2018 Anime List Summer

Spring 2018 has been a great season for anime community so far with lots of good shows like Boku no Hero Academia 3rd Season, Steins;Gate 0, Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii, or Megalo Box. So coming to this next season Summer 2018, what good news is in store for us? With no further ado, here are the top 10 Most Anticipated Anime Summer 2018!

The Best Anime of Summer 2018 David Lozada Wednesday, August 01, 2018 This year's anime summer season packs a bit of fun for everyone. Fans of popular action-heavy shows like Attack on Titan, My. Daftar Anime Summer 2018 lengkap dengan sinopsis, trailer/pv, karakter, seiyuu dan fakta menarik lainnya. Shows that started airing in 2018, but didn't complete their run in 2018, are not included (ie: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind). These shows will be eligible for 2019's best-of list.

*Disclaimer: This list is subjective only.

Yorozuya save the day~! Again! (Source: Internet)

• Genre: Action, Comedy, Historical, Parody, Samurai, Sci-Fi, Shounen
• Release Date: Jul 9, 2018
• Origins: Manga
• Studio: BN Pictures

Gintama Gin no Tamashii-hen, or Gintama Silver Soul Arc, is final and also the most exciting Gintama season so far with a nice combination between seriousness, actions, and humors. As Utsuro revealed his genocidal plan to kill himself and the entire Universe, the Yorozuya, their friends and even enemies on Earth have to unite if they want to stop this madness. There is clearly a high level of action and gore here. But somehow the show still managed to bring in some funny moments (in Gintama style of course). With such great season 1, we definitely have all reasons to anticipate for this 2^nd season.

(Source: Anonesan)

• Genre: Comedy, School, Slice of Life, Sports
• Release Date: Jul 12, 2018
• Origins: Light Novel
• Studio: KyoAni x Animation DO

The handsome boys of Iwatobi High School Swimming Club, including Nanase Haruka, Tachibana Makoto, Matsuoka Rin, Hazuki Nagisa, and Ryugazaki Rei, have finally returned with their 3^rd season Free! Dive to the Future. It will be their third year (and also final year) in high school. Each of them will also have future plan of their own and those plans don't always align. With lots of expected events awaiting them, will they overcome such difficulties and differences? Or will they sink under the pressures? We will soon find out on Jul 12, 2018.

(Source: Blank)

• Genre: Adventure, Horror, Psychological, Thriller
• Release Date: Jul 6, 2018
• Origins: Game
• Studio: J.C.Staff

For those who are not into indie games, this one may slip under your radar. Satsuriku no Tenshi is originally an adventure-horror game made by RPG Maker. It quickly becomes extremely popular in Japan thanks to its compelling story and psychological horror element. The story tells about a 13-year-old girl named Rachel who awakes in a strange building. And strangely enough, she cannot remember anything about her past. While finding a way out of this building, she encounters a young man named Zack who wields a freaky scythe. After certain 'issue', Rachel and Zack decided to group together in order to escape this place. To be honest, playing a horror game can be intimidating. But fortunate enough, anime lovers can enjoy the interesting story of Satsuriku no Tenshi in anime soon on Jul 6, 2018.

(Source: Frontwing) Mortal kombat 4 zip file.

• Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
• Release Date: Jul 1, 2018
• Origins: Visual Novel
• Studio: feel.

It's Summer 2018 and indeed we have quite a lot of water-themed anime this season. Aside from Free! Dive to the Future, here we have Island, an anime based on a visual novel of the same name. It tells the story of an island called Urashima which is located far, far away from the mainland. The island may look like a paradise from outsiders' eyes, but in fact, the island's denizens are being stuck with long and complicated traditions. Suddenly one day, a young man named Setsuna appears and claims himself as a 'time traveler', yet he loses all of his memories. Here he met 3 young girls Rinne, Karen, and Sara. Together they will change this island and discover secrets lurking within this place, as well as the forgotten memories. For some reason, Island really, really sounds like a 'harem anime' but that should not be a huge problem… if feel. Studio do it right. But hey! The original visual novel itself was quite well-received so we can hope for its anime's quality, right?

