiyo, a renowned Noh

[07:01] actor whose dancing captured the eye and heart, it's rumored, of Shogun Ashikaga in the late 14th century. He wrote many plays that are still performed to this day as well as Japan's first treatises on the philosophy of drama, all of which

[07:16] sounds like it would make for a fascinating if drab little drama in its own right, but this show is anything but.

[07:36] days before he had a stage name and was known as Oniyasha, reluctant heir to the Sarugaku Konze troop, a boy with little appreciation for either the art of dance or his father's harsh instruction in it until a chance encounter with a

[07:51] poverty-stricken Shirabyoshi helps him finally understand why men dance and sets his passion ablaze. An obsession with capturing the rhythm of the world in his movements and finding new ways to express himself and advance the art form

[08:07] as a whole that the anime in turn captures through an evocative mix of animation styles. Sci-fi pick once again putting their infinite horse girl money glitch to beautiful use. Will that be enough to overcome the innate hype

[08:21] generating disadvantages faced by a historical performing arts anime historical performing arts anime exclusively locked to HiDive? Probably not in a season and year this insanely stacked, but it's sure to go down as one

[08:34] of 2026's most lustrous hidden gems. So, if you want to be that guy in the anime circle who really knows the good [ __ ] this will be one to keep an eye on. As will, I suspect, Draw This Then Die, a surprisingly heartfelt cute girls doing

[08:49] otaku things thing about a young girl with an imagination as big as her friend group is small and the deeply depressed author of the obscure canceled one-volume seinen manga that made her lonely childhood bearable. Plus a few

[09:03] other lovable goofballs who make up the manga club of their isolated small town high school. It's a story about how stories can lift us up and inspire us to be more than we are, about the burning passion that drives us to tell stories

[09:17] of our own, the immense effort required to make them match the vision in our heads, and the crushing knowledge that even all of that work won't guarantee success in the brutally competitive world of manga. And it's about how

[09:31] reaching just one person at the right time can make all the agony of failure kind of worth it. It's also about adorable little gremlins being adorable.

[10:00] one is charming and hilarious, more than a little magical in how it depicts the power of imagination, and nigh impossible to watch without a big dumb smile on your face. But, at the same time, it had me tearing up almost

[10:14] constantly through the first two episodes. I am, admittedly, a bit over sensitive to anime about artist struggles, so maybe this one won't hit all of you quite as hard, but there is something real special about it. Every

[10:28] job presents its own struggles, though, and we all need a way to escape them from time to time. Sasaki, a middle-aged salary man toiling away in sales under an abusive bastard of a boss, has two: smoking to steal a few precious minutes

[10:43] of company time throughout the day, and Yamada, a cheery cashier at his local supermarket who's almost always there to greet him with a smile when that day is over. Except, that is, when a day runs too long and he needs her the most. But,

[10:59] one such evening, he chances upon a gorgeous, cool, devilishly cheeky woman named Tamaya lounging by the supermarket loading dock who invites him to join her for a little smoke break. Now, I don't have to tell you who [music] she

[11:14] actually is. It's very obvious to anyone with one eyeball and a few functioning brain cells. But, in Sasaki's defense, most of his are fully burned out by the time he gets there every night to talk to his new pal about her cute coworker

[11:29] and other life junk. Smoking behind the supermarket with you is an appropriately addictive slice-of-life love story about the little things that make it all feel worthwhile. Those moments of magic that get harder to find as you grow older and

[11:44] tireder, but never disappear entirely if only you know where to look. Also, drugs can help. Now, I'm not personally partial to their drugs of choice having smelled them secondhand through most of my childhood, but the fact that this

[11:58] anime can still make even me look at a cute smoker girl and think, "Damn, that looks nice." is a testament to just how clean its vibes are.

