Special Roundtable Discussion] What are the hot summer 2018 anime titles recommended by Akiba Research Institute staff?

This year's 2018 summer anime have finally come out. According to a survey by Akiba Research Institute, there are 47 new works alone. If we include the continuing works from the previous season, nearly 60 works will be broadcast this season. With such a large number, many people may have a hard time finding interesting anime. In this project, seven Akiba Research Institute staff members, who regularly check anime productions, selected five works each that they are paying attention to. We brought the results of these selections together and asked them to freely discuss the works to watch in the 2018 summer anime season. We hope you will use this as a reference in selecting this summer's anime.

Editor-in-Chief Kamata's (male) top 5 choices

Shinkage no Kyojin Season 3
BANANA FISH
YAMANOSUME: The Third Season
Girls☆Geki Revue Starlight
Happy Sugar Life

Kamata: First of all, "Shigeki no Kyojin Season 3" is a popular work that goes without saying. I've bought all the comic books, and I'm excited that it's finally in its third season, and fans will definitely watch it. The fact that it will be broadcast on NHK this season is also noteworthy in terms of stability. NHK has been very aggressive with anime recently. Like "March Lion" and "Piano Forest".

Editor K: I think NHK will continue to do so.

Kamata: The original story of "Shinkage" hasn't been fully digested yet, and I'm sure NHK will make sure to finish it.

Editor U: I'm sure NHK will do reruns of the series, and maybe even broadcast the whole series during the summer vacation.

Editorial Department A: I wonder how much grotesque depictions will be allowed on national TV?

Kamata: As expected, NHK knows that. Next up is "BANANA FISH," which I think is a must-see for our generation (40s).

Editor K: I love the original manga too.

Kamata: It's such a masterpiece that I have a bit of fear of missing it. ......

Editor U: I'm rather anxious about it. The fact that the setting is in the present day is already ....... I wonder if it wouldn't make sense if it wasn't in that era.

Kamata: Well, when you make an anime adaptation of a classic manga from the past, you always have that kind of uneasiness. It's too late for that! but I still want to see it. The other one I'm holding onto is "Yamanosume: The Third Season," and since the first and second seasons were both well-received, I'm naturally looking forward to the third season. It's the high season for mountain climbing, so it's a no-brainer.

Editor K: " YAMANOSUME " is good, but I think it may have been eclipsed by "YURU CAN-△.

Kamata: No, I think it is still good.

Editor A: "YuruCamp" doesn't involve mountain climbing.

Kamata: One of my acquaintances was so influenced by "YuruCamp" that he suddenly got all the camping gear he needed and went camping by himself (laughs).

Editor A: When "Yamanosume: The Second Season" aired, I was suddenly invited by a friend to go mountain climbing in Chichibu (laughs).

Kamata: Two more that I have high expectations for are "Girls' Opera Revue Starlight" and"Happy Sugar Life. I think both of them have a lot of hit elements.

Editor A: "Revue Starlight" was created by Bushiroad, the company that created "Bandolieri," and now it's a musical! Kamata: It's an anime and a 2-act play.

Kamata: It is not unusual to see collaborations between anime and 2.5-dimensional works, but usually the anime comes first and the stage comes after, but the fact that the stage comes first and the anime comes after is new. The stage seems to have been well received.

Editor K: "Happy Sugar Life" is quite an edgy story, isn't it?

Kamata: I think it is one of the recent trends in anime to have a horror story with a cute design. It's like "Shoujo Saikatsu Ryoko" or"Maid in Abyss. The same goes for the recent magical girl series.

Editor U: Come to think of it, there are no magical-girls this season. There have been so many recently, so maybe I've overdone it.

Editorial Department A: Instead, there are "XX villas" and "waterfront ones" covering the same area. It can't be helped by the season, though.

Editorial department A (♂)'s 5 notable selections

Angolmore: The Battle of Genko
Chio-chan's way to school
High Score Girl
Planet Wiz
ISLAND

Editor A: I would start with "Angolmore: The Record of the Battle of Genko". It is based on a hard-core historical story, and is set in Tsushima during the time of the Genko invasion. It is a very realistic warring states story, so I think the key point is how far we can pursue the quality.

