Kakegurui
Synopsis : Hyakkaou Private Academy. An institution for the privileged with a very peculiar curriculum. You see, when you're the sons and daughters of the wealthiest of the wealthy, it's not athletic prowess or book smarts that keep you ahead. It's reading your opponent, the art of the deal. What better way to hone those skills than with a rigorous curriculum of gambling?
At Hyakkaou Private Academy, the winners live like kings, and the losers are put through the wringer. But when Jabami Yumeko enrolls, she's gonna teach these kids what a high roller really looks like!
Thoughts : I'm a big fan of high stakes gambling anime like Akagi and Kaiji so obviously I was interested in Kakegurui from the get go. But the insanity of the setting and the varied characters has me hooked for now. It does feature a fair bit of fanservice so be warned if that's not your thing.
Ballroom e Youkoso
Synopsis : Feckless high school student Fujita Tatara wants to be good at something - anything. Unfortunately, he's about as average as a slouchy teen can be. The local bullies know this and make it a habit to hit him up for cash, but all that changes when the debonair Sengoku Kaname sends them packing. Sengoku's not the neighborhood watch, though. He's a professional ballroom dancer. And once Fujita Tatara gets pulled into the world of the ballroom, his life will never be the same.
Thoughts : A big thing I've always loved about Anime as a whole, is how sometimes people can make the most entertaining shows around topics I would normally not be interested in, like bread battles and boxing for example. In this case Ballroom dancing is the topic and other than the weird facial expressions from time to time. I have to admit Ballroom e Youkoso is pretty darn funny so far.
Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e
Synopsis : Koudo Ikusei Senior High School is a leading prestigious school with state-of-the-art facilities where nearly 100% of students go on to university or find employment. The students there have the freedom to wear any hairstyle and bring any personal effects they desire. Koudo Ikusei is a paradise-like school, but the truth is that only the most superior of students receive favorable treatment.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka is a student of D-class, which is where the school dumps its "inferior" students in order to ridicule them. For a certain reason, Kiyotaka was careless on his entrance examination, and was put in D-class. After meeting Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyou, two other students in his class, Kiyotaka's situation begins to change.
Thoughts : Youjitsu is one of the very few new anime this season that has made me curious as to how it's going to progress. Especially as more is shown of the main character that does seem a bit...lackluster at first. Most definately one of the anime to watch this season.
Princess Principal
Synopsis : At the end of the 19th century, London, the Kingdom of Albion has been split into East and West sides by a giant wall. Five girls attend Queen's Mayfaire, a conventional and prestigious school. Under the guise of regular high school girls, they act as spies under cover. Disguise, reconnaissance, infiltration, car chases... Each girl uses their own set of special skills to dart around the world of shadow.
Thoughts : I'll admit the setting of Princess Principal which reminds me of the east vs west germany to some extent, with the added allure of cute girls, spies and fantasy-like powers is what mostly has me interested in Princess Principal, Hopefully it continues being good but only time will tell.
Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun
Synopsis : Aoyama is a handsome young soccer genius who is a Japan representative. His play style is cleanliness. He doesn't tackle and doesn't head the ball. If he's doing a throw-in, he'll only do it if he's wearing gloves.
Thoughts : Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun brings the same kind of humor that Sakamoto ga desu had, but just in a more enjoyable sports setting, namely soccer. If laughs after a hard day at work/school is what you need. This is what you should watch.
That concludes the list of anime I think are must see this season, Like I said earlier, the general quality of the season feels lacking compared to previous ones. Luckily we still have Boku no Hero 2 and Shingeki no Bahamut Virgin from last season airing as well as the fantastic Re-Creators! Now to talk about the rest of the anime that might be worth following this season, and lastly the anime to avoid completely.
Made in Abyss : So far has a very interesting setting, but there isn't much more to it currently. From the few episodes that have aired thus far it's still hard to place. It's enjoyable but not great.
Jikan no Shihaisha : Is one of the more promising anime this season, with the entire premise of time demons and all, though it does feel very episodic which might be it's downfall.
Shoukoku no Altair : Mostly watching it for the historic warfare setting and has a kind of Arslan vibe to it, but not nearly as epic
Katsugeki Touken Ranbu : A visual treat from UFOTable as always, but so far it's hard to discern if it's more than just something nice to look at, as to date it's mostly been episodes with no real depth.
Hina Logi - From Luck & Logic : Hina Logi is a much more palatable spinoff anime from the Luck and Logic franchise. That being said, currently it's not much more than magical cute girls doing cute things.