(Source: Newstrailer)

• Genre: Action, Historical, Horror, Supernatural, Vampire
• Release Date: Jul 12, 2018
• Origins: Original
• Studio: P.A. Works

Coming in number 6 we have Tenrou Sirius the Jaeger, an original anime comes P.A. Works Studio. According to the synopsis, the anime will take place in the Imperial Capital of 1930 where a group of vampire hunters called Jaegers arrived on Tokyo Station. Interesting enough, all members equip with musical instrument cases, believed to hold the weapons to hunt vampires. Among those Jaegers there is a stand-out young boy named Yuliy, an actual werewolf who had his homeland destroyed by vampires. Together, Yuliy and the Jaegers are destined to fight against the mysterious holy arc called as the 'The Arc of Sirius' without knowing the truth hidden ahead of them. So far, the anime's synopsis already got us interested. And since this is made by P.A. Works – the same folks behind famous anime like Angel Beats, Another, and Charlotte, the hype is definitely going high for this one.

(Source: Anonesan)

• Genre: Comedy, Seinen, Slice of Life
• Release Date: Jul 14, 2018
• Origins: Manga
• Studio: Zero-G

If you are into manga, probably you have already spotted this one from miles away. Grand Blue is an original comedy manga about an Izu University freshman named Iori Kitahara. He dreams of a fantastic college life with beautiful girls and good friends. He comes to live at his uncle's diving club shop called Grand Blue and soon, all of his dreams are swept away as he witnesses a bunch of naked upperclassmen and their 'corrupted lifestyle'. Such is the 'sad fate' for Iori, but it also opens new opportunities for him. Iori and friends will arrive on Jul 14, 2018 so do not miss them if you're fan of comedy anime.

(Source: AniplexUS)

• Genre: Comedy, Ecchi, Harem, Romance, Shounen, Supernatural
• Release Date: Jul 14, 2018
• Origins: Manga
• Studio: Xebec

As you can guess from the poster, yes it is a harem/ecchi anime originated from the manga of the same title. In short, it tells the story of a high school boy named Kogarashi. He had a long history with ghosts and other spiritual events, which eventually make him an extremely powerful, yet… homeless young man. As he arrives at his new 'home' called Yuragi-sou – a former hot springs inn, he soon found out that this is the living place of many, many beautiful girls. Here he also met Yuuna, a beautiful teenage girl ghost. Feeling sympathized with her problem, he promised to help her to finally be released from this world of the livings. Will he succeed? Who knows? But more importantly, we will get to see lots of harem – ecchi moments throughout the show.

(Source: Adult Swim)

• Genre: Action, Comedy, Mecha, Sci-Fi
• Release Date: Jun 3, 2018
• Origins: Original
• Studio: Production I.G

FLCL Progressive is definitely among the most anticipated original anime this summer 2018. The first FLCL was released back in 2000 – 2001 and the series was a huge success. It gained lots of awards like being 3rd place for the Best Animation Film at the Fantasia Festival 2003; gaining a nomination for Best Cast in 2007; and being winner of the Best Comedy Series and the Best Short Series at the American Anime Awards show. With such feats, it pretty showed us how highly anticipated this next sequel is. The show is going to kick off soon in Jun 3, 2018 so let's not miss it!

(Source: Darkneel Buster)

• Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Game, Magic, Supernatural
• Release Date: Jul 10, 2018
• Origins: Light Novel
• Studio: Madhouse

For many viewers, the previous Overlord Season 2 had quite a boring start with the Lizardmen Arc. But fortunately, the show managed to get better and better towards the final episodes. Nonetheless, the hype for Overlord Season 3 is still running strong and no doubt it will get tons of attention. It will take place right after the last The Men in the Kingdom Arc back in Season 2. What we can expect from this third season? Well, more plotting, our favorite Nazarick characters in action, and especially our 'hot boy' Ainz-sama. Let's hope that we will get to see The Magic Caster of Destroy Arc because that arc is AWESOME!

(Source: AnimeLab)

• Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Military, Mystery, Super Power
• Release Date: Jul 23, 2018
• Origins: Manga
• Studio: Wit Studio

The season 3 of fans' favorite Attack on Titan series is coming soon and it follows right after the epic final episode of Season 2. After Eren 'showcased' his Titan control ability, Eren is kept hidden away under Levi's supervision, while Hange tries to do some experiment Eren's Titan power. However, their plan will not stay safe especially when they started to find out a huge secret behind everything. For fans of Attack on Titan series, this third season is definitely not something they want to miss out, especially when there will be lots of twists, epic moments. So, remember to join the Survey Corps again on Jul 23, 2018!

And that's it folks! Which anime summer 2018 is/are your most anticipated? Feel free to share with us and for now, thank you and stay tune for more news in the future!

