The much-anticipated return of [Oshi no Ko] has probably brought many viewers back to HIDIVE as well as getting the Summer 2024 Season off to a sparkling start. But what else looks good this season? So many titles (too many titles?!), so difficult to know which ones are the ones to choose… Our reviewers have taken a look and are here to recommend the series that they think are worth your time!

Demelza

Hotly Anticipated

Somehow I’ve managed to calm down after the excitement of the Spring shows and look toward the Summer. While on the whole I’m somewhat more mixed about this season compared to Spring, there’s still one series I’ve been eagerly anticipating and that’s Wistoria: Wand and Sword. Based on a manga by artist Toshi Aoi and author Fujino Omori, we follow the story of Will Serfort who attends the Regarden Magical Academy while dreaming of becoming a Magia Vander. Those who earn the title stand above all others and are famed for their talents, but there’s a big problem for Will. He has no talent for magic at all and is currently getting by at the academy thanks to his physical abilities with a sword and high intelligence alone.

Of course, there are plenty of students and teachers alike who wish to see Will expelled before he leaves a black mark on the reputation of the academy. After all, magical ability matters more than anything else in this world. Still, so far so good for our protagonist and despite being bullied and made fun of, he’s determined to make his dream come true. And when he proves himself worthy in the Dungeon below the school, those who scorned him slowly begin to recognise his abilities…

I’ve been reviewing the manga for this since it debuted in English in 2022 and being an existing fan of Omori’s other series DanMachi, I have been smitten with Wistoria for a while now. When news of the anime adaptation broke I was hesitant, due to it going to BN Pictures and Actas, but thankfully my fears have been alleviated now we’re two episodes in. The team have come together and turned this into a very dynamic action series that perfectly captures Aoi’s ambitious artwork. This may seem like your stereotypical Magic Academy series, but it has a lot of heart and a surprising amount of depth when it comes to world-building. So, if that’s your thing or you’re simply a fan of Omori’s work I would definitely recommend checking this one out. There’s also music by Yuki Hayashi (My Hero Academia), which is not to be missed!

Returning Champion

As is often the case recently, this season is once again filled with sequels to popular franchises. Oshi no Ko (adapting one of my favourite arcs!), NieR, and Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World are all firmly on my radar. However, the anime I’ve been looking forward to the most is Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest, which acts as a sequel to the beloved series.

Having moved studios from a prior combination of A-1, Bridge and CloverWorks over to J.C Staff, I expected 100 Year Quest to be somewhat different to what we’ve seen before. However, that hasn’t ended up being the case as the majority of the staff who worked on Fairy Tail previously have reunited for this new project including chief director Shinji Ishihira and composer Yasuharu Takanashi. And it’s perhaps due to this familiarity that we viewers can feel right at home watching over the new adventure Natsu, Lucy and his other trusted companions have gotten themselves involved with.

Taking place a year after the end of the original Fairy Tail story, 100 Years Quest sees Natsu’s party undertake a quest that has gone unaccomplished for over a century. This involves sealing away Five Dragon Gods on the continent of Guiltina and each of these gods is said to be just as powerful as Acnologia was. Still, Natsu is undeterred and eager for a challenge, having spent some quieter time at home recently, and his companions are certainly more than willing to go along with him. The anime adaptation has opened with a mixture of anime original scenes and some other changes compared to the manga version, but these are largely to make it flow better in a TV format.

If you’ve enjoyed Fairy Tail previously then you will certainly want to give this a go. No word yet on how many episodes it will be, but the manga is ongoing with 17 volumes under its belt so there’s plenty of content to work with.

Unexpected Diamond

Last season I picked Oblivion Battery as my unexpected diamond, which ended up being one of my favourite anime of 2024 so far. This time around I was hoping for something that sparked my interest just as much and that luckily came along in the form of The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies. 

