Summer 2018 First Impressions

The summer rush of anime is here and it's time for us to get to work watching some of the hottest shows! Here's just a taste of what we've seen so far.

Island

Urashima washes up on an odd island that appears to have many secrets. Considered an outsider and telling people he is from the future, he isn't exactly accepted but feels there is something he must do. Five years ago, the three main families of the island suffered misfortunes that caused suspicion. After eroding contacts with the mainland, Urashima must use his newfound relationships with the three girls of these families to help save their home.

The Good: This is clearly going to be on the more mystery-thriller side, which usually seems to do well. It's been placed in the Popular section of streaming sites like Crunchyroll, so there must be something interesting about it. Ultimately, I think this is going to be one of those wait and see kind of shows; which is exactly what I plan on doing.

The Bad: While there's clearly a mystery here, I'm extremely worried that this is going to become a harem anime fast. There hasn't been anything that completely screams fan-service or romance just yet, but I'm not that trusting when it comes to series that are set up the way this one is. I'm also a little concerned that the mystery we're out to solve won't even be that good, which makes me hesitant to get invested. Again, this is definitely a show we'll just have to watch in order to find out.

Score: 3/5

Angels of Death

Rachel wakes up in a strange building with no clear memories in her head. Unsure of how she got their, she begins to explore, only to find that she's being hunted by a strange boy covered in bandages and wielding a scythe. Through a series of events, the two of them team up in hopes of getting out of this strange place.

The Good: I'll admit, I had high hopes for this anime. I never really get to see horror themed anime, and this one seemed to be promising. The show was based off of a video game, which may be why this received so much hype. Overall, the only really good thing I've seen so far is an incentive to find out where these two actually are.

The Bad: To be honest, this feels like an anime that the 2010's edgy child in me would have loved. But I also don't think I would have been able to see some of the plot holes and stale story that it's already laid out from episode one. I really had a difficult time with this one because it was just such a let down because, story issues aside, it wasn't even creepy or scary.

Score: 1/5

How to Not Summon a Demon Lord

Takuma has been transferred into his favorite video game, representing his character; the Demon Lord Diablo. The pantherian Rem and the elf Shera have summoned him in hopes of making him their servant, but the spell has completely backfired. Instead of Takuma, the girls are his to command. Takuma, who suffers from extreme social anxiety, has no idea what to do in this situation, leaving him to act how his character would.

The Good: This is clearly a fan service kind of anime that appeals to the fantasy of entering one's favorite video game. I feel like because this isn't a very unique anime in terms of its particular genre, I'm going to have to take it at face value. Perhaps this is someone's cup of tea, but for me I haven't yet seen anything that I can honestly praise.

The Bad: The series feels sort of like a fanfiction about Sword Art Online or No Game No Life. They were both relatively successful series, but I feel like we're seeing way too many video game world types of anime lately because of that hype. I've seen this kind of story a thousand times before, so it's pretty overdone. That and we know nothing good can come of these girls being a random anime guy's servants.

Score: 2/5

Yuuna and the Haunted Springs

Kogarashi is an unfortunate medium who has decided to move into Yuragi Inn in hopes of starting his life. While he knows that it's been said to be haunted, his plan is to simply punch the spirit in the face so that he could live in peace. The plan is dashed when it's revealed that a beautiful ghost girl named Yuuna is living in his room. He promises her that he will help her fulfill her last regret so that she can move on to heaven.

The Good: This one is also clearly a harem/fan service kind of anime, so because of that I'll try to rate it fairly. I do like the idea that he's hoping to help her find a way to move on from this life without hurting her. In a way, it's a little sweet.

The Bad: Unfortunately, fan service anime series aren't exactly my thing. I'm hoping that the story told underneath all of that will be good, so I'm actually a little hopeful for what the end of this show will look like. Considering that, I think it did pretty well for a first episode.

Score: 4/5

What are some of the shows you'll be watching this season? Tell us in the comment section!