Japanese artists keep gracing us with their amazing Mangas that later get adapted to wonderful anime that deeply touch, entertain, and stimulate a lot of their viewers. Over the years anime has charmed the world for its story lines, incredible art style, world-building, pacing, voice-overs, and musical scores, which leaves it with so much to admire and to look forward to.
One Piece, Attack on Titan, and Hunter X Hunter have been classics, but the exciting thing is, there is always something interesting to watch no matter how many you’ve already watched! Here is a list of some great anime to watch on Crunchy Roll this summer!
12 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is a lesser-known edgy and fast-paced Netflix-produced anime that was released in 2022. It was directed by Rafal Jaki and animated by Japanese StudioTigger. With a universe of its own, the anime builds on the world of the Cyberpunk 2077 game, a role-action-playing game that was released in 2020. The animation is set one year before the events of the game play out, where we are sucked into a dystopian world of technology and body alterations.
With society becoming different and thrilling, a street kid, David Martinez tries to stay sane and alive by becoming an edgerunner: playing the role of a traditional mercenary. The colorful visuals with the story’s underlying darkness make the contrast of this anime vivid and captivating. The musical score hits the sweet spot in every scene and the characters get fully developed as the piece runs. In the span of just 10 episodes, we are sucked into a world of betrayal, murder, and corruption, but it is still deeply rewarding, and it is still perfect for anyone who isn’t familiar with the game.
11 Lycoris Recoil
Lycoris Recolli is a highly entertaining anime that was directed by Shingo Adachi and animated by A-1 picture studios. It was released in 2022. Set in Tokyo, a group of brave girls works at a coffee shop, but their life is far from being merely simple. They are undercover agents trying to protect people from terrorists and criminals in the city.
Whenever there is a problem, no matter how wild it is, they are there to solve it. From serving delightful sweets to fighting giant creatures, they show up. It has a bit of action, a bit of slice of life, and a bit of thrill through its spirited animation, action sequences, and different character dynamics. Lycoris Recolli is a sweet form of escapism.
10 Spy X Family
Spy X Family was released in 2022 as well. It was directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi and animated by WIT Studio and CloverWorks. It follows a spy known as “Twilight” who has always carried out risky missions in the hopes of never seeing people suffer, especially children. He tries to stop corruption, wars, and terrorism, but his job is far from easy.
His next mission requires him to disguise himself as a psychiatrist and build a family in order to have access to political leader Donovan Desmond, whose son goes to the same school as his adopted daughter. However, what starts as a means to an end becomes much bigger as his wife and adopted daughter are full of secrets too. Spy X Family will get you hooked through its unique family and wholesome overall execution that embodies action, comedy, and depth of the characters.
9 Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen took the world by storm when it was released for its absolute grooviness and entertaining action. The captivating animation was animated by MAPPA studios and directed by Sunghoo Park. Jugi Itadori, a student at a high school, finds himself in a tricky situation that leads him to eat a cursed finger to protect the people around him from destructive evil energy and spirits.
Curses are born out of people’s negative, unresolved emotions that only aim to viciously harm humanity. His body serves as a host for a demon, however, he too possesses magical superpowers that give him intense power.
To be able to navigate his gift better, he joins the Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical College to have more control of the energy flow in his body. There he finds a bigger ally that could help him out. As a result, we slow-dance in a battle of good vs evil through epic fight sequences and amazing art direction where tension is at an all-time high. Likewise, it is complemented by one of the coolest OSTs opening and closing in a long time.
8 Orange
Orange is an underrated deep anime with a dreamy feel to it that will haunt you in a good way. Directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki and Naomi Nakayama, and animated by Telecom Film Animation, it is a delicate story of making things right before it is too late. Shy Naho Takamiya, a high school student, receives a letter from her future self that warns her of certain actions she shouldn’t do so that she can avoid a future full of tragedy and regret.
Her life is entangled with her closest friends, especially a new struggling transfer student, Kakeru Naruse, whose past haunts him. Orange’s art style is unique and even though the plot is relatable, it feels otherworldly through its great sensitivity and voice-over. It will take you on a roller coaster of emotions through its slow burn and attention to each character
7 Haikyuu!!
Haikyuu is one of the most feel-good anime you can find out there. It will pump in you all the endorphins. The sports production follows Hinata Shoyo, a boy who dreams to be the next little giant after being inspired by a volleyball player he watched in a match at Japan’s national tournament. Determined not to let his height deter him from reaching his dreams, he endlessly trains and adopts a positive attitude towards the game and his teammates, which slowly starts changing his life and everyone around him.