[12:24] waifu's cute, though? What if you want them [ __ ] up, and not just kind of [ __ ] up, but not "Ooh, ooh, girl fail, I can fix her, bro." I mean, really [ __ ] up. Beyond fixing, beyond reason. The kind of cat girl you can't even jerk

[12:39] it to because the noxious stink of her rotting, ashy mouth gives you flashbacks to your drunken loud of a father. Well, okay, maybe you still can a little, but you really don't feel good about it, especially not once you start hearing

[12:53] her explosive diarrhea through your paper-thin apartment walls. Jesus, bro, are you still going to finish? Have some dignity. That girl's name is Chainsmoker Cat. Well, actually, it's Yaniko, but that's just short for Chainsmoker Cat,

[13:09] so her parents kind of unwittingly doomed her to become what she is now. A wretched creature whose only escape from her dismal paycheck-to-paycheck life is a filthy habit that burns through every last yen she can scrape together and

[13:23] makes her a nightmare to be around and work with. She's not quite helpless. Plenty of people try to help her, especially her poor naive sister, but she is hopeless, time and again responding by spitting tar and bits of

[13:38] lung back in their two kind faces. Any faint flicker she might feel of the will to change destined to go up in the next cloud of sweet numbing menthol. It is a profoundly sad existence, but the show doesn't expect you to cry for Yaniko. It

[13:54] expects you to laugh at her. And despite its bouncy characterful animation and whip-sharp comic timing, for many that's going to be a pretty big ask. Imagine Mamoru Hosoda directing an especially vulgar and vicious episode of South

[14:09] Park, applying his keen eye for environmental detail that breathes so much life into his animated works to the mold and smoke stains and dried vomit of a [ __ ] so vile you can smell it through your screen. Where abstract

[14:25] paper cutouts would create distance from the disgusting subject, the combination of high-fidelity backgrounds and moe style characters here pulls you uncomfortably, eye-wateringly close. It is a viscerally unpleasant anime,

[14:39] unapologetically nasty in both spirit and aesthetics, which for me only makes the Schadenfreude fueled humor hit harder. But if you're the type who prefers a little cream and sugar in your comedy, this pitch-black flavor will

[14:52] comedy, this pitch-black flavor will likely gross you all the way out of it. Luckily, we got just the sweetness to cleanse your palate in grow-up show Sunflower Circus, an original cute girls doing cute things period piece from A-1

[15:06] Pictures that follows the daughter of one of the world's most talented and least responsible acrobats as she's sold off to an entirely different circus, one that runs on child labor to pay off her daddy's debts. Given the choice, Misoka

[15:21] Sudomaki would rather be literally anywhere else, but just because she hates circuses with a burning passion doesn't mean she can't soar from the flying trapeze with the best of them. And this particular orphan slave labor

[15:34] circus happens to have one of the best of them in the nimble Oka Kawasumi who's been held back until now by a less skilled partner. So in short order, the short stack rigmaster pairs the two of them up and they start making magic

[15:49] them up and they start making magic together.

[16:01] of hard to peg down exactly where the plot's going after only two episodes, but since it's a moe comedy anime, that doesn't matter nearly so much as whether the girls are cute, which they absolutely are. The animation here is

[16:15] gorgeous even by the standards of this especially gorgeous season and the writing is exceptionally sharp with an off-kilter sense of humor that really suits the circus setting. My only real complaint is that the 1950s period piece

[16:29] aspects feel like a bit of an afterthought in the character designs, which look like they could be doing cute things in basically any decade, but the designs themselves are fantastic and full of personality, so it's a minor

[16:42] gripe at most. Now, for anyone craving a second shot of sugar, there's also Kaiju Girl Caramelise, an adorable shojo romance built on the tried-and-true trope of a shy, awkward girl catching the eye of the hottest guy in school and

[16:57] then turning into Godzilla every time he makes her HEART RACE. >> IT'S GODZILLA! >> IT LOOKS LIKE GODZILLA, BUT DUE TO INTERNATIONAL copyright laws, it's not. >> Also, it looks like shojo, but due to

[17:09] technicalities of magazine demographics, it's not. I mean, the author does explicitly describe it as a shojo manga that just happens to run in a seinen magazine, but certain shojo fans will have my head if I don't make that

[17:22] clarification. Still, if you're looking for a concentrated dose of diabetes-inducing shojo goodness, it doesn't get much gooder than this, and I'm not just speaking on the pilot when I say that. Yazi put me on the manga

[17:35] years ago, like right after the first volume dropped, and I was immediately swept up in both the romance and the epic kaiju action, which looks and sounds especially epic in anime form with them copyright-safe tubas in the

[17:50] OST and impeccable sound design backing the impressively high-fidelity creature animation. We really could not have asked for a better adaptation of what was already a top-tier action love story. Dandadan fans, this might be just

[18:06] the thing you need to tide you over to season 3. So, that's your hetero-flavored supernatural romance covered for the season, but if you've been hankering for the healing power of yuri, we've also got not one but two

[18:20] excellent examples of that for you to enjoy. And in the first one's case, I do mean that whole healing power thing very literally, because in the magical child soldier school of I want to love you till your dying day, they teach their

[18:35] students oral application techniques for recovery magic, meaning you will not have to wait to confirm that this is not bait. Though, if you think that means you're in for a happy ending, allow me to direct your attention to the little

[18:48] to direct your attention to the little girl who is literally soaked in blood.

