Speaking of summer anime, there’s a wide variety to look forward to, especially if you like isekai stories like From Overshadowed to Overpowered or Hell Mode. If you’re a fan of niche subgenres like historical fiction, Science Saru’s Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia is also just around the corner. So without further ado, here are 10 summer anime titles that will keep you out of the sun.

1

Bungo Stray Dogs Wan! (Season 2)

Image: Bones/Nomad

Release Date: July (TBA)

Bungo Stray Dogs’ five-season-and-counting anime adaptation celebrated its 10th anniversary earlier this year. Kafka Asagiri’s story is the definition of an underrated genre mashup, mixing dramatic spectacle with quiet (often humorous) character moments. Despite its proclivity for comedy, the world of Bungo Stray Dogs is characterized by dangerous threats that constantly upset the peace in the city of Yokohama. To counteract this high-anxiety setup, Bungo Stray Dogs Wan! — written and illustrated by mangaka Neco Kanai — takes the lighthearted route by reimagining the franchise characters in miniature (or chibi)-style comedy. While Asagiri’s Bungo Stray Dogs is paced like a supernatural action-mystery, Wan! is a slice-of-life alternate universe that’s meant to be a soothing palate cleanser. The second season of Wan! promises more of this goofy, laid-back fun.

2

Sparks of Tomorrow

Release Date: July 5

Sparks of Tomorrow is a brand-new anime based on Hiro Yūki and Kazumi Ikeda’s award-winning light novel, 20 Seiki Denki Mokuroku. Kyoto Animation (the studio behind Violet Evergarden) is handling this highly anticipated adaptation, which is set in Japan’s Meiji era. A pervasive sense of failure haunts teenager Inako Momokawa all her life, which prompts her to turn to religion for solace. She meets an irreverent teen named Kihachi Sakamoto during one of her shrine visits, who questions the existence of beings that cannot be seen. This odd encounter takes an endearing turn after Kihachi helps Inako escape her father’s decision to marry her off. The only way, however, to truly prevent Inako’s marriage is to look for Electrical Catalog, a book of prophetic inventions Kihachi had made when he was younger.

3

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Season 3)

Image: Studio Bind

Release Date: July 6

The ongoing fourth season of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is substantial enough to scratch the itch for well-written isekai stories. That said, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is also popular for a reason. Studio Bind (Flower and Asura) has done a consistently commendable job in bringing this vivid setting to life, and the story’s magic system and world-building are as layered and intricate as they come. The glaring issue (and source of controversy), however, is the protagonist, Rudeus Greyrat, who must amend the flaws attached to his past life as a 34-year-old shut-in after being reincarnated as a newborn. Rudeus has been predatory from the get-go, engaging in questionable behavior that’s swept under the rug as the seasons progress. Season 3 is highly anticipated nonetheless, as it is expected to continue the franchise’s nuanced exploration of conflicts and the messier aspects of the human condition.

4

Red River

Image: Tatsunoko Production

Release Date: July 8

Shōjo can take many forms. Chie Shinohara’s Red River blends isekai elements with fantasy and romance tropes to brilliant effect. In this fantastical tale, teen Yuri Suzuki travels back in time to Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire. Shinohara uses a generous smattering of real-world history to etch characters such as Princes Kail Mursili and Zannanza, while also drawing on Egyptian mythology. Once the queen of the empire summons our protagonist, Yuri immediately becomes the target of a ritualistic sacrifice. This is a survival-focused adventure filtered through several anime subgenres, and Yuri is an empowered protagonist who uses her foreknowledge of the future to navigate the customs of the Hittite Empire. Red River is for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially ones that use time travel to challenge fish-out-of-water protagonists to venture beyond their comfort zones.

5

You and I Are Polar Opposites (Season 2)

Image: Lapin Track

Release Date: July 5

Love is in the air once again with the upcoming second season of You and I Are Polar Opposites, which premiered on Jan. 11 this year. Kōcha Agasawa’s charming coming-of-age tale makes good on its titular sentiment: High school kids Miyu Suzuki and Yusuke Tani fall head-over-heels for one another despite being polar opposites. Suzuki is more of an extrovert — she is more inclined to follow popular trends and struggles with people-pleasing tendencies. On the flip side, Tani speaks only when spoken to, and his demeanor is rather blunt when he chooses to speak his mind. Life, however, finds a way to bring these teenagers together, and season 2 will continue to explore the growing pains that are a part of being an adolescent. There’s not much depth to glean here, but it’s a cozy, heartwarming escape from reality.