Kamata: Who is producing this?

Editor A: NAZ. They have made "Hajimete no Gal" and"Hamatora" in the past.

Editorial Department U: I wonder if they will be able to handle it. I hope they do well.

Editorial Department A: The original story is interesting, but if you don't put enough effort into it, it will become cheap at once, so I want you to do your best there (laughs).

Kamata: The voice actors are gorgeous. All of them are men, though (laughs).

Editor A: The ratio of old men is unusually high (laughs).

Editorial Department U: That's to be expected since it's a story about the Warring States period.

Editorial Department A: I like that kind of masculine atmosphere. Also, there are no good-looking men (laughs).

Editor K: Maybe the girls will like it more than you think.

Editorial Department A: Next is "Chio-chan's Way to School.

Editor U: There? (laughs)

Editorial Department A: The original is a surreal gag manga that is quite funny, but it's up to us to see how far we can take the tension.

Editorial Department U: Is it a 5-minute animation?

Editor A: No, it's 30 minutes long.

Editor Z: You're going to keep going to school for 30 minutes! (Laughs)

Editor A: That's right.

Editorial Department U: No school scenes?

Editor A: No.

Editor K: What do you mean?

Editor A: So I'm wondering how they are going to make it last for 30 minutes when there are only scenes of going to and from school (laughs). I think it will be more interesting if the pictures move smoothly. Rumor has it that the production is quite difficult.

Next up is "High Score Girl. This is already a fully-fledged anime adaptation. The story was dropped a few years ago due to copyright issues, but this time the anime is being made with the full cooperation of the makers, so I have high expectations for it. It seems that the game screens are actually incorporated into the animation, and it is to be made in full CG. It was made by J.C. STAFF, though.

Editor Z: It is very rare for J.C.STAFF to make a full CG work!

Editor A: Actually, it's our first time. So it will be interesting to see what kind of CG the animation will be like. The game industry is fully cooperating, and the ED is by Etsuko Yakushima, which gives it a subcultural feel!

Kamata: That's amazing! (laughs)

Editor A: Next is "Planet Wiz. It is the only robot anime in this season.

Kamata: Was it an original work?

Editor A: That's right. It's a bit of an unusual work, with Satoru Mizukami doing the original manga, names, and character drafts.

Kamata: When I saw the pictures, I thought it was a children's animation, but it's not.

Editor A: That's right. The mecha design is a bit old-fashioned, but it is exactly the kind of anime for our generation, who have seen anime in the 80s and 90s. It's a pattern that's been seen a lot recently.

Kamata: And this one is also by J.C. STAFF.

Editor U: Is it safe to do so much? (Laughs)

Editor A: This is a robot anime that has been somewhat lackluster lately, but I have high hopes for it.
Also, I don't know how this one will turn out, but it's "ISLAND ". It's been a while since I've seen an anime based on a PC game. It is a game made by "Front Wing", the creators of the "Grisaia" series, and since "Grisaia" was quite fun, I have high expectations for it.

Editor's U: There has been a lot of talk about a certain voice actor's departure from the board. Tamura Yukari is the lead actress, so it's an iron plate.

Editorial Department A: It's been a while since I've seen a full-fledged PC game-based anime. It's just like an "anime for you guys" (laughs).

Kamata: There hasn't been anything like this recently. Kamata: We haven't had this kind of thing recently.

Editor A: There haven't been any recently, since PC games themselves seem to be in a bit of a slowdown (laughs).

Kamata: It was produced by "feel. They have been doing a good job lately. For spring anime, they did "Hina Matsuri. Before that, "Tsuki ga Kirei" and so on.

Editor A: They have a good reputation for bishojo animation. Oshiete! Gyaruko-chan" and so on.

Editorial Department U's (♀) five favorites

Chu Chujo Kankeiroku Tonegawa
BANANA FISH
Dive to the Future
Hataraku Cell
Zoids Wild

Editor U: I would start with "Chu Chujo Kankeiroku Tonegawa.