[19:08] mixed message there, but still, I think y'all get it. It's a story as much about loss as it is about love and the way that passion can be intensified by the knowledge that any day might well be your last. You know, lots of ruminating

[19:22] on the meaning of life, fundamentally damaged people finding comfort in each other, all that sad jazz. That said, it is also one of the most atmospheric, sumptuously Sakuga-packed fantasy anime of the year, which is really saying

[19:37] something this year in particular. But how about that other Yuri thing though? If you've seen Rock Is a Lady's Modesty, Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games is basically that with Street Fighter instead of Foo Fighters. And I don't

[19:51] mean like road boxer or sweet fighter or some other McDonald's [ __ ] They got the actual license from actual Capcom for both SF4 and 6 with the difference

[20:04] between the two actually being plot significant. Our heroine, Aya Mitsuki, is a Cammy main who started with 4 but found her passion burning out as she moved on to 6 and all the scrubs online and at her middle school failed to keep

[20:18] up with her. Devoting lab time to her studies instead, she pursues a new goal of becoming the most refined young lady in all of Japan by landing a scholarship at a fancy all-girls boarding school where she spends her days sipping

[20:32] complimentary lemon water in the cafeteria while trying to option select the least embarrassing Pavo food to tell her new rich friends about. But when she catches the school idol, Mio Yodoe, running online sets in an empty

[20:47] classroom on account of games being banned in the school dorms, she accidentally lets just a little too much ball knowledge slip and swiftly finds ball knowledge slip and swiftly finds herself command grabbed into a Kabedon.

[21:06] >> [laughter] [screaming] those corners. Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games presents the hobby with

[21:18] an authenticity rarely seen in anime. From its beautifully executed gameplay footage to its accurate fight stick animations to, most important of all, the unhinged passion of the players themselves. The willingness to play

[21:32] anywhere they can set up and literally crawl through broken glass if that's what it takes to keep playing that defines the hardest core of the FGC. If you're in the community, you are going to absolutely love it and it will more

[21:46] than satisfy most yuri enjoyers as well. Though I should warn anyone hoping for a kiss that these girls' spacing game might be a little too good. Surprisingly though, they don't have the best trash talk game of the season. Though if

[22:01] anyone's going to take that crown from a fighting gamer, of course it would have to be a chef. Iron Walk John is a tale of two rival prodigies, John and Kiriko, heirs to the greatest Chinese food dynasties in all of Japan who are

[22:16] brought together under one kitchen roof after John's grandfather lights himself on [ __ ] fire because he can't stand the idea of living with damaged taste buds, which should give you some idea of the kind of energy his grandson is

[22:31] bringing to the dinner table. For Kiriko, cooking is an act of love, for the process, for the ingredients, and above all, for the customer. She strives to give everyone she serves her absolute best because anything less would be a

[22:45] disservice. In John's eyes though, your best only has value so long as it's better than someone else's. His grandpa's brutal Spartan training taught him to see cooking as a competition where one must use whatever odd

[22:59] ingredients or techniques they can to utterly crush the pathetic dishes of utterly crush the pathetic dishes of their foes.

