This has been a crazy year for anime, what with all the announcements of delays of various anime series due to Covid-19 screwing up production schedules, and/or keeping fans from going to see films in movie theatres, which kills the studio’s profitability. This had the ultimate effect of pushing several series we would have had last season forward…and guaranteeing that we’d get a “monster anime season” filled with more quality shows than we could comfortably watch. Here’s a post with the top 10 series J-List will be watching in the Summer 2020 anime season!
What Summer 2020 Anime Will J-List be Watching?
Oregairu Season 3
The series I’m most looking forward to is the final season of Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru, aka My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU 3. While harem anime sometimes get criticized for being too formulaic, Oregairu proved that they can be thoughtfully written with interesting and compelling characters. Since this is the final episode, I wonder which girl will win? Watch the trailer below!
Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World Second
The continuation of one of the best isekai shows in anime history should be an epic event for fandom. On the other hand, sometimes bringing a show back after many years can make it hard to re-create the same old magic *cough* Code Geass *cough*. I’m also concerned at rumors that the creator was annoyed at the runaway popularity of Rem, and won’t feature her much in the new series.
Uzaki-chan wa Asobitai!
A well-known manga that’s finally arriving in anime form in the Summer 2020 anime season, this is the story of a mild-mannered Japanese youth and his annoying skinfang kouhai who just wants to do fun stuff all the time. Uzaki-chan Wants to Play! is also translated as Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!, as “play” has a sexual connotation in English that’s not present in Japanese.
Lapis Re:LiGHTs
You can’t judge a book by its cover, and you can’t judge an anime by its key visual…but Lapis Re:LiGHTs certainly looks like it’s got potential. It’s an idol anime that uses the CGI anime technique, so whether I get into will likely depend on whether the show is 100% CGI or features proper animation for the non-dancing scenes. Because as you know, I am not a fan of CGI anime that tries to replace traditional anime without bringing something new to the table.
Kanojo, Okarishimasu: Rent-a-Girlfriend
What if you could call up an app and select a “rental girlfriend” to go on a date with? And what if your relationship with her got really complex unexpectedly? That’s the idea behind this new anime, which seems like it has potential for an interesting story…and maybe some great seasonal waifus.
Monster Girl Doctor
“Playing doctor” with a cute girl would be fun enough, but getting to examine monster girls up close would be even better…and that’s the premise behind Monster Musume no Oishasan, airing in the Summer 2020 anime season. Being card-carrying fans of monster musume — we even publish the game that started the genre — I’m sure I’ll be following this anime.
D-class Formation HxEros
The story of five heroes who defend humanity against invaders using the power of human libido, or something like that. The joke is built around the pun that they are a 編隊 hentai, meaning military formation or squad, but of course will be doing 変態 hentai or sexually perverted things. Rememer, you can’t spell “hero” without “H” and “ero”!
Deca-Dence
When a mysterious life-form known as the Gadoll kill 90% of humanity, the final survivors are forced to live in a giant mobile fortress called Deca-dense, something similar to Howl’s Moving Castle. This looks like a potentially fresh and interesting concept!
Maou Gakuin: The Misfit of Demon King Academy
Every time I see an anime with maoh (demon lord) in its title, I get excited, thinking Hataraku Maoh-sama!, aka The Devil is a Part-Timer!, has gotten its long-deserved second season…but I’m always disappointed. The Misfit of Demon King Academy is based on a novel from a user-generated novel site about a demon lord who is all-powerful…and who gets reincarnated as a talking baby 2000 years later and has to re-learn his magical powers at a Hogwart’s-type school, or something.
No Guns Life Season 2
Hard-boiled SF fantasy No Guns Life Season 2 was another of the shows that got bumped due to problems caused by the virus. I really enjoyed the original show, about a bizarre world in which humans get turned into cyborgs to fight wars, centered around a chain-smoking detective whose head is literally a giant gun.
One subject I think a lot about is the way fans make a lot of noise about wanting a second season, then fail to watch and support it when it arrives. The best example is Osomatsu-san, a series that was hugely popular, selling 100,000+ copies per $88 disc in season 1…which plummeted 1000% for season 2, as fans tired of the show’s format and jokes. So when the second season of a show I enjoy comes out, I always try to support the show and evangelize it to J-List readers. Which I’ll definitely do for this series.
Read my overview of the first season of No Guns Life here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=CgRW2s9JPYk&feature=emb_logo
Are there other anime series you will be watching in the new anime season? Tell us below, or on Twitter!
Around the world, things continue to get a little better each day, and so J-List has decided to extend our $5 GETTINGBETTER coupon for another week, since our customers loved it so much. We hope things are getting better where you are! ($5 is off $25 or more, enter the coupon at the shopping cart page.)