You may also like:

The early months of 2018 have already seen several landmark anime films achieve worldwide success, and that shows no signs of changing anytime soon. While it is not apparent from looking at the 2018 Oscar nominations for Best Animated Film, last year saw some truly fantastic anime films released.

If anime, films from outside of Hollywood, ever do achieve mainstream recognition, it will radically alter the face of Western cinema. This is a medium where creators seem more willing to experiment with conventional limitations, both in terms of storytelling and the technical side of filmmaking.

Entirely new and original stories like 'Mirai no Mirai' will be launched in the coming months, and established franchises that have already been very successful like 'My Hero Academia' and 'Fate/stay night' will also receive the big-screen treatment. The first entry on this list belongs to the latter category, and has one of the more interesting concepts for a slice of life anime to come out in the last several years.

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! Take on Me

'Chunibyo' is a derogatory term used to colloquially refer to anyone who manifest delusional behaviour, and specifically believing that they have special supernatural powers. In a field of TV anime shows about superpowered high school students, it's refreshing to see a show where their lack of powers is the whole point.

Protagonist Yuta suffered from chunibyo during junior high. He wrapped one of his arms in bandages and referred to himself as 'Dark Flame Master'—which effectively alienated him from his entire class. Finding his past antics embarrassing, Yuta looked forward to the first day of high school and the fresh start that it brought with it. He could finally be normal and have friends. This proves difficult, though, when a girl in his class named Rikka who still suffers from chunibyo learns of his past and becomes interested in him. The film picks up after the events of the show's second season, and sees Yuta and the still-delusional Rikka eloping across Japan in a summertime road trip as they try to escape life tearing them apart.

Macross Delta the Movie: Passionate Walkūre

While 'Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! Take on Me' is a continuation of its anime's story, 'Macross Delta the Movie: Passionate Walkure' is a compilation of its associated series.

At its core, the 'Macross' franchise is a romance told against the background of a space opera. Through several different iterations since the first series premiered in 1982 that has remained its core. In it, a city-sized spaceship crashed on Earth in the year 1999. This led to the world's governments uniting to reverse-engineer its technology and take to the stars. Over the span of a decade they use it as the basis for new ships, transformable mecha, and faster-than-light technology. But when a race of aliens arrive in our solar system and identify the fortress as originally belonging to their enemies, it takes love and music to eventually stop the conflict between humans and the aliens.

'Macross Delta the Movie: Passionate Walkure' takes that theme and expands on it. It is 'Gundam' meets 'J-Pop,' where the titular Walkure are pop idols who use their songs to help pacify people afflicted by the mysterious Var syndrome, a disease that causes people to go berserk.

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms

By contrast to the latest entry in the 'Macross' franchise, 'Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms' is a character-driven drama that is entirely self-contained. Maquia is a young woman who is part of a clan of immortals and lives a peaceful, if lonely, life. All that changes when an invading army attacks the clan, hunting the secret to their immortality. Maquia escapes, but ends up separated from her clan. While free, she loses the only life she has ever known. In the process, though, she finds a baby boy who was abandoned in the woods. The bulk of the story focuses on Maquia raising the baby and their developing relationship as he ages and she does not. The film explores love and loss, and what it truly means to be alive.

The major advantage of films like this over multi-episode series is that the budget does not need to be spread as thinly. It results here in some absolutely stunning animation throughout the film. These visuals are beautifully complimented by a heartbreaking score from veteran composer Kenji Kawai. The story was written by Mari Okada, whose other work also seeks to balance visual spectacle with character-driven drama.

Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple

If a strength of a singular film is the efficient use of their budget, then a film related to an on-going series has the benefit of delving deeper into its characters. 'Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple' fully takes advantage of this.

Anime 2018 Summer

Wartune apollo sylph. The concept for 'Bungou Stray Dogs' reads like the lovechild of 'X-Men' and 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.' Individuals with supernatural powers ranging from turning into a tiger to creating objects by writing about them in a notebook work together at the Armed Detective Agency, and the series and films follow them on their missions and in their lives. Many of the series' characters are named after famous literary figures or characters from literary works, like Agatha Christie and Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

While both the series and the film are heavily action-oriented and feature some stunning set-pieces, they also work to remain character-motivated. The film shows the depths of protagonist Atsushi's emotional trauma as a result of his time in an orphanage, and is unafraid to address uncomfortable psychological issues.