[23:15] >> To prove each other wrong and hone their own abilities, the young rivals will, of course, face off in countless cooking duels and tournaments as any food wars appreciator or based Yakitate Japan enjoyer could have guessed. But, John

[23:28] doesn't need fan service, supremely convoluted bread puns, or any other gimmicks to make its cooking competitions utterly riveting. Under the masterful direction of Fate/Zero and Girls Bravo's A Alki with his flair for

[23:42] the dramatic and keen eye for technical details, every chop, dash of seasoning, and flick of a frying pan hits like a Kamehameha, while every finished dish will make you think, "Holy [ __ ] I need that in my mouth right now." I would say

[23:58] that every last shot screams at you with Alki's passion for the original source material, a classic cooking manga from 1995 that influenced almost every work in the genre since, but I only know that because the end of episode 1 literally

[24:14] screamed at me about how important the manga is, making a bold declaration that this story from, quote, "the year of the great Hanshin earthquake and the subway sarin gas attacks" will feel just as powerful, relevant, and important today

[24:31] as it did back then. Like John himself, Troika knows they cooked with this one, and they dare you to say otherwise. But, Alki's not the only legend with a new anime out this season. From K-On! to A Silent Voice to Heike Monogatari, few

[24:48] resumes in this industry are quite as impressive as that of Naoko Yamada. When she has a new project out, true otaku sit up and take notice. Doubly so when she's co-directing with Scott Pilgrim and Dorohedoro season 2's a Bell Gon

[25:04] Gora. I would eat up darn near anything these two put down, but even with such high hopes, I didn't expect Jadugar, a witch in Mongolia, to be quite this witch in Mongolia, to be quite this delicious.

[25:21] slave girl in 13th century Persia, but Satura had a truly blessed childhood. Taken in by a kindly family of Islamic scholars who granted her the almighty gifts of letters and geometry, her life is on a brighter path than almost anyone

[25:38] in her shoes might dare hope until the Mongols come to sack Tus. In an instant, she loses almost everything. Greater riches than she even knew she had, but even after she's dragged off with the other spoils of war, she still has her

[25:55] mind. And as the empire expands in the wake of the first Khan's death, she will use it to turn the very tide of history and bend an uncertain world to her will. A grand pitch for a historical epic, but Jadugar starts surprisingly small and

[26:12] cozy, inviting us to bask for a good while in the warmth and beauty of ancient Iran before it yanks the proverbial Persian rug. And that beauty is unlike almost anything else in anime besides maybe Ranking of Kings, painting

[26:28] the world in soft, simple colors and shapes which belie the razor-sharp brutality that rules over it even as the style allows for some of the most subtle, expressive, achingly human animation that you will see all year.

[26:43] And I'll remind you that is the same year that just gave us Witch Hat Atelier, so that is really saying something. Which which anime will reign supreme as the anime of that year remains to be seen, but Jadugar is off

[26:58] to a very strong start. The last time an anime premiere made me think and feel quite this much all at once was probably Orb, and that is about as high praise as you can throw at this kind of political

[27:12] drama. Jadugar is perhaps even more faithful to the real period and places it's depicting, too. Not to mention their respective religions. You won't find a more thoughtful and nuanced exploration of Islam anywhere in anime

[27:27] or most media for that matter, and rare few can rival this one's ability to transport you to another time and place, be it real or imagined. That does

[27:39] complete our Science Saru sandwich, but we're not quite ready to dig into all of summer's scintillating side dishes just yet, because one more anime with the potential to be just as good as Jadugar managed to take me by surprise at the

[27:53] end. I really should have seen Sayonara Lara coming. The last time Kinema Citrus made an original anime, we got Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight, and the creator of their new 15th anniversary project was an assistant director on that, so I

[28:08] knew it was going to be good, but not this good. Japan's been cranking out Little Mermaid anime since nearly two decades before Disney started, so I haven't seen quite enough of them to definitively declare this is the best

[28:22] one. Plus, it's not over yet. An original anime do fall off cliffs all the time, but it is off to an even stronger start than Hayao Miyazaki and Masaaki Yuasa's takes, so surely that's got to count for something. Not so much

[28:37] a direct adaptation as a sequel, the first episode abridges the original fairy tale in breathtaking style, leading up to an even darker ending than Hans Christian Anderson cooked up that does nonetheless leave us with a glimmer

[28:52] of hope. Princess Laura's unhealthy obsession with humans ultimately curses every other mermaid to an un-life of sea foamy stasis [music] trapped in clams. It makes sense in context, but they may yet be revived if

[29:06] she can find the true love that the prince denied her. [music] Drinking the sea witch's brew one last time, she returns to the surface world to find that much has changed in the last 200 years. Though, as you gaze out across

[29:20] the pastel [music] nightscape of Otsu City, it might strike you just how much has stayed the same in the 24 since Sailor Moon. The vibes here are as timeless as they are immaculate, which is exactly the sentence you want

