Your Complete Summer 2014 Anime Guide

Summer makes the world a sweltering wasteland, so why not hold up in air-conditioned comfort with the new anime season. Of course, with 44 new anime in the pipeline, how do you know which ones to watch? Check out the trailers and brief blurbs about each to see which of them catches your interest. [*Note: Series are grouped loosely by genre.] Free! Eternal Summer Genre: Sports Premier Date: July 3, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation What It’s About in One Sentence: Sequel to last summer’s Free!, this anime continues the adventures of a team of male high school swimmers who spend an inordinate amount of their time shirtless.cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({"playerId":"e3616d04-4972-4839-a63a-c6975e2e9731","settings":{"advertising":{"macros":{"AD_UNIT":"/23178111854/od.kotaku.com/article","CHILD_UNIT":"article","POST_ID":"1601568087","POST_TYPE":"post","CHANNEL":"kotaku-east","SECTION":"","SUBSECTION":"","CATEGORIES":"kotaku-east","TAGS":"","NOP":"0"},"timeBeforeFirstAd":0}}}).render("cnx-player-main")}); https://kotaku.com/if-you-like-shirtless-anime-boys-watch-free-1458635214 Glasslip Genre: Slice of Life Premier Date: July 3, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: Glasslip is a story centering around the life of a 17-year-old girl who dreams of becoming a glass artisan. Hanayamata Genre: Slice of Life Premier Date: July 8, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: When a girl who loves fairy tales meets a real-life fairy (read: foreigner), she is introduced to the world of traditional Japanese dance. Encouragement of Climb (Yama no Susume 2) Genre: Slice Of Life Premier Date: July 9, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: The H25 สล็อต second season of a short-form anime about a group of girls whose hobby is mountaineering. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN2s33h5vOY Barakamon Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life Premier Date: July 6, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation What It’s About in One Sentence: The u31.com เข้าสู่ระบบ story of a young calligrapher who moves to a remote chain of islands and his interactions with the people he meets there. Jinsei Genre: Comedy, Romance Premier Date: July 6, 2014 Where to Watch: No Western Simulcast Announced What It’s About in One Sentence: A boy joins his school’s newspaper club and finds himself writing the life advice column. Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun (Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun) Genre: Romantic Comedy Premier Date: July 7, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: A high school girl finds out the boy she likes is actually a famous shoujo manga author and so she becomes his assistant. Blue Spring Ride (Ao Haru Ride) Genre: Romantic Comedy Premier Date: July 8, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: After spending her middle school life ostracized for being too cute, a girl reinvents herself to be as unattractive as possible so that her friends won’t be jealous of her. INVADERS of the ROKUJYOMA!? (Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?) Genre: Romantic Comedy Premier Date: July 12, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: A boy short on funds is forced to live in a small apartment, haunted by the ghost of a dead girl and surrounded by eccentric neighbors. Love Stage!! Genre: Yaoi, Romance Premier Date: July 10, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: One day, an otaku boy performs in a commercial where he cross-dresses as a girl, and one of the other actors falls in love with him at first sight—and that doesn’t change when he finds out the otaku boy’s true gender. Himegoto Genre: Comedy Premier Date: July 7, 2014 Where to Watch: No Western Simulcast Announced What It’s About in One Sentence: In this short-form anime, when his parents steal his identity and rack up a massive debt, a boy finds that the only way to pay it off is to become the student council’s “dog”—and thus spend every day dressed as a girl. Maido! Urayasu Tekkin Kazoku Genre: Comedy Premier Date: July 6, 2014 Where to Watch: No Western Simulcast Announced What It’s About in One Sentence: A short-form anime about the slapstick adventures of a second grader, his family, and his friends. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x20o8wx Sabagebu! – Survival Game Club! Genre: Comedy, Action Premier Date: July 6, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: A girl is forced to join her middle school’s survival game club and partake in all kinds of military training. