This month, we’re talking about a shounen classic, football, romantic game, alien invasion, intergalactic warfare and a sci-fi masterpiece in our anime recommendations to check out on your specialized platforms.
HUNTER X HUNTER (DNA, Netflix)
Young Gon lives on a small island with his aunt. Determined to follow in the footsteps of his father who abandoned him at birth, Gon decided at the age of 12 to leave to become a Hunter, a citizen who is both adventurer and bounty hunter.
To achieve this, the teenager will have to pass a series of tests and examinations against several thousand other candidates. He will be helped by new acquaintances who aspire to the same goal as him such as Kurapika, Leorio and Killua.
A cult work created by a shônen size, Hunter X Hunter is undoubtedly one of the animes not to be missed, whatever your age! After a first series produced in 1999 and interrupted due to health problems of its author, Yoshihiro Togashi, a 2011 remake came to reinforce the already very important popularity of its manga.
With 148 episodes, the anime brilliantly magnifies this universe that has become a must. Carried by characters with a finely chiselled psychology, each arc reveals its share of novelties, allowing a variety of genres rarely seen until now. Also note the presence of some of the most charismatic antagonists of Japanese animation: Hisoka Morow, Chrollo Lucilfer, Meruem…
Adapting 32 volumes out of the 36 published, this adaptation has been on hold since 2014 and has not resumed, in particular due to the long break taken by the suffering mangaka. Without news since his last chapter published in November 2018, Yoshihiro Togashi nevertheless made a strong comeback on Tuesday, May 24 by revealing the photo of a new Hunter X Hunter board on Twitter. After 3 and a half years of waiting, fans will soon be able to find Gon and Killua in the rest of their adventures! Also hoping for a return of the anime later!
KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR (Crunchyroll)
The Shuchiin Academy counts among its ranks the students, the future elite of the nation. When BDE Vice President Kaguya Shinomiya and President Miyuki Shirogane meet, there is every reason to believe that they will eventually fall in love with each other.
But six months pass without anything happening! Blinded by their pride, the two students seek only to push the other to declare themselves first. A war of nerves begins and it’s up to whoever will last the longest!
Kaguya Sama is one of the biggest hits of 2019 in the shôjô category! This is a fun and captivating romantic comedy, which has seduced fans by the originality of its staging but above all by its humor as cute as it is wacky and quirky.
Contrary to the clichés of most titles of the same genre, Kaguya and Shirogane do not doubt the reciprocity of their feelings. However, they are very proud and motivated by a rather comical vision of love, these two truculent teenagers engage in crazy love duels to make the other crack.
Led by very endearing characters, the anime was renewed for a third season in 2020, which took a long time to reach us! Indeed, it was in April 2022 that this new season was broadcast on Crunchyroll, to the delight of fans!
AO ASHI (Crunchyroll)
The young Ashito Aoi, endowed with a fiery temper, is a football enthusiast. His ultimate dream is to become a professional player! But his facilities and his gift for this sport did not save him a terrible disappointment during an inter college cup match.
While he is struggling to recover from a painful confrontation, a mysterious stranger calls him out and offers to take his professional future into his own hands. It is a decisive turning point in the destiny of this boy who wishes to revolutionize the peaks of Japanese football!
While a remake of Aoki Densetsu Shoot, dubbed Shoot! Goal to the Future is slated for July, and with the highly-anticipated Blue Lock adaptation releasing this October, a new wave of soccer-focused anime fans promises to see the light of day. In line with the mainstay Olive and Tom, Ao Ashi can make seasoned athletes and curious little ones addicted.
Adapted from the eponymous manga by Yûgo Kobayashi, a football fan in real life, the story is realistic and much more technical than its predecessor created by Yoichi Takahashi. With his young hero, certainly gifted, with potential yet to be explored, Ao Ashi can serve as a model for all young people dreaming of becoming pros.
Matches under tension and strong moments of emotions are to be expected in the apprenticeship of this teenager who is as motivated as he is deeply human. To discover urgently, even when you don’t know much about football.
SPRIGGAN (Netflix)
A civilization known for its artifacts and advanced machinery is destroyed for misusing its creations. Before its total disappearance, it leaves messages on indestructible plates to prevent the next generations from destroying the inventions which they will not be able to use.
After the end of the Cold War, various military entities began to search for the “mysterious” artifacts in order to use them against their enemies. Yu Ominae, is an elite agent whose goal is to prevent evil-minded people from using these “advanced machines”.
Expected for June 18 on Netflix, Spriggan promises to be the sensation of the year in the SF / Action genre.
The anime is adapted from the eponymous manga by Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa, published in Japan between 1989 and 1996 by publisher Shogakukan. The realization was entrusted to the legendary studio David Production, to whom we owe in particular Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and Captain Tsubasa.
A guarantee of quality confirmed by the first images of the series. If the animation and the fights turn out to be as excellent as what we see in the trailer, we are surely holding there one of the flagship anime of this spring!
GALAXY HEROES (DNA)
In the distant future, Humanity has conquered space, thus giving birth to new States. Two of them, the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance, have been at war for so long that it is impossible to know precisely what the reason for the conflict is.
Reinhard von Lohengramm and Yang Wenli are both starship commanders with a bright future. They will face each other on the battlefield and compete in courage and strategies. They will also have to deal with a decadent nobility and corrupt politicians.
Adapted from the eponymous science fiction novels and written by author and producer Tanaka Yoshiki, the Heroes of the Galaxy license has existed since 1982. Derived in several mangas and films, this rich and original universe has nevertheless remained exclusive to Japan for more than thirty years, before arriving in France in 2015.
Its first older adaptation from 1998 was so successful that twenty years later, a remake was announced under the supervision of Production IG studios (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Haikyu !!…). The perfect opportunity for the public to (re)discover this history filled with political conflicts, and to witness large-scale intergalactic battles worthy of an animated Star Wars.
Between plots, power games and romantic dramas, this well-paced space opera will convince fans of the genre as well as the unaccustomed. Its season 3 is also being broadcast on the DNA platform and will conclude this month! This is the right opportunity to chain everything together!
+ AKIRA (NETFLIX)
In July 1988, a mysterious explosion destroyed Tokyo, triggering World War III. 31 years later, in 2019, Neo Tokyo, the megalopolis built on Tokyo Bay has regained its former prosperity and is preparing for the major event of the 2020 Olympic Games.
In the shadows, things are less cheerful… The younger ones get together in rebel gangs and challenge each other in endless motorcycle races through the megalopolis. During one of their escapes, Kaneda and Tetsuo nearly run over a child.
Adapted from the eponymous manga by Katsuhiro Ôtomo, Akira gave us a glimpse, at the dawn of the 90s, of what the world of 2020 would be like: canceled Tokyo Olympics, youth revolts, denunciations of capitalism… through an action-packed storyline full of twists and turns!
Known as the most expensive animated film of its generation, Akira has left a real mark on popular culture for its original approach to science fiction and dystopia. Its revolutionary graphics and its mature themes which include, among other things, the nuclear race, ultraviolence and the dangers of science, still influence many artists today.
It is now one of the greatest science fiction films ever made. And after being released in 4K by Eurozoom two years ago, Akira is coming to the Netflix catalog on June 1! It’s time to (re)immerse yourself in this cyberpunk universe that has revolutionized Japanese animation.
FIND THESE ANIME ON ADN SITES, CRUNCHYROLL and NETFLIX.