This is based on a manga by the late Cocoa Fujiwara who is perhaps best known for creating Inu x Boku SS. Fujiwara sadly passed away before completing Used to Be Archenemies, but if they were still alive today I think they would be incredibly proud of the love and devotion Studio BONES has put into this adaptation. Showcased in 12-minute episodes we meet the magical girl, Byakuya Mimori, and the brains behind an evil organization, Mira, who are natural born enemies… except Mira has fallen deeply in love with Byakuya and finds himself concerned with her well-being every waking moment (she works many part-time jobs and is usually going hungry despite that). Feeling sorry for her, Mira often invites her to share tea and snacks with him in a bid to ensure she stays healthy and they enjoy some peaceful moments together away from their supposed battles.

I have to say that on the strength of the two episodes we’ve seen so far this has proven delightful. Perhaps because of the short runtime each scene is incredibly well-directed and animated; there are so many small elements that feed into the atmosphere and the characters’ unspoken feelings. Being natural enemies, they can’t just be honest with each other, but Mira’s emotions are expressed wonderfully all the same even if his love is so far unspoken. We’ve seen director Akiyo Oohashi and art director Yumiko Kuga’s work before on Stranger by the Shore and it’s that level of comedic yet very sensitive emotional atmosphere they bring to this project.

Given the short nature of the show, it’s easy to fit in a busy schedule and it will certainly bring plenty of joy to your day. Even if you aren’t taken with the story (impossible but…), there’s plenty to admire here on an artistic level as BONES reaffirm that they’re a very talented studio.

All three series are available to stream on Crunchyroll

Sarah

Hotly Anticipated

If I had to pick a recent Boys’ Love manga to make into an anime, Jyanome’s Twilight Out of Focus would have been one of my top choices. Because – as well as being a great read and beautifully drawn – Jyanome’s ongoing series is about the members of a high school film club who are passionate about making movies, so it lends itself to animation (or live action). It’s also well observed and paced, alternating between genuinely funny and poignant moments. The first three episodes focus (like Volume 1 of the manga) on cameraman Mao and his roommate Hisashi. The second years in the film club are making a film based on a BL story (the director Giichi’s idea) set in a school and blond-haired Hisashi is an ideal choice to play the ‘delinquent’ main character. Hisashi has never acted before – but agrees to take part. He’s a natural, of course! But Mao becomes increasingly confused by his own feelings – until when they’re filming a vital scene in the school library – he trips over the camera wire and ends up concussed in the school infirmary. Everyone is surprised – none more so than Mao himself who keeps asking if he’s damaged the camera. Mao sees life through the lens of a camera (or a smartphone) and it’s second nature to him to think about the best way to frame an image and record what’s happened.

When Mao and Hisashi first became roommates in the school dorm, they recorded a video in which they pledged (among other things) never to get involved. The best-laid plans… Hisashi confides in Mao that he’s gay and in a relationship which turns out to be with one of the  teachers at his previous school. Mao promises to keep Hisashi’s secret. He’s never really thought about his own sexuality… until now.

If you’ve read Jyanome’s manga, you’ll know that, compared to other recent BL anime like Sasaki and Miyano or Tadaima, Okaeri, the original work is far more sexually explicit (rated M Mature). It’s difficult to get the balance right between shying away from depicting the act itself and creating something that makes viewers cringe. How is it done here? With a refreshingly sincere and unsensational approach from the team at Studio DEEN, using what the characters are saying to each other to tell us what’s happening. I think it works…for this couple… but I wonder when the series moves on to focus on the other two relationships featured in the manga how well it will hold up.

Above all, the presence of cameras, framed shots, different angles permeates each episode, whether the club are filming or not. One neat touch to reinforce the influence of the cinema is to show a montage of stills in the OP (“Crank Up” by Ikusaburo Yamazaki) showcasing scenes from well-known movies acted out by the boys. I’m looking forward to see how the third years are depicted as the focus moves away from the second years and the big competition looms; which year-group will win?