Mirai no Mirai

'Bungou Stray Dogs' does what any good action movie should try to do by placing the characters at the forefront of the story. 'Mirai no Mirai' also does that, thanks in large part to its director, Mamoru Hosoda. We have looked at his work in the past, but for those not already familiar Hosoda is one of the most talented directors currently working in animation, with a unique visual style and a talent for telling heartfelt stories rooted in the ties between family members. 'Mirai no Mirai' is not exception.

Kun, a spoiled four-year-old boy, feels like his new baby sister Mirai is stealing his parents' love. In the midst of this he comes across a magical garden where he meets a young woman. This woman is his sister, having traveled back in time from the future to see him. The adventures they have over the course of the film help Kun to learn to adapt to his new family dynamic.

My Hero Academia The Movie: Who is Your Hero

The handsome boys of Iwatobi High School Swimming Club, including Nanase Haruka, Tachibana Makoto, Matsuoka Rin, Hazuki Nagisa, and Ryugazaki Rei, have finally returned with their 3^rd season Free! Dive to the Future. It will be their third year (and also final year) in high school. Each of them will also have future plan of their own and those plans don't always align. With lots of expected events awaiting them, will they overcome such difficulties and differences? Or will they sink under the pressures? We will soon find out on Jul 12, 2018.

(Source: Blank)

• Genre: Adventure, Horror, Psychological, Thriller
• Release Date: Jul 6, 2018
• Origins: Game
• Studio: J.C.Staff

For those who are not into indie games, this one may slip under your radar. Satsuriku no Tenshi is originally an adventure-horror game made by RPG Maker. It quickly becomes extremely popular in Japan thanks to its compelling story and psychological horror element. The story tells about a 13-year-old girl named Rachel who awakes in a strange building. And strangely enough, she cannot remember anything about her past. While finding a way out of this building, she encounters a young man named Zack who wields a freaky scythe. After certain 'issue', Rachel and Zack decided to group together in order to escape this place. To be honest, playing a horror game can be intimidating. But fortunate enough, anime lovers can enjoy the interesting story of Satsuriku no Tenshi in anime soon on Jul 6, 2018.

(Source: Frontwing) Mortal kombat 4 zip file.

• Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
• Release Date: Jul 1, 2018
• Origins: Visual Novel
• Studio: feel.

It's Summer 2018 and indeed we have quite a lot of water-themed anime this season. Aside from Free! Dive to the Future, here we have Island, an anime based on a visual novel of the same name. It tells the story of an island called Urashima which is located far, far away from the mainland. The island may look like a paradise from outsiders' eyes, but in fact, the island's denizens are being stuck with long and complicated traditions. Suddenly one day, a young man named Setsuna appears and claims himself as a 'time traveler', yet he loses all of his memories. Here he met 3 young girls Rinne, Karen, and Sara. Together they will change this island and discover secrets lurking within this place, as well as the forgotten memories. For some reason, Island really, really sounds like a 'harem anime' but that should not be a huge problem… if feel. Studio do it right. But hey! The original visual novel itself was quite well-received so we can hope for its anime's quality, right?

(Source: Newstrailer)

• Genre: Action, Historical, Horror, Supernatural, Vampire
• Release Date: Jul 12, 2018
• Origins: Original
• Studio: P.A. Works

Coming in number 6 we have Tenrou Sirius the Jaeger, an original anime comes P.A. Works Studio. According to the synopsis, the anime will take place in the Imperial Capital of 1930 where a group of vampire hunters called Jaegers arrived on Tokyo Station. Interesting enough, all members equip with musical instrument cases, believed to hold the weapons to hunt vampires. Among those Jaegers there is a stand-out young boy named Yuliy, an actual werewolf who had his homeland destroyed by vampires. Together, Yuliy and the Jaegers are destined to fight against the mysterious holy arc called as the 'The Arc of Sirius' without knowing the truth hidden ahead of them. So far, the anime's synopsis already got us interested. And since this is made by P.A. Works – the same folks behind famous anime like Angel Beats, Another, and Charlotte, the hype is definitely going high for this one.

(Source: Anonesan)

• Genre: Comedy, Seinen, Slice of Life
• Release Date: Jul 14, 2018
• Origins: Manga
• Studio: Zero-G

If you are into manga, probably you have already spotted this one from miles away. Grand Blue is an original comedy manga about an Izu University freshman named Iori Kitahara. He dreams of a fantastic college life with beautiful girls and good friends. He comes to live at his uncle's diving club shop called Grand Blue and soon, all of his dreams are swept away as he witnesses a bunch of naked upperclassmen and their 'corrupted lifestyle'. Such is the 'sad fate' for Iori, but it also opens new opportunities for him. Iori and friends will arrive on Jul 14, 2018 so do not miss them if you're fan of comedy anime.

