Summer Is Coming! 10 Best Summer-themed Anime

Air is an anime that definitely makes you thinks of summer! It was co-written by Key Visual Studio who is known for Clannad, Kanon and Little Buster, so you know that this anime has a lot to offer. The story itself is set in a town next to the sea and the background art is really beautiful. Even though the art style is old due to its release date, the story is deep, touching, and does not disappoint! If you liked Clannad, you will definitely love this!

Yukito Kunisaki is on a journey, seeking a girl with wings who flies in the sky, as mentioned in a childhood tale. During this journey, he settles down in a small town, trying to make some money. There, he meets a strange girl named Misuzu. Misuzu quickly makes Yukito her friend and invites him to stay with her. Yukito decides to stay in the small town, and continue searching for the winged girl his mother had searched for in her life.

Supernatural, Romance, Slice of Life, Drama

*****

Barakamon is a really nice anime to watch if you are lazy and just want to pass time. The setting is in a small island surrounded by countryside, which really gives you that summery feeling! The light plot line does not require much understanding, but still manages to pack some comedy and heart-warming moments. A fun and light-hearted anime to match the season!

Despite his young age, Seishuu Handa is a professional calligrapher. After an elderly curator of an exhibition criticized his calligraphy for being too unoriginal – like a copybook – Handa gets angry and punches the curator. In the wake of this faux pas, his father then sends him off for a “retreat” (as a punishment) on Gotō Island, near Kyūshū. As someone who has never lived outside of the city, Handa was forced to adapt to all the new things that he finds there. There, he meets interesting people, interacts with them, and begins to learn.

Comedy, Slice of Life

*****

AnoHana reminds me of the manga “Orange” by Takano Ichigo as both of them are emotional stories about loss. While in Orange, they are trying to prevent death, AnoHana is about dealing with it. The abundance of greenery and nature, not to mention how the characters spend their time together when they were young certainly reminds me of summer. If you’re looking for an anime that is short (only 11 episodes) but with an exceptionally good story,AnoHana is for you. However, you should also know that this series is infamous for being devastatingly sad. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

The ‘Super Peace Busters’ was a group of 6 childhood friends whom would meet together everyday at their secret hideout to ‘defend the peace’ of their town. However, after the death of Meiko Honma, the group of 5 remaining members fell apart. Years later, the group’s old leader, Jinta Yadomi, begins seeing the ghost of Menma (Meiko Honma). She has returned to ask Jinta to fulfill the forgotten wish she made as a child, otherwise her spirit cannot pass on.

 Drama, Romance, Supernatural

*****

The director of Summer Wars is also notable for The Girl Who Leap Through Time and Digimon: The Movie. That being said, you can tell that Summer Wars has lots to offer. From the story, to the visuals, sounds and character, this movie really packs a punch. Not to mention, this movie is totally summer-approved since even the title has the word ‘summer’ in it! If you’re not up for a series and want a movie that has it all, Summer Wars should be on the very top of your ‘to-watch’ list.

When timid eleventh-grader and math genius Kenji Koiso is asked by older student and secret crush Natsuki to come with her to her family’s home in Nagano for a summer job, he agrees without hesitation. Upon arrival, he finds out that his ‘summer job’ is in fact, pretending to be Natsuki’s fiance and dance with her at her clan’s matriarch’s 90th birthday celebration. While he attempts to keep up with Natsuki’s act around her family, he receives a strange math problem on his cell phone that he cannot resist solving. As it turns out, the solution to the equation causes a massive hijacking of a social networking site through which most of the world’s social and business traffic flows.

Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller

*****

Almost everyone in the anime world knows about One Piece. I mean, how can you not? It is one of the most famous anime/manga next to Dragon Ball. One Piece began in 1997 (Anime in 1999) and it is still continued today, going strong with countless of spin-offs, side stories, video games, movies and so on. It has certainly made its mark on the shounen world, even more or just as popular as Naruto, Bleach and Fairy Tail. Also, what better way to spell summer then with a group of pirates roaming the seven seas? With its hundreds of episodes, your entire summer can be occupied by the crew on Thousand Sunny!

