With AniCom over, you might be missing your dose of imagination. But never fear, here are five anime you can watch to get your fix.
Cook up a storm with Shokugeki no Soma: Ni no Sara.Shokugeki no Soma: Ni no Sara
This is the second season of Shokugeki no Soma, a shonen anime, which mostly appeals to males. It was adapted from a manga by studio JC Staff and started airing on July 2.
The new series continues the story of Yukihara Soma, who engages in shokugeki (cooking duels), hoping to become one of the top 10 chefs at the prestigious Totsuki Culinary Academy.
Soma is your typical shonen hero: innocent and naive most of the time, but entirely focused and fierce when it comes to the things he loves.
This series is a favourite because of the food. When the characters on the show describe the intense flavours and the fragrant aromas, mouths around the world can’t help but water. Because of this, some people on the internet have tried to recreate the dishes the students of Totsuki Academy whip up in the episodes. One of the best is ImmanuelBear who you can watch at on youtube..
If you like some laughter on the menu then this one is for you.
ReLIFE
ReLIFE is a new seinen anime series, which is targeted at a slightly more mature audience. This slice-of-life show was sourced from a web comic and animated by studio TMS Entertainment. With 13 episodes released all at once on the internet on June 24, ReLIFE focuses on Arata Kaizaki, a 27-year-old loser who is non-educated, employed or in training (Neet), and what’s worse, his mother cuts his allowance.
But Arata gets a chance to fix his life. In a state of depression, he is given a drug which allows him to be 17 again with one goal in mind: to change the way his life turned out, Arata returns to high school.
Cue the awkward moments.
Our ‘hero’ struggles to set his life straight, but lacking the social skills to connect with his classmates, he usually ends up being just a source of comedy for them.
This light hearted show is very relatable regarding regrets. It provokes you into thinking about the choices you have made and the ones you make each day.
Similar to most romance-anime, this show takes a very slow approach to things, but the pacing is fast enough for you to keep watching. Characters are also named after Japanese train stations, which is quirky. How many stations do you recognize?
Orange
On a fairly similar note, Orange revolves around high school student Naho Takamiya, who receives letters from her future self. Originally published in 2012, Orange started off as a manga, and after being made into a live-action adaptation in December 2015, it became an anime series from studio Telecom Animation Film.
The letters give Naho instructions on things regarding the new transfer student Kakeru Naruse – who will eventually become a love interest. After seeing what happens when she doesn’t do as the letters ask, Naho understands that they are from the future, so she is quite happy to follow their lead. Later we discover the letters are helping her to prevent Kakeru’s suicide.
The mystery and the suspense surrounding Kakeru’s fate keep fans going back for more. If Naho does something wrong, there will be consequences, and it may lead to Kakeru’s disappearance.
Watch Orange for a sappy romance-anime filled with tension.
JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Diamond wa Kudakenai
Sourced from the infamous JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures manga series, studio David Production adapts the fourth arc into the anime, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures: Diamond is Unbreakable. It began airing on April 2, and 16 out of 39 episodes have already been released. This is the 3rd season of the show, which is targeted towards more mature audiences.
Diamond is Unbreakable takes us into Morioh, a town where troubles have been arising fast, and JoJo decides to investigate why.
Josuke Higashikita is worthy of bearing the JoJo nickname because of his caring nature. He prefers to solve problems in ways other than violence. The kindness in him originates from when he was saved by a stranger as a child. This is reflected in his magical device, “Crazy Diamond”, which has the power to heal and restore.
You don’t need to watch all the previous instalments of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures to understand the story. Each season focuses on a single main character, which means that there isn’t a continuous story arc.
This show is constantly referenced in different anime and other forms of media. If you don’t get a joke in another show, be sure to watch JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures.
Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu
One of the most psychologically intense anime currently showing is Re:Zero. Out of its 25 episodes, 17 have already been released, and it’s expected to last until September 19. It is based on a light novel and adapted by studio White Fox for a more mature audience. Re:Zero focuses on Subaru Natsuki as he is mysteriously transported to another world.
As soon as Natsuki arrives in his new home he is attacked by thugs. Fortunately he is saved by Satella, a girl with white hair. Determined to thank her, Natsuki tries to help her in her quest. Unfortunately, things don’t go well and they die.
Most of the time, that would be the end of the story. But Natsuki wakes up to find that he is back the same situation as he was right after he was dropped off in this other world. This makes him thinks he’s in a game, and believing he has the power to load a “save”, or rewind time to a certain point, he continues on his journey.
While sometimes, these ‘saves’ happen before a death or devastating event, they can also occur right after. As Natsuki watches people die, we can see the light in his eyes die along with them. It’s intense watching Natsuki’s slow descent into madness.