The Top 20 Most Anticipated Anime of Summer 2014


It’s about that time. Most of the Spring 2014 animes will soon be coming to a close. Are you ready for the upcoming Summer 2014 season to start? No? Well if you choose to watch any, here’s a handy list of the top 20 most anticipated series (not to be confused with quality, just popularity) as voted by Japanese fans. I’ll also be including a brief synopsis if available, an air date, and a trailer.

Personally, not that many titles on the list appeal to me. Most are sequels, oddly enough. The shows I’m most likely to catch on this list are Sword Art Online II, Aldnoah.Zero, Space Dandy 2, Sailor Moon Crystal, Glasslip, and maybe Tokyo Ghoul. Off the list, Rail Wars looks intriguing as well. Hope you enjoy. What are your thoughts? Going to watch any? Don’t watch anime? Waiting till Fall 2014? Let me know!

Popular anime streaming service Crunchyroll will be announcing their Summer 2014 lineup very soon. As streaming sites go, with Crunchyroll’s niche specialty on providing subbed anime across the sea, I consider it the best service out there. The service simulcasts each episode as it airs in Japan, creating its own fansubs. You can subscribe free and watch most of the titles (except you’ll have to wait an extra week for new episodes), or you can subscribe for unlimited anime with hundreds of available series and tens of thousands of episodes for $6.95 a month. I began subscribing during the Fall 2013 season and since then I love it! Let me know if you want to try it out, want a few suggestions for starter animes, or go ahead and click the image below!

1. Sword Art Online II (Season 2)

  • Synopsis – Sword Art Online II is an upcoming 2014 science fantasy Japanese anime series based on the Sword Art Online light novel series written by Reki Kawahara. It serves as the sequel to the 2012 Sword Art Online anime series and follows the events of volumes 5 and 6 of the light novels, titled “Phantom Bullet”. After putting an end to the SAO incident in the year 2022 and rescuing Asuna in ALfheim Online (ALO), Kazuto Kirigaya finally returned to the real world to resume a normal life with his friends once more. However when a string of deaths begin occurring in connection to a virtual reality game called “Gun Gale Online” (GGO), Kikuoka Seijiro of the Ministry of Internal Affairs enlists Kazuto to once again don his character “Kirito” and enter the virtual world to investigate the cause of the deaths. While meeting new allies, Kirito may be faced with his most dangerous challenge yet—a player known only as “Death Gun” with the ability to kill a person in the real world by killing their virtual avatar.
  • Airs – July 5


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2. Free! Eternal Summer

  • Synopsis – Free! – Eternal Summer is an upcoming 2014 Japanese sports anime series based on the light novel High Speed! written by Kōji Ōji.[1] Its serves as the sequel to the 2013 Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club anime series.[2] While Haruka Nanase and his friends Makoto Tachibana, Nagisa Hazuki and Rei Ryūgazaki resume their normal lives at Iwatobi High School, Rin Matsuoka finally accepts his past and repairs the bonds with his friends following the swimming tournament. While he decides to continue following his dream of becoming an Olympic swimmer, a new competition looms over the heads of the Iwatobi High Swimming Club as they continue training to improve their performance.
  • Airs – July 2014


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3. Hanamonogatari

  • Synopsis – Hanamonogatari features Suruga Kanbaru and is set after Koyomi Araragi graduates from high school. It was originally planned to air as part of Monogatari Series Second Season, but will air separately. Only 5 episodes, which will air on the same day.
  • Airs – August 16


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4. Black Butler: Book of Circus (Season 3)

  • Synopsis – Season three of the popular Black Butler series. The series follows Ciel Phantomhive, the twelve-year-old (later thirteen-year-old) head of the Phantomhive noble family and the business-savvy owner of the Funtom company, a toy manufacturer. Ciel has formed a demonic contract with Sebastian Michaelis. In return, when Sebastian has helped Ciel finish all of his tasks, including avenging his parents’ deaths, Sebastian will be allowed to consume Ciel’s soul.
  • Airs – July 10


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5. Re:_Hamatora (Season 2)

  • Synopsis – Re:_Hamatora (pronounced “Reply Hamatora”) is a 2014 supernatural, mystery anime series based on the Japanese mixed-media project, Hamatora. It is set in the year 2014 where select humans called Minimum Holders have been discovered to possess supernatural abilities. It features the tag line “We don’t need the Minimum.” The series is a direct sequel to Hamatora: The Animation and features the same main cast as the original one.
  • Airs – July 2014


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6. Tokyo Ghoul

  • Synopsis – The story follows Ken Kaneki, a young man who receives organ donations from a “Ghoul” after he is nearly killed. Ghouls are creatures that look human but need to eat human flesh to survive. Kaneki soon realizes he is now half-human and half-ghoul.
  • Airs – July 2014