6

One Piece: Heroines

Image: Toei Animation

Release Date: July 5

Toei Animation’s One Piece anime is currently adapting the long-awaited Elbaph Arc, during which Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hats embark on an adventure in a nation inhabited by giants. In case you’re looking for more One Piece stories, we have the female-centric spin-off, One Piece: Heroines, to look forward to. Based on a light novel by Jun Esaka and Sayaka Suwa, One Piece: Heroines offers a string of standalone tales that have little to do with the swashbuckling escapades that the characters get up to in the parent series. Examples include Straw Hat navigator Nami becoming interested in fashion and developing her personal style, or Princess Vivi of Alabasta dealing with the repercussions of an unexpected love letter. The low-stakes nature of this spin-off special points to a more laid-back exploration of the franchise’s beloved female characters, which sounds refreshing.

7

Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You

Image: Asahi Production

Release Date: July (TBA)

As an adult, it is hard not to get caught up in the corporate rat race and develop a more jaded view of the world. This is the exact sentiment guiding overworked salaryman Sasaki in Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, which began as a webcomic written and illustrated by Jinushi before being serialized into a manga. Sasaki’s monotonous routine is repeatedly punctuated by a singular ray of hope, namely the service worker Yamada, whose bubbly, wholesome personality grants Sasaki some solace. During one such night, Sasaki goes out for a smoke after work, and is greeted by the mysterious Tamaya, who invites him to smoke with her behind the store where Yamada works. Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You explores the gap between appearance and reality through its central characters, and what fleeting emotional comfort might mean in our fast-paced world.

8

The Elusive Samurai (Season 2)

Image: CloverWorks

Release Date: July (TBA)

In 2024, the first season of The Elusive Samurai burst onto the scene as a subversive underdog story. Yusei Matsui’s manga follows Hōjō Tokiyuki, a young samurai on the run after his family is overthrown during a coup. While a revenge-driven spectacle would make the most sense at this juncture, The Elusive Samurai evades this trope by leaning into a more flexible and playful exploration of Tokiyuki’s heroism. The animation is spectacularly fluid, and one can expect season 2 to continue this streak with CloverWorks’ (Spy x Family, Persona 5: The Animation) incredible talents at its disposal. This is the kind of samurai story where the protagonist doesn’t blindly charge into battle — there’s strategy to Tokiyuki’s decision while lying in wait in the shadows and striking only when the odds are in his favor. Although the series has prioritized style over substance so far, the upcoming season might change things up for the better.

9

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War (Part 4)

Image: Pierrot

Release Date: July (TBA)

Tite Kubo’s Bleach is a landmark anime, and its direct sequel, Thousand-Year Blood War, will be airing its final installment soon. In Part 4, dubbed The Calamity, series protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki will be jumping back onto the battlefield one last time (unless we are treated to spin-off adaptations in the same vein as Burn the Witch). The final Calamity arc, which spans chapters 664–686 in the manga, culminates in a decisive showdown between Ichigo and the antagonistic Yhwach, who wishes to collapse the Three Worlds to eliminate the fear of death. Expect a cinematic spectacle to unfold as the macrocosmic conflict between the Soul Reapers and the Quincy army Wandenreich brings this long-running story to its epic conclusion.

10

The Ghost in the Shell

Release Date: July 7

Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell has been adapted across multiple mediums, including a foundational 1995 film and the two-season Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. This classic cyberpunk story is set in the fictional New Port City, where field commander (and cybernetic human) Major Motoko Kusanagi dives into her duty to catch cyber-criminals. Every iteration of Ghost in the Shell tells Motoko’s story, but the themes evoked are distinct — some are preoccupied with the procedural aspect of such a dystopian setting, while others adopt a brooding, psychologically dense tone to explore the ethics of transhumanism. Whether Science Saru (Devilman Crybaby) will reimagine this classic premise to reflect contemporary anxieties remains to be seen, but this upcoming adaptation could go down as the cyberpunk anime of the year.