[29:35] to say about any modern fairy tale. Admittedly, it doesn't take much to remind me of Princess Tutu right now since we just watched through it on the Quest for the Best podcast, but this is one of the few anime I can think of that

[29:49] hits that same sweet spot just as hard. And if it can stick the landing, it is destined to go down as an all-time classic. Uh but with that said, the first of our honorable mentions does have some delectable fairy tale vibes of

[30:04] its own. The Cat and the Dragon is a gorgeously whimsical little fantasy anime about a mighty dragon who ends up being raised by a kindly cat she after his mother is slain. Over the years, he grows from a timid little hatchling into

[30:18] grows from a timid little hatchling into a scaly multi-generational unk to all of magic spirit cat kind and eventually their stalwart defender against human poachers. In time, this allows for a new understanding to blossom between the

[30:32] species under his mighty wings. And from there, things get even more interesting. For anyone craving something a little different from your typical RPG-esque fantasy fare, I can't recommend it enough. And if you want something a

[30:47] little different from your typical villainess fare, A Livid Lady's Guide to Getting Even: How I Crushed My Homeland with Mighty Grimoires offers the rare treat of watching an actual villainess do villainess stuff. The kindly,

[31:02] self-sacrificing Lady Elizabeth Leiston eventually deciding that her cheating piece of [ __ ] fiance and the fickle, gossipy peasantry doesn't deserve her help as she flees to a foreign empire and vows to bring her former kingdom to

[31:17] its knees in vengeance. Dramatic, atmospheric, and tightly paced, the show's distinctive combination of political thrills and magical action makes for quite the ride. Not every anime lady of means is quite so

[31:31] competent as Ellie though. In fact, Hinako, future CEO of the mighty Konohana Corporation, is about as incompetent as it gets. I mean, little gremlin can barely walk two feet without tripping over not even her own

[31:45] shoelaces, literally nothing, which is a bit of a problem for the family whose entire billion-dollar brand name rests on her empty little head. And now, after a mid-kidnapping meet-cute with the airheaded heiress, it's beleaguered

[32:00] scholarship student Itsuki Tomonari's problem to solve as her rich girl caretaker, assisting in her studies, making sure she gets to class on time despite a Zorro-esque sense of direction, and generally doing anything

[32:14] else needed to prop up her perfect image without any of her peers catching on. Perhaps not the most original comedic premise in all of rom-coms, but this series shines nonetheless through its near-flawless execution of the

[32:29] fundamentals. And I can say the same for Black Torch, yet another shonen battle type thing about a vaguely delinquenty dude with a heart of gold who gets supernatural shenanigans and only

[32:43] survives by absorbing the power of an ancient mighty demon. You know, we have ancient mighty demon. You know, we have JJK at home, but if every store brand alternative tasted this good, that wouldn't be nearly as much of an insult.

[32:56] The action rips, the atmosphere drips, and the very tropy characters carry themselves with an irresistible charisma. This is that bang zoom pow upper end of mid-tier shonen battle goodness that you will never get enough

[33:11] of no matter how old you get. And since you can never get enough of it, you will be more than happy with the second helping you get from Tomb Raider King. Now, at first glance, you'd be forgiven if you mistook this webtoon adaptation

[33:24] for another season of Solo Leveling. I know I did when I saw the first trailer. And even at second glance, the whole dungeons popping up everywhere, corporations control access, only one guy can see stat screens, and also he

[33:37] has an OP blonde love interest deal sounds pretty familiar. But then you start to notice that Seo Ju-Heon has an actual personality, as do most of the

[33:49] people around him, something that really comes through in the more harsh-edged exaggerated style of the animation compared to Solo Leveling's polished but relatively sauceless look. Then there's the whole time travel angle, which is

[34:03] pretty darn compelling. As is the focus on power gain through relics rather than EXP, creating the sort of Shaolin Showdown vibe that I really [ __ ] with. Speaking of things that are sort of like other things though, you know all those

[34:17] super emotional anime about able-bodied dudes dating deaf girls? Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky is another one, but this time she's blind. So, let's hope it gets a dub so people can appreciate the representation, which

[34:32] does seem worth appreciating as it explores the difficulties faced by the unsighted and the many tools and strategies they can use to overcome them while painting its hero as admirable in her vulnerability without making her