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x20o8s4 Ai Mai Mi ~Mousou Catastrophe~ Genre: Comedy Premier Date: July 8, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: The second season of a short-form anime about four girls in a manga club who do all sorts of crazy things when they aren’t drawing manga. Samurai Jam Bakumatsu Rock Genre: Idol, Historical Fiction Premier Date: July 3, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: In a feudal Japan where the population is subjugated by music, a group of rockers rise up to free Japan from tyranny through the power of song. Shonen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 49 Genre: Idol, Slice of Life Premier Date: July 5, 2014 Where to Watch: Funimation (US), Crunchyroll (Other Countries) What It’s About in One Sentence: The story of an all-male idol group working hard to make it big. Locodol (Futsuu no Joshikousei ga [Locodol] Yatte Mita) Genre: Comedy, Idol Premier Date: July 4, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: A normal high school girl and her friend end up becoming their town’s local idols. PriPara Genre: Idol Premier Date: July 5, 2014 Where to Watch: No Western Simulcast Announced What It’s About in One Sentence: An elementary school girl grasps her chance to become an idol in a world of fashion, dance, and music. Minarai Diva Genre: Idol Premier Date: July 14, 2014 Where to Watch: No Western Simulcast Announced What It’s About in One Sentence: Using MikuMikuDance and motion capture technology, this anime about two aspiring idols will be broadcast live and animated on the fly. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x20o8nw Francesca Genre: Comedy, Fantasy Premier Date: July 7, 2014 Where to Watch: No Western Simulcast Announced What It’s About in One Sentence: The adventures of a zombie girl (who is the personification of Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido) with a big appetite for Hokkaido’s famous foods. Momo Kyun Sword Genre: Fantasy Premier Date: July 9, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: Loosely based on the Japanese fairy tale Momotaro, a swordswoman born from a peach, and her companions fight against the invading devil king and his armies. Magimoji Rurumo Genre: Comedy, Fantasy Premier Date: July 9, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: A witch must grant 666 wishes for a normal high school boy to undo her demotion to “apprentice”—however, what she doesn’t know is that each wish granted shortens his lifespan. Sailor Moon Crystal Genre: Magical Girl Premier Date: July 5, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Hulu, Viz Media, Nico Nico What It’s About in One Sentence: Five superpowered girls and their two talking cats battle the forces of evil. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 2wei! Genre: Magical Girl Premier Date: July 10, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: The second season of an alternate universe tale starring the characters of Fate/Stay Night as magical girls. Bladedance of Elementalers (Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance) Genre: Fantasy, Harem Premier Date: July 14, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: In a fantasy world where only pure maidens can interact with the spirits, a boy finds he can do the same and thus heads to the spirit academy to become the first ever male student. Argevollen (Shirogane no Ishi Argevollen) Genre: Mecha Premier Date: July 3, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: In the midst of a long lasting civil war, a young soldier becomes the pilot of a new giant robot: the Argevollen. Aldnoah.Zero Genre: Mecha, Sci-fi Premier Date: July 6, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Daisuki What It’s About in One Sentence: Set in a parallel universe, where the Apollo 17 astronauts found a hypergate to Mars on the moon in 1979, a war between Martian colonists and the earth begins. Gundam-san Genre: Comedy, Mecha Premier Date: July 6, 2014 Where to Watch: No Western Simulcast Announced What It’s About in One Sentence: A short-form anime parody of the original Mobile Suit Gundam Rail Wars Genre: Action Premier Date: July 4, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: In a world where Japan never privatized its railway system, a young man seeking an easy life joins the railway security force—only to be surrounded by oddball coworkers while facing off against violent extremists who want to privatize the railways. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x206hh1 Sengoku Basara: Judge End Genre: Action, Historical Fiction Premier Date: July 6, 2014 Where to Watch: Funimation What It’s About in One Sentence: The third season of an anime retelling the real life civil war that unified Japan under the Shogun—only with pretty boys and over-the-top action. Akame Ga Kill! Genre: Action, Fantasy Premier Date: July 7, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Daisuki What It’s About in One Sentence: After moving to the Capital to make money for his impoverished village, a young man finds himself joining a group of assassins who intend to end the corruption in the government once and for all. Sword Art Online II Genre: Action, Sci-Fi Premier Date: July 5, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Daisuki What It’s About in One Sentence: A survivor of the VR death game Sword Art Online joins a VR online FPS to catch a murderer who is somehow shooting people in the game and causing them to die in real life. https://kotaku.com/sword-art-online-is-the-smartest-anime-i-ve-seen-in-yea-5947171 DRAMAtical Murder Genre: Science Fiction, Yaoi Premier Date: July 7, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: A young man lives a normal life, working at a junk shop, until the day he’s forced to do battle in an online game. Terror in Resonance (Zankyou no Terror) Genre: Mystery, Thriller Premier Date: July 11, 2014 Where to Watch: Funimation What It’s About in One Sentence: In a world where Tokyo has been devastated by a terrorist attack, two mysterious children carry out their heinous plan. Tokyo Ghoul Genre: Dark Fantasy, Horror Premier Date: July 4, 2014 Where to Watch: Funimation What It’s About in One Sentence: After nearly being killed, a young man receives an organ transplant from a “ghoul”—a human-looking but flesh-eating creature—and becomes half-man, half-ghoul. Black Butler: Book of Circus (Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus) Genre: Black Comedy, Historical-Fantasy Premier Date: July 11, 2014 Where to Watch: Daisuki, Funimation What It’s About in One Sentence: An alternate version of Black Butler (that follows the manga from the point where the original anime u31 ทางเข้า diverged) which tells the story of a boy who sold his soul to a demon to get revenge for his parents’ murder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxYpI9GDRDg Nobunaga Concerto Genre: Historical Fiction Premier Date: July 12, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: When a normal high school boy travels back in time, he must take the place of Oda Nobunaga and unify feudal Japan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my3YrG0mZgI Yamishibai 2 Genre: Supernatural Premier Date: July 7, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: The second season of a short-form anime that uses traditional Japanese cut-out animation to act out traditional folktales and urban legends surrounding the supernatural in Japan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cP0C9J-QWk Persona 4: The Golden Animation Genre: Mystery, Sci-fi Premier Date: July 11, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Daisuki What It’s About in One Sentence: A new anime adaptation of Persona 4 (this time focusing on the Vita version of the game with its various additions) where a group of teens discover a dangerous world inside the TV that someone is using to commit murder. https://kotaku.com/i-watched-the-persona-4-anime-without-ever-playing-the-5965353 Re:_Hamatora Genre: Superhero, Mystery Premier Date: July 8, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: The second season of an anime about a group of mutants who run a private detective agency. https://kotaku.com/if-you-like-x-men-you-ll-probably-like-hamatora-1565930161 https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x20o8yh Tokyo ESP Genre: Action, Comedy, Sci-fi Premier Date: July 12, 2014 Where to Watch: Funimation (US), Crunchyroll (Other Countries) What It’s About in One Sentence: One day, a normal girl sees a penguin and some fish flying through the air and, after one of the fish touches her, she discovers she has the ability to phase through solid objects. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x20o8vo Shin Strange+ Genre: Comedy, Mystery Premier Date: July 11, 2014 Where to Watch: Crunchyroll What It’s About in One Sentence: The second season of a short-form anime where a young man, after finding that his missing brother has become the head of a detective agency and refuses to return home, decides to join him in solving mysteries. Space Dandy 2 Genre: Comedy, Sci-fi Action Premier Date: July 6, 2014 Where to Watch: Funimation, Cartoon Network What It’s About in One Sentence: The second season of an anime about the “dandiest man in space,” his cat-like alien sidekick, and his robot. https://kotaku.com/why-i-am-unable-to-enjoy-space-dandy-1527537317 https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x20o8jy Hanamonogatari Genre: Japanese Fantasy, Romance, Comedy Premier Date: August 16, 2014 Where to Watch: No Western Simulcast Announced What It’s About in One Sentence: The exact same thing it was about before it got delayed during the spring season https://kotaku.com/your-complete-spring-2014-anime-guide-1560641956 Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am. To contact the author of this post, write to [email protected] or find him on Twitter @BiggestinJapan