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7. Sailor Moon Crystal

  • Synopsis – Sailor Moon Crystal is the 20th anniversary reboot of the classic anime, which will follow the original manga more closely. It follows the adventures of Usagi Tsukino, a teenager who transforms into the titular character, and her diverse group of comrades, the Sailor Soldiers. Usagi battles a wide variety of villains to save Earth from being annihilated.
  • Airs – July 15


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8. Persona 4: The Golden Animation

  • Synopsis – Persona 4 The Golden Animation (ペルソナ4 ザ・ゴールデン) is an animated adaption of Persona 4 Golden, the 2012 re-release of Persona 4 for the PlayStation Vita. The show will be produced by A-1 Pictures, one of the studios that created the animated cutscenes of the original game. It will tell the story depicted in Persona 4 Golden and include the events surrounding the events of the new character introduced in the Vita port, Marie.
  • Airs – July 10, 2014


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9. Gekkan Shōjo Nozaki-kun

  • Synopsis – High school student Chiyo Sakura has a crush on schoolmate Umetarō Nozaki, but when she confesses her love to him, he mistakes her for a fan and gives her an autograph. When she says that she always wants to be with him, he invites her to his house and has her help on some drawings. Chiyo discovers that Nozaki is actually a renowned shōjo mangaka named Sakiko Yumeno. She then agrees to be his assistant in order to get closer to Nozaki. As they work on his manga Let’s Love~ (恋しよっ Koi Shiyo?), they encounter other schoolmates who assist them or serve as inspirations for characters in the stories.
  • Airs – July 7


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10. Ao Haru Ride

  • Synopsis – Futaba Yoshioka has a few reasons why she wants to “reset” her image and life as a new high school student. She was ostracized by her female friends in junior high because she is cute, and because of a misunderstanding, she could not get her feelings across to the only boy she has ever liked, Kou Tanaka. Now in high school, she is determined to be as unladylike as possible so that her friends will not be jealous of her. While living her life this way contentedly, she meets Kou again, but he now goes under the name of Kou Mabuchi. He tells her that he felt the same way as she did when they were younger, but now that is the thing of the past.
  • Airs – July 2014


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11. Psycho-Pass 2 (Season 2)

  • Synopsis – The story takes place in a dystopia in which it is possible using a device called the Psycho-Pass, which is installed on every citizen’s body, to instantaneously measure their mental state, personality, and the probability that she or he will commit crimes. It follows Akane Tsunemori and other members of Unit One of the Public Safety Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division, and the crimes they investigate.
  • Airs – July 10


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12. Fate/kaleid Prisma Illya 2wei (Second Season)

  • Synopsis – About a month after the events of the first season, a new mission to normalize the Earth’s pulsations comes up. However, when Illlya tries to subdue the pulsations…
  • Airs – July 2014


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13. Bakumatsu Rock

  • Synopsis – The story is set in the Bakumatsu era, at the end of the shoguns’ rule over Japan in the middle of the 19th century. The Tokugawa shogunate uses the brainwashing Heaven’s Songs by the top idols in Shinsengumi to subjugate the country and its people. In this Japan, writing or singing any songs besides the Heaven’s Songs is a capital offense. Sakamoto Ryouma and the other rockers rise up and change the world with rock ‘n’ roll for freedom and justice.
  • Airs – July 2014


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14. Encouragement of Climb (Season 2)

  • Synopsis – Encouragement of Climb is an upcoming 2014 slice of life anime series based on the manga series written by Shiro and serialized in Comic Earth Star magazine. It serves as the second season to the 2013 Encouragement of Climb anime series. Aoi Yukimura and her childhood friend Hinata Kuraue continue their mountaineering exploits in their goal to ultimately gaze upon the morning sunrise they had seen from a mountain summit when they were younger. Along with their new friends Kaede Saitō and Kokona Aoba, the four girls begin tackling greater mountaineering challenges with their sights set on conquering Japan’s Mount Fuji.
  • Airs – July 9


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15. Barakamon

  • Synopsis – The story follows Seishū Handa, a calligrapher who moves to the remote Gotō Islands off the western coast of Kyushu, and his various interactions with the people of the island.
  • Airs – July 5

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16. Glasslip

  • Synopsis – Set in a small town surrounded by mountains and the sea, the series revolves around a transfer student who comes to the town during the summer vacation and meets a 17 year old aspiring glass blower and her circle of friends.
  • Airs – July 2014


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17. Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance

  • Synopsis – A world where spirits exist and only pure maidens can have the privilege of contacting with the spirits. In here, Areishia Spirit Academy, trained maidens of different noble families are gathered and being given an Elite’s education to qualify to become an elementalist. Though never thought possible, a boy named Kazehaya Kamito was able to contract with a spirit. Being the only male elementalist in the world he received a letter from the Academy’s director, Greyworth Ciel Mais, to meet her at Areisha Spirit Academy. Upon arriving, he was lost in the spirit forest and stumbled upon a girl named Claire Rouge purifying herself in a lake. He was subsequently attacked by her out of embarrassment. The reason for her being in the spirit forest was to contract a sealed sword spirit. Out of choices, he followed her and was told that it takes at least 2 hours to get to the academy on foot. He was also worried that if he went alone he will be misled again by the spirits living in the forest. Upon reaching the sealed sword spirit, she tried to contract with it but failed causing it to run wild. In order to save her, Kamito was forced to form a contract with the sword spirit. Ungrateful for saving her life, she accused him of stealing her spirit and wants him to take responsibility for it by becoming her contracted spirit. So What will Kamito’s destiny lead to upon arriving at the academy?
  • Airs – July 2014


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18. Aldnoah.Zero

  • Synopsis – Can’t find a ready synopsis, but this mech drama looks epic. The tag line reads “Let justice be done. Though the heavens fall.”
  • Airs – July 2014


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19. Space Dandy 2 (Season 2)

  • Synopsis – The series follows Dandy, an alien hunter who is “a dandy guy in space”, in search for undiscovered or rare aliens with his robot assistant QT and a space cat named Meow. The trio are normally dimwitted and next to useless, despite their heroic attitudes and intentions. Throughout the series, very little continuity can be found, with main protagonists and antagonists dying, getting turned to zombies, or getting trapped in different periods of time or dimension, only to reappear regardless in the following episode. The show also frequently breaks the fourth wall, for the sake of humor, or has the Narrator interact with or scold characters during the series.
  • Airs – July 5


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20. Rokujyoma no Shinryakusha!?

  • Synopsis – The story of Invaders of the Rokujyoma!? centers on a high school student Koutaro Satomi. Due to his father’s unexpected job relocation, he moves to the room 106 of a 25-year-old apartment named “Korona-sou” by himself. All of the past residents of the room couldn’t stay so long, because they encountered a ghost in the room. Koutaro has to fight for the right of residence of the room against not just the ghost named Sanae Higashihongan, but also Yurika Nijino (magical girl), Kiriha=Kurano (a descendant of the ancient underground people), and Theiamillis Gre Fortorthe (the 7th princess of the Holy Fortorthe Galaxy Empire).
  • Airs – July 2014

16 thoughts on “The Top 20 Most Anticipated Anime of Summer 2014

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  2. Hey thanks for the like. I wish you would also read my review of Kuroshitsuji as well. Book of Circus is not the 3rd TV series of Kuroshitsuji though. It is actually a story arc that transpired in the first TB series that was animated now because it was filled with many different in-depth analyses of what happened to Ciel and I think when the 2008 1st TV series was going on the arc was still in progress in manga so that is why the anime deviated. Also what about the anime Terror in Resonance.

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  3. My sister has probably seen most of these, I know she’s watching Space Dandy and Gekkan Shōjo Nozaki-kun. We both watch Free! Eternal Summer. Obsessed with it! I’ve a couple of episodes of Nozaki-kun. Also started watching Love Stage on crunchyroll, it’s a weird one.

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      1. It’s anime where all the males are gay. I can’t remember the name of it, but the two main characters are in showbiz. One of singer, another is actor/actress. The singer is instantly in love with him when he first see’s him – dressed as a girl, so he thinks he’s a girl. But when he finds out he’s a boy he still is in love with him. It’s kinda cute, but the weird part is when they get “close” (if you get my meaning). Well, in one of the first episodes there is almost a rape moment, but he restrains himself. The weirdest part later on in the series is when they get intimate and they turn into transparent sky people. It’s based on a manga, which is apparently a lot more graphic.

        My sister has been reading it. I’ve just been watching it because my sister and another friend have anime Wednesday nights. It’s an interesting one, which I just want to keep watching. Certainly different. The series is only 4-5 episodes in I think.

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  4. Stuff I’m watching:
    Zankyou no terror (Terror in Tokyo)
    Akame ga kill
    Tokyo ghoul
    Sword Art Online 2

    Might start a few more but I’m liking all of them so far.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Well I’m not really interested in many of these aside from Tokyo Ghoul, I think the real star of Summer 2014 will be Akame ga Kiru which will air on July 6th, fantastic manga and it was put in the right hands with White Fox (Steins Gate), its really flying under the radar for whatever reason but I think it will be the hit of the summer.

    Liked by 2 people

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