[34:46] seem weak or helpless, ultimately creating a catalyst for some potent romantic chemistry with a hero who understands a little too well how bad it can feel to have your efforts met only with pity. I should note, though, that

[35:00] the trailer starts with a line about how people die out of nowhere, so um keep some tissues at hand. For those seeking a more feel-good sort of love story, Please Excuse My Younger Brothers is a lighthearted, expressively animated

[35:14] little rom-com about a hardworking daughter of a single mother who always wanted a big, happy family and gets a little more than she bargained for when little more than she bargained for when mom remarry. Then stepdad gets randomly

[35:26] transferred for work right after they go on honeymoon, leaving her alone in a house with four cute younger guys she barely knows. A classic reverse harem setup if I've ever seen one, even if one of those guys is very clearly the main

[35:39] one. As lady-led love stories go, though, they don't get much more classic than Red River, a monumentally influential isekai-ish shojo manga about a young Japanese girl who finds herself ripped out of time and sent flying back

[35:54] to the ancient Hittite Empire in Inuyasha style. Except the original Inuyasha style. Except the original manga actually came out in 1995, 1 year before Inuyasha, so actually Takahashi was doing it Red River style. That's how

[36:09] influential we're talking here. Unfortunately, the long-coming anime adaptation doesn't quite live up to that legendary status, but the quality of the writing still shines through even at its jankiest. If you're looking for more

[36:22] straight-up isekai, you will have to wait for the bargain bin, but we do have a pretty darn good reverse one in Hana Ori San still wants to fight in the next life. The tale of a deposed demon lord who really just wants to spend his

[36:35] second life on Earth watching anime and playing video games and the reincarnated heroine who can't be satisfied with only killing him the one time. It is tempting to dismiss this one as the McRonald's to Hataraku Maou-sama's McDonald's, but

[36:50] Hana Ori San's snappy pacing, over-the-top animation and acting and focus on comedy over story help it stand out as it's own very fun thing. Though, as far as having fun with parallel world hopping goes, the anime to beat this

[37:05] season is clearly Thunder 3, which follows a gag manga protagonist and his two best pals as they use some gag manga plot [ __ ] their teacher bought from Amazon to venture into the world of a very serious alien invasion manga and

[37:20] save his kidnapped little sister, which sounds like it would be pretty difficult schoolers, except that being from a gag manga and all, it turns out that these particular middle schoolers are pretty much immortal in the strange new land of

[37:35] much immortal in the strange new land of grim dark anime realism.

[37:50] could be, but the strength of the premise alone has my attention. If you want to see some of the best 3D CG in the business on the other hand, look no further than BanG Dream! Yu Me Meta. More comedy focused than It's My Go! or

[38:05] Ave Mujica, the latest iteration of Bushiroad's answer to Love Live! is probably the weakest anime in the franchise overall with a flimsy story about four Vtubers who somehow accidentally sign up to be in a

[38:18] corporate girl band that none of them want any part of, but it is still Bang Dream, so the vivid lovable characters and great music still manage to carry the day. Now, to be honest, I have no idea how to segue out of that into my

[38:32] last honorable mention, Daughter of Sand of Rehwa, but I'd have that problem with almost any other anime because it's just so [ __ ] weird. This horny horror comedy follows two extremely open-minded siblings after a landslide lets loose

[38:46] the ancient spirit of murder and vengeance that their family has kept sealed on a mountain for generations, and they both decide she's their new best friend now. That ancient spirit, having mellowed out quite a bit over the

[38:58] centuries, is mostly chill with that, though at the same time, she is deeply concerned about how chill the siblings are around her and how bad their survival instincts seem to be in a world full of even spookier monsters. Think

[39:13] The Summer Hikaru Died if Hikaru was a huge-tittied snake lady with any nipples, and also the entire rest of the story was completely different. Daughter of Sand does at least give me a smooth transition into the bargain bin, though,

[39:27] horny horror comedy in Komi Can't Communicate: He's Behind You, a buck-wild exorcist battle anime about a guy who sends evil spirits to heaven with the holy power of his

[39:40] Suffice to say, Shay Garbage patrons will be eating mighty fine this summer, especially those who appreciate so bad it's goodness since GoHands, the best-worst anime studio, is finally making one of those [ __ ] things. The

[39:55] Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System, which, in addition to their signature batshit insane style of filmmaking, also features the hottest [ __ ] who ruins the main character's life type character I have ever seen.