What’s special about Haikyuu is that it truly zooms in on team dynamics, and the game’s tactics while exploring each character individually, making it one of the richest stories in the history of anime in terms of the number of diverse characters and their development in and out of the game. It’s a beautiful tribute to following your dream and letting others help you on the way. It will make you want to pursue your dreams and will inspire you for days. It has something for everyone and even managed to hook non-sports fans through its captivating multi-layered storyline, animation style, likable characters, and interesting explanation of volleyball.
6 Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer tells the story of Tanjiro Kamado, the sole survivor of his family, who’ve all been killed or turned into demons themselves. Filled with anger and a sense of purpose, he goes to Sakonki Urokoadi, a skillful demon slayer so that he can train to become one and save as many people as possible.
It’s known for its highly engaging action sequences as well as its breathtaking animation, and impressive pacing that has been a standard to aspire to all around the world in terms of art style and characterization. It was animated by Ufotable Studio. The emotions run high in this one as themes of family, love, loss, hope, and ultimately perseverance.
5 Blue Lock
Media Link
Blue Lock is yet another anime that was released in 2022 that is centered around the most loved sport in the world: soccer. Directed by Tetsuaki Watanabe and animated by Eight Bit, It chronicles the journey of young strikers in Japan who are put under immense pressure where only one player is set to remain and be the best striker in the country.
Yoichi Isagi, a high school student who missed a shot that would have sent his team to nationals, feels frustrated and enrolls in the “Blue Lock” program to try to carve a path for himself among the best players in the world. The premise takes a unique approach where it focuses on one’s ego and the lengths one is willing to take to reach a certain destination, even if it means being ruthless. It’s fun, it is refreshing, and it is musically, and visually pleasing.
4 Ranking of Kings
Ranking of Kings is an underrated fantasy drama and adventure anime that narrates the story of Bojji, a young prince who feels helpless because of his inability to hear other people. He dreams of being the world’s best king, but people place on him a stigma that only brings him down. What’s all the more stressful is that all kings are ranked against each other from strongest to weakest through a numerical system.
However, Bojji doesn’t back down, and the result is one good adventure. The solid anime highlights power struggle perfectly by exploring betrayal, politics, loyalty, and inner turmoil. Despite its dark nature, it still manages to remain light-hearted. It specifically has good voice-over acting, and its ability to evoke strong emotions in the viewer.
3 Toradora!
Toradora is a coming-of-age anime that focuses on the theme of love. It was directed by Tatsuyuki Nagai and animated by the animation studio J.C.Staff. It tells the tale of two high school students, Ryuji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka, who both struggle in their love lives due to different reasons but who come to help each other overcome their blocks.
It’s a story of growing, of finding clarity, and of finding your worth. Toradora is unique in the way the storyline and character interactions feel completely natural. It’s another great love story in the anime sphere you can add to your list.
2 Chihayafuru
Nippon TV
Chihayafuru was directed by Norihiro Koizumi and animated by studio Madhous. In Chihayafuru, the Karuta game is the main element that binds the protagonists together. It is a traditional Japanese car game that requires good memory, thinking outside of the box, quick thinking, and good strategies.
When Chaya meets a skilled Karuta player named Arata, he sees her playing and thinks she has the potential to be a top-notch player. As a result, she takes on the challenge and practices for it after only having focused on supporting her sister’s modeling career. The games are exciting, and the anime has innocence and warmth. Its poetic elements will suck you in and leave you with a full heart.
1 Gintama
Animax Asia
Gintama is an enticing science fiction anime that is overflowing with action, comedy, and suspense. It builds a universe where Japan gets invaded by spaceships from all around the universe. However, this means that citizens have been robbed of their normal life and are struggling to survive under these alien armies known as the “Arnato”.
Gintama on the other hand, doesn’t care for rules and is ready to do whatever it takes to survive. He is also a Samurai who slowly but surely finds his squad on his quest to save whoever he can. With epic fight scenes, relatable and unique protagonists, and a good dose of hype, you’re in for a fun ride!
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