Unexpected Diamond

The Elusive Samurai – based on the prize-winning manga (the 69th Shokakugan Manga Award in 2024) by Yusei Matsui (Weekly Shonen Jump) – and tells the story of Tokiyuki Hojo a (very) young samurai, heir to the Kamakura shogunate, who is out to take his revenge on Takauji Ashikaga for killing his family and seizing power. These are historical figures from early fourteenth century Japan but they’ve been given a very modern treatment by CloverWorks in an anime that boasts some truly dazzling animation and eye-catching designs. It also – like its eponymous hero, young Lord Tokiyuki – moves at breath-taking pace, incorporating all kinds of animation styles, so that the episodes pass in a blink, delighting and amazing the viewer with a wealth of visual references and jokes, both modern and historical.

When Tokiyuki’s family is betrayed and massacred by Takauji Ashikaga, the young boy is saved by a bizarre (creepy) priest, Yorishige Suwa (brilliantly voiced by Yuichi Nakamura) who claims he is a god and has the power to see into the future. Tokiyuki is probably the fastest boy around; he can escape from anywhere – and it’s this gift that also saves his life when the family is attacked. As the rightful heir to the shogunate, he has no choice but to flee with Yorishige – even though he doesn’t trust him. But once at the Suwa shrine, Yorishige introduces him to young retainers his own age and tells him to treat what lies ahead as a game of tag: very apt advice for a boy who’s such a skilled and fast runner.

Given the manga’s Weekly Shonen Jump origins and the exceptionally talented yet quirky young warriors who become Tokiyuki’s retainers, the focus on the youth of the main characters might lead viewers to think this is a children’s series. If you’ve watched the first episodes, then you’ll know it’s not; this was a brutal age and the series doesn’t shy away from depicting the horrors of the massacre. There are beheadings too, so just a word to the wise; in spite of the colourful and frequently jokey tone of voice, there are truly some chilling scenes and visual images. The OP is “Plan A” performed by Dish, while the ED is “Kamakura Style” is performed by Bocchi Boromaru; both are well matched to imaginative and eye-catching animation, the ED images riffing on the claims that priest Yorishige can see into the future.

Returning Champion

YATAGARASU The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master, my favourite anime of the Spring season, is back with a new story arc. I’d read that each of the series of fantasy novels by Chisato Abe on which the anime is based is quite different from the others – and, as far as I can tell, this new arc is based on Golden Crow. Set in the land of Yamauchi, all the characters are yatagarasu, sentient three-legged ravens/crows that live in human form but can shapeshift back to their true corvid forms. Yukiya, the second son of the lord of the North, has returned home to Taruhi from his year serving the crown prince and is enjoying helping his family and retainers with the plum harvest when they are attacked by a crazed raven. They are saved at the last minute by another raven who transforms, revealing himself to be none other than the crown prince – incognito, of course. He persuades Yukiya to return to his service to help him track down the reason for the attack: a drug being passed around that promises intense pleasure but turns those that consume it mad and unable to transform back to human form from their raven bodies. Yukiya is reluctant to leave his home but the prince is very persuasive… and they set off together. However, it’s not long before they come upon another horror: a giant golden monkey that is attacking and eating the inhabitants of a remote village.

This new arc promises to be very different in tone and content from the first which was a complex courtly drama, filled with plotting, backstabbing and intrigue among the nobles – but is no less engaging, judging by an action-packed first episode. The relationship between the crown prince and Yukiya, his reluctant retainer, seems to be as engaging as ever (the young man is so happy to leave with his royal master, as shown by his expression below).

However – update! – I’ve just found out that this series (NHK) will be taking a three-week break due to the Olympics broadcast. The next episode is scheduled for August 17. Plenty of time to catch up with the first story arc, then, if you haven’t watched it before!

Twilight Out of Focus, The Elusive Samurai and YATAGARASU are all streaming on Crunchyroll. 

