Introduction
At some point, Anime Burnouttm is real. Either you have just consumed too much and can no longer take in so much anime, you are in need of something that feels different or original, or life gets in the way. Usually, it is the last and generally speaking almost all anime fans encounter this period in their lives. My dark period is from like 2011-2014. So many shows were missed, but hey I moved to Japan so it was not all bad. Regardless though, we all suffer. A major complaint often seen online, is that people do not know where to start or get back in. They have been out of the loop for too long that jumping right back in does not feel right. And so, they stay on the outside kinda wanting to get back in, but without a guide, they are not sure. However, today, that stops here. Welcome to the guide. We have selected two summer shows that we feel are very similar to older anime that will spark your interest in one way or another to pick up some new anime.
1. Jikan no Shihaisha
Jikan no Shihaisha follows the story of Vict and Kiri as they are Chronos Rulers or Jikan no Shihaisha. They track down demons that consume time from other people. Regret invokes the appearance of these demons which then allows them to grant someone’s wish, in exchange for their life force. However, once bit, their life force slowly leaks out of them until there is no more time left and they cease to exist. Vict was bitten by one long ago, and with the power of a Chorono Ruler, he can now survive, attack, and track down these supernatural beings in the hopes of one of them being the demon who bit him. Vict and Kiri are able to speed time up or slow it down, to defeat these monsters. There is also an evil organization hiding in the shadows that is alluded to in the second episode. More and more characters are arriving so so far, it is turning out to be well rounded.
Okay, before we get into this, please read carefully. I am not asserting that these series are the same as the classics. However, they do share moments that remind me of other classic shows and I was able to draw parallels almost immediately. First up, is Cowboy Bebop. Now, as of episode two, we may only have three main characters, but the idiotic back and forth of Vict and Kiri is very akin to Spike and Jet, Mina is very much putting on a good front like Faye did when she is first introduced, and another fourth character is due to arrive, aka the Ed of the group in one way or another. The group dynamic is being set up and so far, seems promising. The other major show that this one feels similar too, is D.Gray-man. The series opens up with Vict and Kiri fighting a demon in a graveyard and the art was rather impressive right from the get go. However the art is not what is reminiscent of D.Gray-man but rather the fights and the demons. It just happens to take place in a graveyard. Either way, D.Gray-man sprung to mind almost immediately. The other really, and final, important point to note is that Michiko Yokote is in charge of series composition. You may ask why, but some of the shows she was in charge of should more than explain who she is. Bleach. Gintama. Kijibiki Unbalance. xxxHOLIC. And more!
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2. Aho Girl
Aho Girl literally opens up with Yoshiko, the main character getting an uppercut to the chin and flying off, so you know this is going to be comedy gold. Aho Girl is about Yoshiko, a girl who is so stupid, that she scores zeros on all of her tests. Failing high school, Yoshiko has one love in life: bananas. Wait no, make that two things: bananas and her best friend, Akuru. Akuru is her childhood best friend and he looks after this fool of a girl as she gets herself into helplessly pointless and inane situations. While normally, the two high school friends are fated to fall in love and be with each other, Akuru wants nothing to do with Yoshiko. In fact, he has been coerced by Yoshiko’s mother, to help her somehow, become somewhat of a functioning member of society. Somehow… but the problem is, is that Yoshiko gets into games with random children pushing her way in, gropes others, tries to show Akuru her underwear, and is convinced that Akuru loves her. Akuru goes full throttle with Yoshiko though often lowering himself to her level hilariously to the point that anyone should be able to see through his foolish logic. Either way, be prepared to laugh with this one!
The first vibe given off immediately, and this is due to the rather silly & violent comedy of the series is Gintama. Will Aho Girl take off and be as good as Gintama? Nah, but you will laugh a lot for sure as the humor is on the same wavelength. Golden Boy too also sprung to mind as there is plenty of inappropriate humor peppered throughout the series. She literally lifts her skirt to let Akuru see her panties as a reward in episode one and he chops her arms down to force her to stop. However, the one thing, and I alluded to it above, is the rather basic nature of the humor that is akin to Minami-ke, a comedy classic. Chiaki acts as if she is above Kana every single time, and every single time, she falls for Kana’s antics and gets sucked into her vapidness. The same happens with poor Akuru as he sinks to Yoshiko’s level constantly not only to get her to listen, but to delight us, the viewers. Plus, much like with Gintama, the humor is very slapstick and will make you laugh easily.
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Final Thoughts
There are more shows that we could talk about from summer for sure for fans looking to dip their toes back into the anime pool. The key to doing this with anime is to make sure that you don’t take it too seriously and constantly compare everything new, to everything old. However, drawing parallels is sure to help you find shows that you may not have realized that you would have liked had you not done so. We hope you enjoyed this article and if you are interested in more articles like this, be sure to let us know down below!
Author: Nagareboshi
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