[40:09] Keeping the trash equal opportunity, though, we also got a girl one of those [ __ ] things [music] in The Forsaken Saintess and Her Foodie Road Trip, which is about this lady who gets isekai'd alongside another lady in a sort of

[40:22] package deal, and then the king's all like, "Hey, your cheat powers a magic camper van with infinite food in it? Lame. Banished." But then a hot adventurer guy's all like, "What? That's not lame at all. I want to live in

[40:35] that." So it all kind of works out. Meanwhile, Heroine Saint, No, I'm an All Works Made and Proud of It is about a different isekai plus one who finds herself reborn as the heroine of a very popular dating sim that she's never

[40:50] played and decides to use all the OP magic powers that come with that position to fulfill her personal dream of being the best, most efficient maid in any universe. Magic, destiny, and possible end of the world be damned.

[41:04] Such threats are well behind the hero of I Became a Legend After My 10-Year-Long Last Stand, whose OP copy magic lets him beat all the demons and their king in the space of one very busy decade stuck in a pocket dimension and even come away

[41:19] looking 10 years younger than he did going in thanks to the power of drain [music] touch. It's very much a typical power fantasy, but his genuine friendship with his old party mates made me smile just enough to want to

[41:32] recommend it. The Frontier Lord Has Zero Subjects is also pretty typical as power fantasies go with its manly warrior hero slaughtering monsters by the truckload and taking an oni girl from Don't Talk to Me to Marry Me in the space of one

[41:46] to Me to Marry Me in the space of one episode, but the Mongol-inspired culture of the oni tribe does at least give [music] the fantasy its own distinct flavor. Speaking of oni though, The Ogre's Bride is a charming little piece

[41:58] of urban fantasy girl trash set in the world where ayakashi are both real and like to marry human women for some reason. Our heroine's family is super duper mean to her cuz her sister landed a hot, rich kitsune BF and she didn't,

[42:13] but then she lands the hottest, richest oni BF of them all. So, that shows them, I guess. Such a Cinderella-esque existence is exactly what Mea Nakamura fears awaits her after her mother dies in My Stepmother and Step Sisters Aren't

[42:30] Wicked, but I mean, that title kind of gives the joke away, doesn't it? It is kind of the only joke here, too, but a very funny one pulled exceptionally well with bold storyboarding, animation, and acting.

[43:05] as a nice counterpoint to the inner court backstabbing of Though I Am an Inept Villainess, [music] a Chinese-flavored fantasy in the vein of The Apothecary Diaries with actual magic this time. Magic that it uses to

[43:18] body swap the emperor's favorite concubine with his least favorite one, causing many shenanigans to ensue. It's an interesting concept, to be sure, and a gorgeous show thanks to the animation work of Doga Kobo, but for some reason

[43:32] the first episode just didn't fully grab me. Maybe it'll pick up, though. We got one more feel-good fantasy in the [music] bin with Victoria of Many Faces, the tale of an ex-spy who defects from her homeland in hopes of living an

[43:45] ordinary life abroad, but ends up adopting an orphan girl and moving in with a handsome knight captain after like five days in her new city. Hardly the first spy family like we've seen come out, and surely not the last, but

[43:58] strong grasp of lighting and shot composition, it manages to offset its pretty blatant Studio Deen jank. Another girl with an easily mistaken identity serves as the love interest in Boy, I Was Wrong About Her, the story of a

[44:13] country bumpkin who reconnects with his estranged childhood friend after moving to Tokyo and then finds out that he was a cute girl all along. Nothing particularly special on the story front, but the genuineness of their friendship

[44:28] makes the whole thing work. Those are all the recommendations that I have for everything I talked about if you need a reminder. But don't forget the season is also jam-packed with incredible sequels, so be sure to check out my rundown of

[44:43] all of those over on Basement Life to make sure you don't miss one of your before you go, if I helped you find something cool to watch, please let me know what it is down in the comments and maybe hit that like button to say

[44:55] thanks. I'm Jeff Thieu, your anime sherpa, and surely one day we will make sherpa, and surely one day we will make it past this absolute mountain of great it past this absolute mountain of great stuff.