With warm weather, green vegetation, and plenty of activities to get out and enjoy the season, what better way to enjoy all that summer has to offer than staying indoors and binging some summer-themed anime? Nah, only joking. We live in a time when technology is portable and makes it possible to enjoy anime anywhere from the cool, air-conditioned comfort of your home to a sunny hammock by the beach.
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But which anime is perfect for a weeb’s eyeballs to absorb while your skin soaks up the sunshine? Well, do we have the list for you! Whether you’re into mysteries, sci-fi, drama, romance, or just want bright, sunny anime as hot as the temperature in July, you’re sure to find a show that’s ideal for your preference in summertime vibes. So lather on some sunscreen, put on a swimsuit, and dive into the scorching-hot picks.
1) Summer Time Rendering
After the death of his parents, Shinpei Ajiro had been taken in by the Kofune family and their two daughters, Mio and Ushio. Though he eventually left to Tokyo to continue his education, he’s returned to his home island of Hitogashima to attend Ushio’s funeral after she’d tragically drowned after attempting to rescue a little girl. But during the funeral, his best friend brings suspicion into the whole situation with the added information of bruises found on Ushio’s neck. With the accident looking more like to be a murder, Shinpei begins noticing strange happenings around him as he starts questioning what really happened to Ushio. With strange things happening and people disappearing, Shinpei uncovers much more about the island itself on top of what happened to Ushio.
Set on a subtropical island inspired by the real-life Tomogashima island and featuring fireworks and a festival, this series is rife with summertime vibes. As a suspenseful supernatural mystery, Summer Time Rendering is also sure to keep you on your toes.
Summer Time Rendering can be streamed on Disney+ or Hulu where available.
2) A Lull in the Sea
Although all humans used to live under the sea long ago, there were some who wanted to live on land, shedding their Ena that allowed them to once live beneath the waves. Ever since, though both societies remain in contact, the divide between the two had grown. When Hikari Sakishima, Manaka Mukaido, Chisaki Hiradaira, and Kaname Isaki are forced to attend school on the surface, they are also forced to face discrimination. But even so, when they meet fellow student Tsumugu Kihara, a fisherman who loves the sea, they learn that there are still some who not only manage to live in harmony with one another, but become closer despite the divide.
Whether in a seaside town on the shore or beneath the waves alongside fish, there’s nothing like the surf of the sea to soak in the summer. And this series is set in both!
A Lull in the Sea can be streamed on Tubi and Crunchyroll.
3) Words Bubble Up Like Sodapop
Yui “Cherry” Sakura is a boy who, while working part-time at a welfare facility during the summer, enjoys writing haiku to post on the internet even though it tends to garner little attention. Meanwhile, Yuki “Smile” Hoshino is a blossoming influencer who just wants to make others smile even though she has trouble doing so herself, often hiding her buck teeth and braces behind a mask. After a literal run-in with Cherry, Smile begins working at the same facility as him. When a senile old man, Fujiyama, a vintage record shop owner and regular at the care facility, asks for help in finding an old vinyl recording by his late wife, Cherry and Smile agree to take on the endeavor, learning more about each other’s passions and shortcomings along the way.
Who knew that summer vacation would be a ton of work? Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop is a sweet story about summer love and sweltering selfless endeavors.
Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop can be streamed on Netflix.
4) Summer Wars
OZ is the worldwide popular internet platform where most all people gather with custom avatars for just about any and all functions for daily life. Of course it’s also protected with highly effective security measures to ensure both the platform and its users are both safe. Not only is Kenji Koiso a part-time OZ moderator, but is also a whiz at math. But when his crush Natsuki Shinohara invites him on a summer trip to her family’s house in the country out of the blue, unbeknownst to him, she had planned on him acting as her fiancé in preparation for her great-grandmother’s 90th birthday celebration. When he receives a strange, coded message on his cell phone from unknown sender, he cracks the code as a mere minor challenge, unwittingly spelling doom for OZ.
While many envision summer as being about being offline and spending time outside as to not squander the sunshine, this film manages to mesh both intense online world encounters and the sweltering real-world family gathering shenanigans.
5) Ponyo
When a curious goldfish sneaks away from home, five-year-old Sousuke finds her trapped in a bottle near the shore and frees her, cutting his finger in the process. The small fish licks his wound and heals it. Realizing she’s special, Sousuke puts her in his bucket and names her Ponyo, taking his new friend home to his mom, Lisa. Frantic that she’s missing, the sorcerer Fujimoto searches for and recaptures his daughter Brunhilde. The goldfish insists she prefers the name Sousuke gave her, rejects living as a fish, and is determined to return to her friend. Sousuke’s blood having given her the power to transform to look like a human girl, she rushes back to him, creating an imbalance in nature in her wake. As the two grow close in their friendship, Sousuke and his mother embrace Ponyo with open arms as not just human, but one of the family.
