Anime Column] Anime writers' picks for the five most notable summer 2017 anime!

July finds us in the midst of a rush of new releases. According to Anipota's research, the total number of TV anime starting in the summer of 2017 is over 50. We pick up five of them. Made in Abyss," based on an adventure fantasy comic; "THE REFLECTION," written by Stan Lee; "Princess Principal," an original spy action series; "18if," an ambitious work with a different director for each episode; and "Mahoujin Guruguru," a popular series from "Gekkan Shonen Gan Gan". All are notable works that should not be missed.

Maid in Abyss

Based on a fantasy serialized on the website "Comic Gamma". In this adventure, Riko, a vivacious girl who dreams of becoming a caveman, and Reg, a robot boy she discovers during an adventure, challenge the Abyss, a large hole in the unexplored world. The appeal of the game is its cute characters drawn with a soft touch and a serious storyline that is always fraught with danger. The teaser visual beautifully depicts the scenery of Aus, a city built on the edge of the Abyss.
The director is Masayuki Kojima, who has worked on original manga works such as "Hanada Shonenshi" and "MONSTER. Character design is by Kazuya Kise of "Ghost in the Shell: ARISE" fame. Mr. Kise, who is known for his realistic character modeling in "Mobile Police Patlabor" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion," also draws cute characters.

THE REFLECTION

This is a much-talked-about film produced by Stan Lee, a master of the American comic world who created "Spider-Man," "Iron Man," and other Marvel Comics' masterpieces. The film depicts the struggle between humans who have gained unusual abilities as a result of the mysterious catastrophe "REFLECTION" that has struck the entire planet.
Co-written with Stan Lee is director Hiroshi Nagahama, who has worked on such ambitious films as "Curse of the Cosmos" and "Detroit Metal City. Yoshihiko Umakoshi, who worked with him on "Mushishi," was chosen to design the characters. The music producer is Trevor Horn, who has been involved in many hit songs. The collaboration of Japanese, American, and British creators will create a new hero animation. Incidentally, Stan Lee is known for making cameo appearances in his own films, and in this film, Mr. Mystic, a former astronomer, is designed to look just like him.

Princess Principal.

This original action animation depicts the activities of five beautiful girl spies in London, the capital of the Kingdom of Albion, which is divided into East and West by a huge wall at the end of the 19th century. Using their status as high school girls as a cover, the girls use their disguises, marksmanship, swordsmanship, colorful costumes, car chases, and all manner of other abilities to perform their dark deeds.
The researcher is Haruichi Shiratsuchi, who also thoroughly researched the world of espionage in "The Joker Game," and the PV carefully depicts the uniform of the Queen's Mayfair School, which looks like a maid's uniform, as well as spy equipment such as pistols. The fog-shrouded streets of London also add to the tense world of spy action. The film is directed by Masanori Tachibana of "Barakamon," with series composition by Ichiro Okochi, original character design by Kohaku Kurosei, and music by Yuki Kajiura, all from a team of talented staff.

18if

A TV animation series based on the smartphone game "[18] Kimito Tsunagaru Puzzle". The mysterious story revolves around the main character, Haruto Tsukishiro, who wanders into a dream world ruled by witches, Dr. Katsumi Kanzaki, who researches the dream world to save his sister from Sleeping Beauty Disease, and the mysterious girl Lily, who calls Haruto "big brother.
Each episode is directed by a different creator, and different creators compete for each episode. How will the colorful dream world created by the witches be expressed? Koji Morimoto, creator of "Acoustic Life Form Noiseman" and GLAY's music video "Survival," is the general supervisor, and Miichi Yoneira of "Princess Mononoke" was chosen as the OP artist to color the beautiful and mysterious dream world.

Mahoujin Guruguru

The popular gag fantasy that supported the dawn of "Monthly Shonen Gangan" is being adapted into a TV anime for the third time to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the series. Nike, a good-natured hero, and Kukuri, a wizard who wields the legendary magic Guruguru, embark on a journey to defeat the demon king Giri. The PV shows a world view with the promise of an RPG, expressed in dots, and is full of playful touches.
The character designs are similar to those in the early days of the original work, so fans of the 90s anime version will be able to enjoy the game without any sense of discomfort. The strong sub-characters are also a highlight of the film, and we can't wait to see the activities of the Kita Kita Oyaji who makes onigiri (rice balls) under his armpit and the refreshing fairy who appears out of the blue.

(Text by Katsunori Takahashi)

(C) 2017 Akihito Tsukushi, Takeshobo/Made in Abyss Production Committee
(C) Stan Lee, Hiroshi Nagahama/THE REFLECTION Production Committee
(C) Princess Principal Project
(C) mobcast inc./18if project
(C) HIROYUKI ETO / SQUARE ENIX / "Mahoujin Guruguru" Production Committee