(Source: AniplexUS)

• Genre: Comedy, Ecchi, Harem, Romance, Shounen, Supernatural
• Release Date: Jul 14, 2018
• Origins: Manga
• Studio: Xebec

As you can guess from the poster, yes it is a harem/ecchi anime originated from the manga of the same title. In short, it tells the story of a high school boy named Kogarashi. He had a long history with ghosts and other spiritual events, which eventually make him an extremely powerful, yet… homeless young man. As he arrives at his new 'home' called Yuragi-sou – a former hot springs inn, he soon found out that this is the living place of many, many beautiful girls. Here he also met Yuuna, a beautiful teenage girl ghost. Feeling sympathized with her problem, he promised to help her to finally be released from this world of the livings. Will he succeed? Who knows? But more importantly, we will get to see lots of harem – ecchi moments throughout the show.

(Source: Adult Swim)

• Genre: Action, Comedy, Mecha, Sci-Fi
• Release Date: Jun 3, 2018
• Origins: Original
• Studio: Production I.G

FLCL Progressive is definitely among the most anticipated original anime this summer 2018. The first FLCL was released back in 2000 – 2001 and the series was a huge success. It gained lots of awards like being 3rd place for the Best Animation Film at the Fantasia Festival 2003; gaining a nomination for Best Cast in 2007; and being winner of the Best Comedy Series and the Best Short Series at the American Anime Awards show. With such feats, it pretty showed us how highly anticipated this next sequel is. The show is going to kick off soon in Jun 3, 2018 so let's not miss it!

(Source: Darkneel Buster)

• Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Game, Magic, Supernatural
• Release Date: Jul 10, 2018
• Origins: Light Novel
• Studio: Madhouse

For many viewers, the previous Overlord Season 2 had quite a boring start with the Lizardmen Arc. But fortunately, the show managed to get better and better towards the final episodes. Nonetheless, the hype for Overlord Season 3 is still running strong and no doubt it will get tons of attention. It will take place right after the last The Men in the Kingdom Arc back in Season 2. What we can expect from this third season? Well, more plotting, our favorite Nazarick characters in action, and especially our 'hot boy' Ainz-sama. Let's hope that we will get to see The Magic Caster of Destroy Arc because that arc is AWESOME!

A volunteer group has entered large number of sUktas and displayed them in PDF formats for Telugu, Sanskrit(Devanagari), Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya, and Tamil scripts, all with vedic swaras or accents. Most of these files posted a long time earlier are taken down. Hindu Puja Vidhi. Here is an old and outdated mirror of Bahrain's SAB Satsangh's Puja and Bhajan page from the 1990s. Sowmya's mantraaonline site now has the latest updates and proofread Puja files. Linked below are other websites which also have comprehensive hindu puja vidhi available in a format which is easy to download and use. Sri Rudram Laghunyasam - Telugu Vaidika Vignanam. A collection of spiritual and devotional literature in various Indian languages in Sanskrit, Samskrutam, Hindia, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Bengali, Oriya, English scripts with pdf. Try the Andhra-Telugu Bhakti Player to queue songs for uninterrupted playback! If you are looking for a specific item, you can use Ctrl+F (Normal PC) or Cmd+F (Mac) on your keyboard to search for it.

(Source: AnimeLab)

• Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Military, Mystery, Super Power
• Release Date: Jul 23, 2018
• Origins: Manga
• Studio: Wit Studio

The season 3 of fans' favorite Attack on Titan series is coming soon and it follows right after the epic final episode of Season 2. After Eren 'showcased' his Titan control ability, Eren is kept hidden away under Levi's supervision, while Hange tries to do some experiment Eren's Titan power. However, their plan will not stay safe especially when they started to find out a huge secret behind everything. For fans of Attack on Titan series, this third season is definitely not something they want to miss out, especially when there will be lots of twists, epic moments. So, remember to join the Survey Corps again on Jul 23, 2018!

And that's it folks! Which anime summer 2018 is/are your most anticipated? Feel free to share with us and for now, thank you and stay tune for more news in the future!