In this Ghibli film, Ponyo brings some wholesome childhood summertime vibes with these two best pals bonding over their love of the sea, their home on the shore, and their impervious friendship.
Ponyo can be streamed on Max.
[RELATED: 10 Best Anime Movies by Studio Ghibli, Ranked]
6) Weathering with You
Runaway teenager Hodaka Morishima struggles to support himself in the concrete jungle of Tokyo, running away from cops and taking up residence in a net café until he lands a job and a place to live at a small publishing house. Although the rain in Tokyo seems to be relentless, when he meets orphaned Hina Amano who strives to find work to sustain herself and her younger brother, he discovers that she has an amazing power that allows her to make the rain disappear and call upon the sun. Dubbing her the “Sunshine Girl”, the two decide to monetize her abilities, spreading sunshine to those who wish for it. Unfortunately, their good fortune may eventually come at a price.
What could be more of a summertime mood than literally calling upon sunshine at will? Along with the dichotomy of rainy and sunny weather, Weathering with You also gives a beautifully more gritty look at the street life of Tokyo.
Weathering with You can be streamed on Max where available.
7) Aria
In the 24th century, Earth, now known as Manhome, has successfully colonized Mars, dubbing the now habitable planet Aqua. With the planet’s abundant source of water, one city, Neo Venezia, has been created to replicate the rustic beauty of Manhome’s Venice. On waterways, canals, and sparkling seas, several companies provide residents and tourists with guided gondola tours. Akari Mizunashi works at one such service, Aria Company, away from her provenance of Manhome. As a novice Undine, a gondola tour guide, Akari spends her time making friends with tourists, residents, and other Undine and learning more about the city she grows to love more and more, day by day.
The landscape (or, rather, waterscape) of Neo Venezia displays both beautiful scenery and wonderful friendships as days and seasons pass as gently and serenely as the gondolas on the shimmering waters. Aria is a fantastic Iyashikei anime perfect for chill summer vibes.
Aria the Animation can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
8) A Whisker Away
High school student Miyo Sasaki comes from a broken family that now includes a stepmother who, much to the annoyance of Miyo, attempts to connect with her new stepdaughter. Endeavoring to find some respite from her personal issues, she takes to latching onto schoolmate Kento Hinode both in and out of school. But unbeknownst to Miyo’s crush, he’s actually grown closer to her than he realizes. Feeling as though she’s unable to attract his attention as herself, Miyo instead takes to spending time with him as a cat he’s named Tarou. But when she’s faced with losing her humanity completely, Miyo must make a choice to live at a distance from her crush as a human or be loved by him as a cat.
Cat adventures atop trees and amidst the summer breeze? Yes, please! Heck, the warm, fuzzy feelings and atmosphere is such a prominent theme in this film, Miyo enjoys referring to her crush as “Hinode Sunrise” and Kento thinks that Miyo smells like the sun itself.
A Whisker Away can be streamed on Netflix.
9) Waiting in the Summer
Kaito Kirishima, in the middle of testing his camera on bridge on a summer night, is suddenly struck by the flash of blue light that had streaked across the sky, losing consciousness just as an unknown hand reached for his. Waking up the next morning, Kaito is left with little recollection or proof of what had transpired. At school, he and his friends think of how to best utilize the camera, ultimately deciding to make a film as a fun summer activity. When his friends notice that Kaito has taken a liking to upperclassman Ichika Takatsuki, his friend Tetsurou Ishigaki invites her and her friend Remon Yamano to join them in their filming venture. In spending time together, creating a film is just the tip of the iceberg as the friends create memories and antics they’ll never forget.
As a romance-drama with a sci-fi twist, you can probably guess that the summer break for these youngsters has much more in store than just making a film together.
10) Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
Recluse Jinta Yadomi spends his time avoiding school and playing video games. But when one hot summer day his old friend Meiko “Menma” Honma appears, he at first just chalks it up to being a hallucination due to the heat. But as much as he tries to shrug her off, she affirms she’s there to stay, despite having died years ago. Insisting on reminding him of his promise to grant a forgotten wish, Jinta is eventually convinced that she’s really there as a ghost. Although their group of friends had grown apart after Menma’s death, they reunite to try to grant Menma’s wish so she can move on. But granting a wish isn’t as easy as they think; Reliving their pain and guilt, the friends find that they not only struggle to help Menma move on, but themselves.
If your looking for a bittersweet summertime supernatural drama, Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, or simply Anohana, is a great pick. As much as summer shows are often expected to be as bright and sunny as the season itself, having a more in-depth, emotional plot gives a nice twist to the mix.
What’s your favorite anime to bring in the summer vibes? Let us know in the comments if there’s any sunshiny series or summer fun-filled films you think are definitely worth the watch!
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