Anime seasons come and go, and Netflix has picked up quite a few of the best shows for the summer season. The streaming platform has been an interesting mix of new shows and follow-up seasons of older series, some of which have been highly anticipated. Here are five that you should definitely check out on the streaming platform.
My Happy Marriage (Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon)
My Happy Marriage is one of several surprising new anime shows of 2023. Initially presented as a romantic drama, My Happy Marriage also inserts supernatural and action elements into the plot, which makes for a more complex narrative.
It follows the story of Miyo, a noble-born teen who lost her birth mother at a young age and is consequently neglected and abused by her stepmother, stepsister, and father. Miyo ends up being married off to a supposedly cruel and heartless soldier from another noble family whose previous fiancées ended up fleeing his household. However, Miyo discovers that Kiyoka, her husband-to-be, is far from the person the rumors shape him out to be.
If you’re into romantic drama stories, then My Happy Marriage is definitely worth checking out as it excels in that department. Furthermore, the story’s supernatural and action elements are also written and executed well.
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2
The second season of Jujutsu Kaisen is undeniably one of the most awaited shows of the season. The action anime exploded in popularity when its first season started airing in 2020 and its presence has only grown since. An animated prologue film was also released in 2021.
If you haven’t heard of Jujutsu Kaisen before, it mostly centers around highschooler Yuji Itadori who, after a series of unfortunate supernatural events, swallows a cursed object and inadvertently turns into the vessel of the “King of Curses”, Ryomen Sukuna. Yuji is then enrolled into Tokyo Jujutsu High where he must learn to become a Jujutsu sorcerer, a person tasked with the exorcism of malevolent curses.
Jujutsu Kaisen is arguably one of the best action anime that has come out over the past few years and the Shibuya arc is praised by fans as the best in the series so far. If you’ve yet to start watching Jujutsu Kaisen, the first and second season as well as the animated prologue film, Jujutsu Kaisen 0, are all currently available on Netflix.
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (Zon 100 ~ Zonbi ni Naru made ni Shitai 100 no Koto)
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is another new anime this season. The manga for Zom 100 began back in 2018 and finally received an anime adaptation this year.
Zom 100 stars Akira Tendou, a worn out and disenchanted office worker who has lost all motivation in life. However, a zombie apocalypse ironically breathes life back into Akira and he sets out to fulfill a bucket list of things he wants to do before he dies. Akira, along with old and new friends, go on an exciting adventure to live life to the fullest while surviving the ongoing apocalypse.
The plot and themes of Zom 100 are a fresh and unique take on the zombie genre. Instead of a dark and scary world, the presentation of Zom 100 is colorful and bright, reflecting the positive outlook of its main cast. While there are a number of serious moments in the story, they simply provide character development to further amplify the story’s main plot and themes.
Horimiya: The Missing Pieces (Horimiya -piece-)
The first season of Horimiya is one of the most refreshing romance anime of the past few years. And its follow-up, Horimiya: The Missing Pieces, features the parts of the manga that were not included in the first season.
Horimiya tells the story of Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura. Kyouko is a beautiful, smart, and popular high school student who is secretly a homebody that takes on the responsibility of housework and caring for her younger brother. On the other hand, her classmate Izumi Miyamura is meek and distant but is actually hiding not only tattoos and piercings but also a more confident side of himself. After an unexpected yet fateful encounter, the two discover each other’s secrets and agree to help each other maintain their respective facades while getting closer in the process.
Instead of a typical romance anime that intersperses drama, conflict, and tragedy into its narrative to drive the plot and character development, Horimiya sets itself apart by avoiding them altogether. It does this in a rather refreshing and logical manner, by presenting its characters as more mature than other romance stories would typically portray them to be.
The first season of Horimiya is also available on Netflix.
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 (Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu)
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is arguably one of the best fantasy anime of recent memory and a large departure from other isekai (transported or reborn in another world) anime that have come out in recent years. Like Jujutsu Kaisen, the second season of Mushoku Tensei is one of the most anticipated releases of the year.
Mushoku Tensei follows the story of Rudeus Greyrat. In his previous life, he was a 30-something-year-old Japanese shut-in, who is then reincarnated into a fantasy world after being struck by a truck whilst saving a group of teens. Rudeus is determined to make up for his past life by becoming successful in this world while also overcoming the trauma his previous existence has left him with.
Mushoku Tensei features a well-balanced mix of serious, adult, and comedic elements. Its development of Rudeus and the anime’s other characters, along with its epic themes and story, makes for a captivating experience that’s complemented even further by its amazing animation.
The first season of Mushoku Tensei is also available on Netflix for those who have yet to check it out.
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