Editor K: I knew you were going to say that (laughs).

Editor U: I like this kind of work.

Editor K: Tomoyuki Morikawa plays the role of Tonegawa.

Editorial Department U: However, in my opinion, I think Morikawa's voice is too young. I would have preferred a more grandfatherly voice.

Editor K: And the narration is by Jihide Kawahira!

Editor A: Is this a gag?

Editor U: It's a full-fledged gag. It is not a serious tension like "Kaiji.

Kamata: This is another brilliantly cast full of men. ......

Editor Z: The theme song is by "Gesu no Kyokumi-Otome" and "Takehara Pistol. and "Takehara Pistol" are also good.

Editor's U: The theme song is very aggressive, isn't it?　And I wrote the song for this series!

Editor A: The series composition is by Mitsuki Hirota. This one seems to swing towards gags, doesn't it?

Editorial Department U: Yes, it is. It's like something I would enjoy watching late at night on Tuesdays. Also, I guess I can't leave out "BANANA FISH". From a female otaku's point of view. Also, "Free!-Dive to the Future-".

Kamata: It's an iron plate!

Editor K: Is this a continuation of the previous work?

Editor U: It takes place a few years later. The main characters are now university students, and there are kids from another high school who join the Iwatobi High School swim team, but they are the same kids who were in the movie version. So it would be more fun if you have seen the movie version, but I think you can enjoy it even if you haven't seen it.

Editor A: I didn't think "Free!" would become such a long-lived series.

Kamata: I also enjoyed watching the first and second seasons.

Editor A: The director changed, didn't he? The previous director was a woman, and I got the impression that she featured the beauty of male muscles and such, but this time it will be a male director, so I wonder how that will change. From a male perspective (laughs).

Editor U: I wonder. I hope it won't be like, "This is what you want to see," from a male point of view, and the rotten girls will say, "That's not what we want! I hope it won't be like that (laughs).

(laughs).

Editor U: Anyway, the girls have high expectations for the new work, so I don't want them to miss it by any means. The reaction on the Internet when the new work was announced was amazing. Everyone was crying because the second-year students weren't going to be in the movie, and then their fans cried again when they heard that the kids from the movie version were going to be in the movie (laughs).

Editor K: And the merchandise sold like hotcakes again (laughs).

Editorial Department U: We have high expectations for the new character figures!

Editorial Department U: Then there is "Hataraku Cell. Even before the announcement of the anime adaptation, there were commercials running a little bit, weren't there? That's the imprint (laughs).

Kamata: I wonder if they can handle 30 minutes of that material.

Editor U: So, they are going to teach us a lot about the body, aren't they? (Laughs)

Editor K: I hear it will teach us a lot about health.

Editorial Department A: There seem to be a lot of one-point works like this in this season's anime. Like "School Road" and "Cell" (laughs).

Kamata: I think the scriptwriters are going to cry. I can't imagine how he/she would have to make a small piece of work into a 30-minute film (laughs).

Editor U: I had a hard time deciding on the last one, but I went with "Zoids Wild.

Kamata: Do you like Zoids?

Editor U: I'm kind of curious about Zoids. I've only seen a little bit of the anime before, but the other day I happened to go to an event and saw Zoids (toys) in action, and it was really cool.

Kamata: The toy Zoids also got a new series last time.

Editor U: A new series was released after 12 years. With it came a set of anime adaptations.

Kamata: It's the same old royal pattern. The sponsor is a toy manufacturer. Like Microman and Transformers.

Editor A: Like Diaclone (laughs). At the recent toy show, I got the impression that while Bandai was targeting adults, Takara Tomy was completely aimed at children. For girls, the same could be said of products such as Pripara and Rika-chan.

Kamata: For boys, Beyblade and Shinkarion.

Editor A: Shinkarion is very popular. Kids are already crazy about it. Omiya is in the limelight now.

Editorial Department U: It will be broadcast as a program afterwards, so I have high hopes for it.


(Continued from the second half)