With the advent of streaming services, like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, summer has been the prime time to watch shows and movies during those months when major network shows are on break until the new season starts up again in September. Even though there’s now an overwhelming amount of options of shows and movies to add to our watch lists, I do like the accessibility and ease streaming sites give us to watch very specific genres at any time. This particularly applies to anime, and I’ve been using much of my summer to watch a handful in the past few months.
Anime, new and old, have made up my queue list on Crunchyroll. While I started off only watching brand new shows Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card and How To Keep A Mummy, both I have since finished, there have been others that I have been regularly watching on my down time.
1. Steins;Gate 0
2. Orange
Orange tells the story of high school girl Naho Takamiya who receives a strange letter from herself ten years into the future. Each episode details events about to happen to Naho that specifically involves recently new transfer student Kakeru Naruse. The future Naho explains actions that high school Naho will want to take, but tells her what to do differently instead. Orange has somewhat of a time travel, predict the future element to it. I’ve only completed the first 4 episodes out of the 13 the show has at the time of this writing. I don’t usually watch many slice-of-life anime, and I found the first few episodes of Orange to be very slow at the start. But the more the episodes uncover why future Naho is so desperate to change her decisions and actions in the past, the more compelled you feel to understand just as much as high school Naho is trying to make sense of her current predicament. It remains to be seen if Orange will be another gem I have discovered from the slice-of-life genre, next to the exceptional Clannad and Clannad After Story.
3. Cardcaptor Sakura
This may be an odd one to toss into my current anime viewing list. Haven’t you seen this already with all your waxing poetics in the past about how great this anime is and how much you gush about Sakura and Syaoran as a couple? Yes, but since this year’s release of Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card I have been feeling very nostalgic for the original series.
I mentioned in a prior post how I decided to go back and slowly rewatch the series from the beginning. Not only did I want to relive how Sakura Kinomoto’s journey as a cardcaptor all started, I also wanted to remember how past episodes played out when Clear Card included them as callbacks and memories in certain episodes. The animation styles between the two series may have changed slightly since the original aired, but I certainly delighted in the fact that Clear Card seamlessly connected the two series together. It also pays to have been a diehard fan of the show since the beginning because you appreciate the history and the now continued development of these characters. It’s almost unthinkable to dive into Clear Card without having watched Cardcaptor Sakura first, though it’s still very possible to do it. The only problem is you’ll be missing out on the backstory that has been built in the course of 70 episodes plus OVAs. By rewatching Cardcaptor Sakura, I also get to bask in the cute development of Sakura and Syaoran’s relationship from rivals to friends to lovers. Sakura and Syaoran are still one of the best developed romantic couples in anime history in my opinion.
That rounds out my current anime watch list at the moment. What are you currently watching? Are there any other shows you think I should be watching?
simpleek 
I’m currently watching Cells at Work which is great if you are a biology nerd.
I’ve never been a huge science nerd in general, but I’ll give this one a shot!
For this summer, as other people have said, Cells at Work is adorable!
I also highly recommend Hanebado, if you love great sports animation.
I’ve never heard of Cells at Work until this comments section! Must be a good anime when there’s two people already recommending it. 🙂
I admit I’m not too big on many sports anime either, but then again the same can be said about slice-of-life and I at least found one really good one so far. I’ll certainly take note of Hanebado because I never want to rule out any anime genre until I’ve at least watched the ones that people tell me are good!
Haven’t watched Steins; Gate 0 yet, saving it for…later I guess. Watched Orange when it originally came out. Part of me likes it because the characters handle and react to various situations like young people actually would (mostly), but part of dislikes it because of how determined one character is to continue on their course (can’t say more w/o spoilers) very bittersweet story overall.
I’ll also endorse Cells at Work. Very entertaining and endearing show. I also highly recommend Asobi Asobase and Chio’s School Road for being incredibly funny comedies.
The jury is still out on how I’ll feel about Orange once I finish it. The anime is keeping my interest, so that might be a good sign right?
That’s three for Cells at Work! It’ll definitely have to go into my queue now. 🙂 I’m also on the lookout for more comedy anime, so I appreciate your last two recommendations.
I loved Orange. I thought it was a truly amazing anime, and I just loved the story!
As for me. I’m currently watching Cells at Work, Angels of Death, Hanebado!, Phantom in the Twilight, Attack on Titan season 3 and March Comes in Like a Lion…Yeah I am watching way too much stuff! 😂😂
Wow! That’s quite a list you got there. Cells at Work is definitely a favorite with my visitors it seems, so now I have to watch it soon. I heard about March Comes in Like a Lion and I remember being kinda interested in that one too. Just completely forgot about that one, like I did with Orange for a while. I’ll have to look into the other ones you’re watching, though Attack On Titan has been another one I took note of for a while now!
I’m trying anime for the first time at the prodding of a friend. I am watching Welcome to the NHK which I think has a really great sense of humor. I guess it falls into the slice of life style. Anyway, I’d be open to suggestions for an anime noobie like me!
Nice! Welcome to the wide and wonderful world of anime. 🙂 There’s really a ton of well-written anime out there. It’s just a matter of weeding out the bad ones from the good ones.
I’m not sure what kind of stories or genres you prefer, but I would highly recommend these to give you a continued good impression on anime: Steins;Gate followed by Steins;Gate 0, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Death Note, Death Parade, and Yuri On Ice. 🙂