Before he was executed, the legendary Pirate King Gold Roger revealed that he had hidden the treasure One Piece somewhere in the Grand Line. Now, many pirates are off looking for this legendary treasure to claim the title of Pirate King. One pirate, Monkey D. Luffy, is a boy who had eaten the Devil’s Fruit and gained rubber powers. Now he and his crew are off to find One Piece, while battling enemies and making new friends along the way.

Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

*****

Adapted from the manga of the same name, Non Non Biyori is an anime that is similar to Barakamon, Kiniro Mosaic and Shirogane no Nina (manga). The story is simple and is rather slow-paced, but the art certainly draws you in. The sequel (Non Non Biyori  Repeat) takes place in the Summer so you might want to watch the first one to prepare for the second one! This series is especially perfect for those wanting to watch something more light-hearted and doesn’t require much thinking.

The second season will be premiering on 7 July 2015.

The closest book store sells Jump every Wednesday, the video rental shop is ten stations down. Vegetables are left out for sale, and no one’s ever even see a lock on a house. That’s the country life they live, but these five girls at Asahigaoka Branch School are enjoying it! Enjoy the leisurely, laid-back life of these unique girls

Comedy, School, Slice of Life , Seinen

*****

Like Free!, Tsuritama is anime about friendship/bonding over water activities. But instead of swimming, this anime focuses on fishing! Set in the town of Enoshima, this anime is certainly an all-rounder, not only in terms of character variety, but also in every other aspect. The visuals, music, and character development are all great. The story is also incredibly heartwarming. Not to mention, *cough cute guys cough*

In Enoshima, Yuki is a high school student who’s never been good at making real friends thanks to his abnormally poor communication skills. Haru is the self-styled alien who decides to teach Yuki to fish. Natsuki is an irritable born-and-raised local. Akira is the mysterious Indian who watches them all from a distance. These four meet, fish, and find big adventures on their little island.

Comedy, Slice of Life, Sci-Fi 

*****

Summer always reminds me of outdoor sports especially swimming, cycling, football and of course, baseball.Daiya no A, is like any other typical sports anime, but the variety of characters and the humour in this anime is what makes it one of a kind. It has a slow start and the plot is pretty predictable but there is something that just keeps you glued to the anime.

 Eijun Sawamura, a left-handed pitcher with an erratic throwing motion, was scouted by Seidou and joins the elite school with an exceptionally brilliant catcher named Kazuya Miyuki. Despite having little knowledge about baseball, he strives to improve and become the ace of the team. Together with the rest of the team, they strive for Japan’s Koushien championships through hard work and determination with the addition of two 1st year pitchers to the team – himself and Satoru Furuya.

Comedy, School, Sports, Shounen

Daiya no A

*****

Ponyo is one movie that reminds me of summer due to its ocean theme, since we all know summer is all about the sunny weather and going to the beach! Ponyo is the ‘child’ of Hayao Miyazaki from Studio Ghibli, which I’m sure you’re all more than familiar with. This movie itself won around 10 awards so that should tell you how awesome it is. But additionally, the audio is really great due to the genius composer Joe Hisashi. The story, the characters, the music, basically the whole movie is adorable. Not to mention, its suitable for all ages. I highly recommend this movie to Studio Ghilbi fans or to those who want to watch an enjoyable, cute movie.

Warning: the songs may get stuck in your head

The daughter of the king of the ocean, Ponyo, is no ordinary goldfish — she has all the magic of the sea at her disposal. But when five-year-old Sosuke befriends the spunky little fish near the seaside home he shares with his mother and father, a special connection sparks between the two children and Ponyo becomes determined to become human.

Transforming into a little girl, Ponyo shows up at Sosuke’s doorstep, delighted to make herself at home with her new land-dwelling family. But having a magical fish princess walking around on dry land begins setting the mystical balance of the world off kilter, and even though the innocent love Ponyo feels for her dear friend is strong, it will take some help from the greatest powers in the ocean to make things right again

Adventure, Fantasy

******