The exciting Summer 2026 anime season is right around the corner, and Crunchyroll is all set to begin streaming dozens of new shows. Apart from the well-known sequels, the latest season will bring several new additions to the anime world. However, since the newer anime series on the platform always drops weekly episodes, it’s impossible to binge them without waiting for a few months.
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While the streaming service has more than anime series for fans to explore, choosing the right one can often be daunting. Not to mention that with another season, most of us need a brand new watch list. Crunchyroll is full of suspense and even feel-good anime that perfectly fit the summer vibe.
10) A Lull in the Sea
Despite being released over a decade ago, A Lull in the Sea remains one of the most underrated series of all time. Using a fantasy setting and supernatural themes, the story explores themes of coexistence and mutual understanding. This coming-of-age story captures the essence of summer with its seaside setting and oceanic aesthetic. However, the series is far more complex and intense than it seems on the surface.
Long ago, humans lived beneath the ocean, protected by a gift called Ena that allowed them to breathe and swim underwater. Several centuries have passed since then, and now most of humanity has settled on the surface, while a minority of them continue to live under the sea. When a freezing calamity threatens the world, both the sea-dwellers and surface dwellers must find a way to coexist despite their long-standing hatred for each other.
9) Barakamon
Barakamon is easily one of the best anime of all time, although it often gets overlooked for having a simplistic slice-of-life theme. It’s also the perfect comfort anime for summer as it focuses on slowing down from a hectic life and living in the moment. This heartwarming story of redemption and self-discovery doesn’t cover a majority of the manga, although the ending could be considered fulfilling all in itself.
The story takes place on a quiet island where Sei Handa, a famous calligrapher, has recently moved in. His father sent him away to cool off his head after hitting an elderly curator of a calligraphy exhibition. While he initially has a hard time adapting to the countryside lifestyle, it doesn’t take long for him to blend in with the cheerful locals and discover what he was missing to reform himself as an artist.
8) Horimiya
It’s always easy to binge romantic comedies, especially where they include multiple characters, their personal struggles, along with side couples. The manga already had a wide fanbase long before the anime was released. While the anime has jumbled up the pacing and events, it’s still worth watching thanks to the gorgeous animation that breathes life into this beloved story.
Horimiya blends school comedy with romance while also highlighting personal struggles and insecurities through the main couple and the side characters. Kyoko Hori, a straight-A student popular for her personality and looks, never lets her classmates see her true side. However, after a chance encounter with Izumi Miyamura, her quiet classmate who hides his own secrets, Kyoko begins to open up to him without realizing their unlikely friendship is turning into something more.
7) SK8 the Infinity
This beloved sports anime by Studio Bones was released in 2021 and confirmed a second season a year later. Since it’s an original series, nothing is known about the sequel so far. The series is loved for its extreme sports and hilarious character dynamics, along with stellar animation. Reki Kyan, a high school student, is passionate about riding skateboards. on top of being exceptionally talented in making them.
When night falls, he heads to an illegal underground race called the “S,” where skaters from all over the city compete in secret. While he ponders over a crushing defeat, he encounters Langa Hasegawa, a half-Canadian and half-Japanese transfer student in his class. Langa somehow ends up working part-time in the same shop as Reki, and before he knows it, he finds himself embroiled in the world of underground skaters.
6) Sonny Boy
This award-winning original anime by studio Madhouse remains one of the most underrated gems of all time. The series explores mind-bending narratives, surreal visuals, and shows that challenge the boundaries of reality. The story centers around 36 middle school students, including Nagara, Nozomi, and Mizuho, who are transported to a dimension known as “This World.”
This mysterious world where the teenagers landed has its own set of rules, and the students can even use unique supernatural abilities. As the horrifying truth about the world comes to light, the students confront various challenges and conflicts while figuring out a way to return home.
5) Fruits Basket
The anime balances the emotional and comedic aspects of the story as it centers around Tohru Honda, a kind and compassionate high school girl who ends up living in a tent after her mother’s tragic accident. After learning about her circumstances, her classmate, Yuki Sohma, and his cousin, Shigure, invite her to stay at their home for a while.
However, things take a chaotic turn when Kyo Sohma arrives at the house, and Tohru discovers the curse of the Sohma family. Instead of being disgusted by their ability to transform into zodiac animals, she finds them intriguing. As the story continues, it explores themes of love, loss, trauma, abuse, and healing, often delving deeply into emotional moments that resonate deeply with fans.
4) Natsume’s Book of Friends
This heartwarming anime is set in a countryside filled with lush forests, old shrines, and dusty roads at sunset. Natsume’s Book of Friends reflects the themes of making peace with your past and forming new bonds. Despite being a supernatural fantasy revolving around Yokai, the story doesn’t focus on horror but explores bittersweet encounters, their stories about loss, gratitude, and letting go that tug at your heart, but leave it softer rather than heavy.
After the death of his parents, Takashi Natsume kept moving from one relative’s house to another, but never found a place where he was truly welcomed. Now a high school student, he arrives in the countryside and encounters a powerful spirit named Madara, who tells him all about the power of the coveted Book of Friends that belonged to his grandmother. Although Natsume never met his grandmother, he learned about her through his encounters with the spirits she had encountered.
3) Haikyu!!
This beloved sports drama will always be one of the most popular comfort anime of all time. The story explores the themes of perseverance, hard work, and self-improvement while following high school boys who push past their limits to achieve their goal of reaching the nationals. The anime played a major role in popularizing the sports genre within the Shonen demographic.
The story centers around Shoyo Hinata, a short but spirited boy who wants to become like the “Little Giant,” a renowned high school volleyball player who participated in the nationals. However, after a nightmarish middle school debut enrolls in Karasuno High School, the Little Giant’s alma mater, but didn’t expect to see his former opponent, Tobio Kageyama, there.
2) Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
This heartbreaking story delicately explores childhood bonds and how they linger throughout someone’s life in ways both beautiful and bittersweet. The story focuses on summer break nostalgia, making it the perfect show to binge this season. Jinta Yadomi was once an outgoing boy, but he now spends his days away from school. He focuses only on playing video games since he is unable to deal with the death of his childhood friend, Meiko Honma, whom he called Menma.
However, when Menma’s ghost appears in front of him and begins pestering him about a wish he forgot to grant her, Jinta understands she is unable to find peace. He reaches out to his group of childhood friends, who were estranged after the tragedy. The group of friends does everything they can to help her move on.
1) Nichijou – My Ordinary Life
Nichijou – My Ordinary Life is an all-time favorite comfort anime praised for its chaotic and surreal humor. Produced by Kyoto Animation, the story highlights everyday problems with a high-quality art style that perfectly fits the theme. The story follows the daily shenanigans of high school girls, Mio Naganohara, Yuuko Aioi, and Mai Minakami.
The girls’ lives were intertwined with Hakase Shinonome, a young genius, her robot caretaker, and her talking cat. The series is episodic in nature, bringing a new set of crazy challenges for the girls as they turn everyday lives into something far from exciting.
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