You may also like:

The early months of 2018 have already seen several landmark anime films achieve worldwide success, and that shows no signs of changing anytime soon. While it is not apparent from looking at the 2018 Oscar nominations for Best Animated Film, last year saw some truly fantastic anime films released.

If anime, films from outside of Hollywood, ever do achieve mainstream recognition, it will radically alter the face of Western cinema. This is a medium where creators seem more willing to experiment with conventional limitations, both in terms of storytelling and the technical side of filmmaking.

Entirely new and original stories like 'Mirai no Mirai' will be launched in the coming months, and established franchises that have already been very successful like 'My Hero Academia' and 'Fate/stay night' will also receive the big-screen treatment. The first entry on this list belongs to the latter category, and has one of the more interesting concepts for a slice of life anime to come out in the last several years.

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! Take on Me

'Chunibyo' is a derogatory term used to colloquially refer to anyone who manifest delusional behaviour, and specifically believing that they have special supernatural powers. In a field of TV anime shows about superpowered high school students, it's refreshing to see a show where their lack of powers is the whole point.

Protagonist Yuta suffered from chunibyo during junior high. He wrapped one of his arms in bandages and referred to himself as 'Dark Flame Master'—which effectively alienated him from his entire class. Finding his past antics embarrassing, Yuta looked forward to the first day of high school and the fresh start that it brought with it. He could finally be normal and have friends. This proves difficult, though, when a girl in his class named Rikka who still suffers from chunibyo learns of his past and becomes interested in him. The film picks up after the events of the show's second season, and sees Yuta and the still-delusional Rikka eloping across Japan in a summertime road trip as they try to escape life tearing them apart.

Macross Delta the Movie: Passionate Walkūre

While 'Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! Take on Me' is a continuation of its anime's story, 'Macross Delta the Movie: Passionate Walkure' is a compilation of its associated series.

At its core, the 'Macross' franchise is a romance told against the background of a space opera. Through several different iterations since the first series premiered in 1982 that has remained its core. In it, a city-sized spaceship crashed on Earth in the year 1999. This led to the world's governments uniting to reverse-engineer its technology and take to the stars. Over the span of a decade they use it as the basis for new ships, transformable mecha, and faster-than-light technology. But when a race of aliens arrive in our solar system and identify the fortress as originally belonging to their enemies, it takes love and music to eventually stop the conflict between humans and the aliens.

'Macross Delta the Movie: Passionate Walkure' takes that theme and expands on it. It is 'Gundam' meets 'J-Pop,' where the titular Walkure are pop idols who use their songs to help pacify people afflicted by the mysterious Var syndrome, a disease that causes people to go berserk.

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms

By contrast to the latest entry in the 'Macross' franchise, 'Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms' is a character-driven drama that is entirely self-contained. Maquia is a young woman who is part of a clan of immortals and lives a peaceful, if lonely, life. All that changes when an invading army attacks the clan, hunting the secret to their immortality. Maquia escapes, but ends up separated from her clan. While free, she loses the only life she has ever known. In the process, though, she finds a baby boy who was abandoned in the woods. The bulk of the story focuses on Maquia raising the baby and their developing relationship as he ages and she does not. The film explores love and loss, and what it truly means to be alive.

The major advantage of films like this over multi-episode series is that the budget does not need to be spread as thinly. It results here in some absolutely stunning animation throughout the film. These visuals are beautifully complimented by a heartbreaking score from veteran composer Kenji Kawai. The story was written by Mari Okada, whose other work also seeks to balance visual spectacle with character-driven drama.

Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple

If a strength of a singular film is the efficient use of their budget, then a film related to an on-going series has the benefit of delving deeper into its characters. 'Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple' fully takes advantage of this.

Anime 2018 Summer

Wartune apollo sylph. The concept for 'Bungou Stray Dogs' reads like the lovechild of 'X-Men' and 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.' Individuals with supernatural powers ranging from turning into a tiger to creating objects by writing about them in a notebook work together at the Armed Detective Agency, and the series and films follow them on their missions and in their lives. Many of the series' characters are named after famous literary figures or characters from literary works, like Agatha Christie and Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

While both the series and the film are heavily action-oriented and feature some stunning set-pieces, they also work to remain character-motivated. The film shows the depths of protagonist Atsushi's emotional trauma as a result of his time in an orphanage, and is unafraid to address uncomfortable psychological issues.