Jigoku Shoujo - Yoi no Togi : HELLGIRL is back! Only reason it didn't make the "top 5" list is due to it being a sequel, or rather the 4th season in the Hell Girl Franchise..
Centaur no Nayami : Second episode was a huge improvement over the first, quite a few good laughs in this anime thus far, but still not sold on it.
Knight's & Magic : Mecha Otaku reincarnated into a cute boy aside(for fanservice to the ladies out there) Knight & Magic seems pretty interesting thus far, my only gripe is, things are going too smoothly
Battle Girl High School : Cute girls transforming and going into battle with monsters, not really a new idea nor is this a great execution of it. It has it's moments but at best this anime is average currently.
Fate Apocrypha : The latest in the Fate franchise, and even though the battles are well animated, The premise seems even more far fetched than the Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Zero arcs. I don't have high expectations
Isekai Shokudou : BEST OPENING SONG OF THE SEASON, anime itself is fun to watch, nice relaxing anime with people from other worlds eating good food.
Youkai Apartment no Yuuga na Nichijou : A twist on the whole "guy moves into dorm full of crazy people" trope with using yokai. I'm sure it should be fun to watch as a whole. But nothing from the few episodes that have been out really stood out to me.
Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni : As much as I love the whole guy being reincarnated in a different world trope, it just feels that the main character is so overpowered it's boring.
Koi to Uso : Most probably the best drama series this season, and a possible contender for one of the best anime this season, depending on how it progresses. The relationship dynamics in the anime are quite curious.
Aho Girl : Eh, it has it's funny moments, But as a whole thus far it's nothing to write home about. Might drop it after a few more episodes.
Nana Maru San Batsu : This quiz game anime might be a dark horse this season, but remains to be seen. So far it's been fairly enjoyable, even though the main character is a bit daft.
Tenshi no 3P! : If musical lolis are what you were looking for, then this has exactly what you need. I'm just curious as to why the main character avoids people in general, feels like there might be some deep placed trauma there.
New Game!! : The cute game dev girls are back! And it seems like they have quite a few new challenges ahead of them with their new project.
Nora to Oujo no Noraneko Heart : 3 minute episodes of slapstick comedy. Short enough to make it worth it for a quick watch
Hajimete no Gal : I do feel that this anime might end up surprising us with some very emotional scenes, I'm just hoping the main character stops being an idiot.
Action Heroine Cheer Fruits : Kind of has a locodols vibe to it, without the adorable girls...but somehow I kind of want them to succeed!
Gamers! : A certain popular early access game in the Opening scene of episode 2 aside~ Gamers seems to be an enjoyable watch with a lot of laughs included!
Senki Zesshou Symphogear AXZ : Hibike and the gang are back! To fight against Alca-noise and whatever new threat to the world the latest evil organization has on their mind
Netsuzou TRap - NTR : Nothing, absolutely nothing, is worse than NTR, but somehow I'm not minding the fact that it's Yuri...It does seem like the relationships are fairly complicated in this anime so I'm hoping for it to be good.
18if : I'll admit I initially thought this anime would mostly just be weird episodic tales of murderous witches and the guy trying to safe them, but episode three had some surprise feels. So now I'm kinda intrigued
And now onto the anime to avoid this season.
Dive!! : Other than the fluffy dog, and if you want to see washboard abs. This is so far the most dull "sports" anime I've seen thus far. Rather try out Free if you want boycandy swimming.
The Reflection : The premise is...boring and the animation is half assed. It doesn't feel like the creators of it even want people to watch it.
Enmusubi no Youko-chan : Apparently the original chinese version is pretty good for a chinese production, that being said. It feels like another terrible anime from Tencent.
Hitorijime My Hero : If bad yaoi anime is your game, by all means go ahead. But for everyone else avoid!
Vatican Kiseki Chousakan : The premise of this anime sounded so cool, and yet the reality is something far more dull than anyone can ever stomach. apparently the manga is fairly popular though I can't figure out why.
Tsurezure Children : 4koma romance does not work in anime form, sure it might be sweet in print. But this just feels jumbled up.
Clione no Akari : The premise behind this anime isn't bad, it's just the execution that terrible. And after Koe no Katachi my hopes were high as this shares a similar theme.
And that concludes me thoughts on the Summer 2017 anime season as a whole. the possibility exists that quite a few more shows will be dropped. And as usual it's hard to say for sure which will be the best anime of the season until it actually ends! Feel free to share your thoughts as not everyone's tastes are the same!
