7 Spring 2018 Anime Series to Watch This Summer

It’s that time again. The spring 2018 anime season has progressed far enough that I feel safe given recommendations on what is good enough to continue watch. So if you don’t have the time to sample all of the new anime season, you have a good reference point on where to start.

As always, this list covers new anime series, not second seasons. So obviously if you are a fan of My Hero Academia, Food Wars, Seven Deadly Sins, or any of the many, many continuations out this season, you should definitely check those out.

Best Spring 2018 Anime

Hinamatsuri

One night, an object falls through space and time into the living room of dignified yakuza member Nitta. It turns out, this strange girl has psychic powers, but Nitta is reluctant to both take her in and make use of those powers. Respecting his decision to not use her as a tool, this girl, Hina, decides to help him as they begin their life together.

Why it is Worth Watching? – There are so many ways this show could have gone wrong, but it managed to find a way to not be middle of the pack and actually be pretty interesting to watch. Nitta, while a criminal, is not total scum, and Hina, while cute, is not just some cute incapable girl. It is the characters and their charm that make this interesting to watch.

Persona 5 The Animation

After an incident in his hometown Ren Amamiya is expelled from his school and sent to live and attend school in Tokyo while on probation. However, on the way to school, he discovers a strange app on his phone that, when the correct keywords are entered, sends him to a shadow world. There within, he unlocks the power of the Persona, a manifestation of the rebellion against a corrupt and unfair society held deep within him. Ren and the likeminded outcasts he gathers through his various encounters decided to use this power to steal the corrupt hearts of those whose evil desires manifest in that shadow world as palaces. They soon become infamously known as the Phantom Thieves.

Why it is Worth Watching? – If you are a fan of the game, this is pretty much a must-watch. However, even if you have never played a Persona game, this might sell you on it. The real plus of the Persona series has always been the stories they tell about the wide array of characters. You build social links, you learn more. Of course, there is also some combat to keep things interesting, but the only flaw of the anime is the combat is still as stylish as the game, but not as action-packed as it probably could be.

Golden Kamuy

After surviving the brutal Russo-Japanese war, Sugimoto gained the nickname “the immortal”. However, he now seeks the promise of gold north in Hokkaido to provide for the blind wife and infant son of his comrade of war. Yet, during his hunt, he hears the tale of a hidden stash of gold hidden by criminals with a map made out of human skin. Dismissing it as a tale at first, he soon finds the man who told it with those very same tattoos. Now on a race with a native Ainu girl, whose father was murdered for the gold, they try to make it to the stash before the criminals.

Why it is Worth Watching? – Aside from grossly underestimating the time it takes to skin a human, Golden Kamuy presents an interesting story about both an era and area in Japan that doesn’t get a lot of focus. Hokkaido is basically Japan’s boondock north island and not a lot of series even acknowledge the Ainu people. Golden Kamuy has a few issues, but it really shows off a lesser known Japanese culture.

Devils Line

In this world, devils, what they refer to as vampires, live among humans. The majority of humanity isn’t aware of them as they do not differ from humans. A vampire does not even need to drink  human blood, but once they taste it or sometimes even see it, they experience such lust and pleasure that they will kill again. Anzai, a half-vampire is part of a secret sub-section of the police force that deals with these rogue vampires that transform and rampage. One day, he saves college student Tsukasa and their fates become intertwined.

Why it is Worth Watching? – Another vampire anime, I know what you are thinking. However, what made Devils Line special to me was the sheer lust that was involved in vampiric action. Blood is displayed as not a necessity, but rather an item of pure pleasure, like the best drug and the best sex combined. Because of that, one taste and no matter your will, you will need more. That sort of obsession results in brutal encounters. While the beginning of Devils Line start off sort of listless and without plot (likely the reason for the not-so-great reviews since the manga suffered the same way), once the overall plot develops it becomes a pretty interesting mix of police drama-mature romance-and vampire lore revitalization.

Magical Girl Site

Aya Asagiri lives a miserable life. At school she is bullied. At home she is beaten. Her only bright light is a cat, but one day even that is taken away from her. However, while browsing the internet, she finds a person that takes pity on her and gives her the powers of a magical girl. So starts her vengeance.

Why it is Worth Watching? – This series is receiving a fair amount of hate for glossing over serious issues like abuse and rape, and those complaints are valid. Yet, you have to have a distinct taste for anime brutality to enjoy this one. They definitely go overboard to make the main character the epitome of victimhood, but they needed to do so in order to justify the gross worthlessness of human life that follows.

Wotakoi – It’s Difficult to Love an Otaku

After discovering they work at the same company, a gaming otaku and a fujoshi rekindle for the first time since middle school. After some good old fashioned after work drinks, they decide to start dating, but dating an otaku as an otaku is more difficult that one would think.

Why it is Worth Watching? – Oh, maybe I’m a sucker for otaku love stories, but I think to some degree, all anime fans are. What makes this show preferable to other love stories is that, firstly, it is a relatable comedy about otaku hobbies, and second it is about mature adults. This isn’t portrayed as another high school puppy love, but the relationship between adults.

Tada Never Falls in Love

Mitsuyoshi Tada has never known love in his life. However, when taking pictures of spring cherry blossoms, he meets Teresa Wagner, a transfer student from Luxemburg that got separated from her travel companions. Tada takes her to her grandfather’s coffee shop, and finds that, just maybe, love is in bloom, too.

Why it is Worth Watching? – Spring is the season for love, and nothing portrays that like this spring season gem. It sets things up for your typical romcom show, but doesn’t fall into the same trap of repeating drama and resolution. Instead it maintains a light and comedic note of the difficulties of falling in love when you might not really know what that is.

Do you have any more anime recommendations from the currently airing season, let us know in the comments section below.