Mirai no Mirai

'Bungou Stray Dogs' does what any good action movie should try to do by placing the characters at the forefront of the story. 'Mirai no Mirai' also does that, thanks in large part to its director, Mamoru Hosoda. We have looked at his work in the past, but for those not already familiar Hosoda is one of the most talented directors currently working in animation, with a unique visual style and a talent for telling heartfelt stories rooted in the ties between family members. 'Mirai no Mirai' is not exception.

Kun, a spoiled four-year-old boy, feels like his new baby sister Mirai is stealing his parents' love. In the midst of this he comes across a magical garden where he meets a young woman. This woman is his sister, having traveled back in time from the future to see him. The adventures they have over the course of the film help Kun to learn to adapt to his new family dynamic.

My Hero Academia The Movie: Who is Your Hero

'Mirai no Mirai' will probably find a sizeable audience based on the strength of Hosoda's name alone. Similarly, 'My Hero Academia The Movie: Who is Your Hero' also will based purely on the popularity of its franchise. With seven separate awards accrued from Crunchyroll's 2017 Anime awards, 'My Hero Academia' is the most popular franchise to be released in the last several years, so an eventual film was all but inevitable.

'My Hero Academia' shows a world in which the majority of the Earth's population have developed a 'Quirk,' some kind of superpower that ranges from manipulating gravity, to sweating nitroglycerin, to shooting tape from your elbows. In this world the government has officially sanctioned superheroes to help deal with the uptick in superpowered crime. By the time the story begins this has been the status quo for many years, and the titular school is the most renowned in the country, where students are trained in how to use their powers to their fullest potential, how to be better heroes, and are given the chance to intern under professional heroes.

Natsume's Book of Friends The Movie: Tied to the Temporal World

While 'My Hero Academia's' ensemble cast is impressive, it is just as possible to tell a compelling story with a small core cast and rotating supporting characters. That is more in line with 'Natsume's Book of Friends.' Takashi Natsume can see and communicate with spirits, an ability that he inherited from his grandmother Reiko. As a result he had a very lonely childhood, with other children going out of their way to avoid him due to considering him strange. Even the relatives taking care of him passed him around as a result of this.

When his grandmother dies, she leaves her Book of Friends to him. This book contains the names of countless spirits that she collected over the course of her life, and whoever possesses the book can control these spirits. Instead of using that power for his own benefit, Takashi sets out to return these names to their owners to free them from their servitude to the book. Along the way he is hunted by benevolent spirits, entities who want to take the book for themselves.

Fate/stay night the Movie: Heaven's Feel – II. Lost Butterfly

If 'Natsume's Book of Friends' is best sold by its music, then 'Fate/stay night' is best sold on its visuals. Based on the Japanese visual novel of the same name, the game franchise has seen titles released on multiple systems, as well has being adapted to manga, light novels, and anime that explore the main game's three different possible storylines.

The game's story focuses on a tournament called the 'Holy Grail War,' in which summoners, called Masters, partner with heroes, their Servants, from history and mythology to defeat their opponents. The eventual victors will both have their wish granted by the Holy Grail. The action is fast-paced and features characters like King Arthur, Gilgamesh, and Hercules facing off against each other in battle as their respective Master's try to outmaneuver each other through guile. Unsurprisingly for a series based on a visual novel, there are also some really engaging character interactions between the different Masters and Servants, all of whom have their own reasons for entering the tournament and their own methods for accomplishing their goal.

Summer 2018 Anime List

Winter 2018 Anime List

Yuri on Ice The Movie

Where 'Fate/stay night' has a potential abundance of additional material to dive into, 'Yuri on Ice The Movie' is more in line with 'My Hero Academia.' The series, a sports anime focused on figure skating, premiered in 2016 to critical and popular acclaim. This is due as much to its gorgeously animated skating scenes (choreographed by former competitive skater Kenji Miyamoto) as it is to its LGBT content.

Protagonist Yuri and his coach Victor are heavily implied to be in a romantic relationship, with the two exchanging and on-screen kiss in episode 7. While some people argue that the kiss did not happen due to Victor's arm partially obscuring their faces, director Sayo Yamamoto stated in the show's official fanbook that she faced censorship regarding the scene. Despite this ambiguity, and the fact that the two do not face any of the homophobia that they almost certainly would in real life, this depiction stands out amongst other depictions of homosexuality in the medium (which are mainly otherwise restricted to erotica). It also does so with two characters from countries that have harsh anti-LGBT stances (Japan and Russia).