HWR

Hotly Anticipated

When this series was initially announced, I had no strong opinions either way but seeing some previews and the catchy OP had me interested in just what My Deer Friend Nokotan had to offer. The answer: a funny and potential comedic highlight for the season. The premise for MDFN is simple but open to plenty of fun set-ups, as model student and school-beauty Torako Koshi (Saki Fujita) is hiding a delinquent past, and the (destructive) new arrival to the school, Noko Shikanoko (Megumi Han) poses a risk of exposing this past. There’s also the added complication that Noko isn’t just an ordinary student but a bizarre human-deer hybrid, with mind-reading capabilities, a love for deer crackers and very little going on in her head.

The relationship between the two has been very humorous thus far, as Noko brings with her plenty of eccentricities, like some destructive tendencies and a posse of CGI deer (which somehow still look better than recent CGI beings in anime) that follow her around. Studio WIT clearly have a lot of love for the source material as the character designs and comedic timing works very well here, especially with new characters being introduced like Torako’s yandere sister Anko (Rui Tanabe) and the lazy Meme Bashame (Fuka Izumi), who wishes to become a deer like Noko.

There isn’t much to delve into from a story perspective here, though the recent episode’s segment on Torako mistaking a random deer as Noko, complete with spilling embarrassing secrets and Peter Parker-style dancing to boot, but I’m looking forward to having a few laughs for the next nine or so Sunday afternoons!

Returning Champion

Earlier this year in the Winter 2024 season we got the first cour of a fantasy series that left me fairly impressed in the form of Sengoku Youko. Now after a seasonal break, we’re getting the second part of the series, dubbed the Thousand Demons Chaos Arc, which will continue and wrap up the overall story. This anime feels reminiscent of samurai storylines in that it initially followed the inexperienced and at times rather naïve ronin traveller Shinsuke Hyoudou (Ryouhei Kimura). He becomes embroiled in the world of the supernatural after meeting Tama (Yuuki Tadaka), a fox demon whose youthful appearance defies her 200+ years of demon-slaying, and her brother Jinka (Souma Saitou), the discarded son of a noble family who has ended up becoming a rather powerful warrior trained to see spirits, joining her in the task of ending the long-standing feud between humans and demons.

Though the first arc wasn’t perfect, I was left intrigued as to how the story would proceed, as the events at the end of the first season set up some interesting developments for Jinka and left Hyoudou noticeably different from the loud and brash person he was at the start. However, TDCA doesn’t immediately continue from here and has instead been focused on the character of Senya (Hiroki Nanami), a supporting character from the first season who steps up to be the lead and has some tragedies showcased right off the bat and his newfound peace ripped away from underfoot.

I will say though that the first episode felt rather rushed in its efforts to get Senya, his shy partner and newcomer Tsukiko (Maaya Uchida) and a more grizzled Shinsuke on the road again. The second episode of the new season, in contrast, focused more on the interactions between the new main trio, with Tsukiko trying to become more confident and ably stand by Senya’s side, with clear romantic undertones, whilst Shinsuke, still sullen-eyed from recent events, acts as a somewhat reluctant leader and caretaker for the two as they adopt a strange creature called Nau and end up facing a threat who takes the form of a black dragon. I’m enjoying the new chemistry here and hope this new arc can deliver.

Both My Deer Friend Nokotan and Sengoku Youko 2nd Season are streaming on Crunchyroll.

Onosume

Returning Champion

One of last year’s breakout hits, [Oshi no Ko], returns for its second season this summer, promising more of the series’ interesting examination of the entertainment industry while continuing to advance the central mystery. So far, this season is focused on the Tokyo Blade arc of the story, as Aqua infiltrates the theatre troupe set to perform an adaptation of the popular “Tokyo Blade” manga in order to investigate the links between the troupe, his and Ruby’s missing father, and their mother’s murder.

So far this has been very easy to jump back into, however it has slowed down the pace quite a lot in an arc that is taking its time to ramp up to some of the crazy highs of the first season. It does fit the show’s familiar pattern however, at first putting the play centre stage as it reflects on the industry at large before we get into whatever revelations there may be surrounding the main plot. As much as the latter has taken a back seat, it’s still fascinating to watch as it shows the complex and messy relationships in managing a manga adaptation, and there’s a deft human touch in how the situation affects the characters. Despite seeing things from Aqua’s more discerning and sceptical perspective, you can feel the anguish of the heartbroken scriptwriter, rudely stripped from a project he loves, and the mental and physical suffering of the manga artist, struggling to meet weekly deadlines while juggling multiple other projects on top of it all.

Still helmed by Doga Kobo (fresh off the back of Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night and who are also helming Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian this season), this still looks as great as the first season did and we’re already seeing some impactful sequences and sharp dialogue. We have however lost YOASOBI’s Idol as we switch up the opening and ending for this season, and while GEMN’s “Fatal” is a good match for the series’ more dark and gritty side, it doesn’t quite stand up to a song that is still so immensely popular.

I have high hopes for this season turning out really well though, and I’m sure most fans of the show are continuing with it, and if you aren’t, then I’d say this is still a great one to keep on top of. And if you haven’t experienced [Oshi no Ko] yet, where have you been? Seriously, give this is a go as it’s an all-round fantastic show.

Unexpected Diamond

While I’m sure most of us watch content on YouTube and have our favourite creators, it’s easy to forget that it’s a brutal ecosystem, beholden to the whims of both viewers and “the algorithm” and achieving success on such a video streaming platform is very hard work. In Mayonaka Punch, we see this at its most disastrous, as one member of the popular “NewTube” group, the Harikiri Sisters, gets both cancelled and fired after punching one of her fellow group members live on stream.

While trying to pick herself back up and start a new channel, Masaki bumps into something completely unexpected at an abandoned hospital – a bloodsucking vampire! With both of them out for blood in very different ways, Masaki and Live the vampire quickly become “friends” shall we say, with Masaki enamoured by Live’s vampiric powers which could send her to NewTube stardom, while Live wants Masaki’s blood. Forming a pact, Masaki will allow Live to drain her dry if they can get 1 million subscribers together. Roping in Live’s other vampire pals Ichiko, Fu, and Tokage, they create the NewTube channel “Mayonaka Punch” (inspired by a squirt of garlic mayonnaise and Masaki’s infamous punching antics) to see if they can achieve their goals!

This is a pretty fun comedy that has a lot of potential, depending on what crazy ideas it can come up with for it’s “cute vampire girls become YouTubers” concept and is just one of the shows that feel like they are really piggybacking on the popularity of VTubers. So far, we’ve had some hilarious shorts that they’ve made (that get them into trouble when they show too much of their vampire powers), and a food challenge, but there’s so much more they could cover. The risk in this show is that it is heavily reliant on the video ideas for the comedy, and it could become stale or repetitive over the full season. They need to prove that they can keep the ideas fresh and really lean into this as a parody of streaming culture for it to work.

This is one of three shows that P.A. Works is helming this season and is probably the one that has grabbed me the most as it’s different enough from everything else to make a mark. Na-Nare Hana-Nare is a more bog-standard girls-do-cute-things/sports anime with a bit of melodrama (that so far seems very held back by its budget), while I’m personally avoiding Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin as I haven’t played the game yet.

I just think Mayonaka Punch has a nice vibe going on, and it reminds me slightly of Zombie Land Saga, even if it doesn’t have quite the same level of impact, charm, and wit across both its comedy and cast of characters. Yet, it is still really zany and has a very cartoon look and feel where you can just sit down, switch your brain off and enjoy some ridiculous entertainment.

I’m looking forward to tracking this one throughout the season and seeing how it fares. Hopefully it’ll be a blast!

[Oshi no Ko] Season 2 is streaming on HIDIVE, while Mayonaka Punch is streaming on Crunchyroll.